Thread: Exhaust vent near a/c

I own a 1993 home, which I bought a few years ago. I just notice that the kitchen exhaust vents directly behind the A/C. Is this a wrong configuration? Violate any code?

thanks,

Matthew

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It shouldn't be that way but it may not harm anything. How close is the AC unit to the house? How many inches? Can you post a picture?

If it vents that low to be behind the condensing unit it must be a downdraft vent range hood.

You might want to slow down a bit on the cooking of the fried chicken and fried catfish a bit or the grease particles may get pulled into the fins on the condensing unit and affect the efficiency. Others may joke, but I've seen condensing unit fins covered with grease because of this poor location of the vent.

Same thing goes for the lint from a dryer vent.

rick

Does it vent to the roof?
How far is the vent from the unit?

Oh, and a picture would help us out.




PS don't know about set ups in Texas but we have a high percentage of units on the roofs here,
but if you don't in Tx please ignore my post

It is s typical stupid installation, but violates no codes; only violates common sense.

Originally Posted by Matthew Brown

I own a 1993 home, which I bought a few years ago. I just notice that the kitchen exhaust vents directly behind the A/C. Is this a wrong configuration? Violate any code?

I see two potential problems based on the kitchen exhaust's location in relation to the a/c unit.
- If the kitchen exhaust is located above the top of the a/c condenser unit discharge, the air being discharged out the top of the condenser unit could well prevent the kitchen exhaust from functioning and may even allow the outside air to be blown inside, whether or not the kitchen exhaust fan was operating.
- If the kitchen exhaust is located below the top of the condenser unit, the air being drawn into the condenser unit could create a negative pressure at the kitchen exhaust sufficient to pull the kitchen exhaust damper open and pull conditioned air out from the interior of the home.

I am sure there are code applicable to either instance, the second instance is a no brainer as that would violate energy codes. The first instance may be more difficult to find a code section for, but the energy codes could be applied there as well, just not quite as forcibly.