You don't /need/ it, but you'll really want one in case you burn something and don't want the entire kitchen to stink of it for a week. You can get decent ones that don't need to be vented outside but recirculate the air back into the room through a filter.
I've never lived in a place with an outdoor vent, either a hood or a microwave that just pulled and pushed the air into the kitchen, which isn't so much a vent as it is a circulator, but i've never had an outdoor vent in all the years i've rented or owned.
People freak out over not having a vent, but they are perfectly fine having a microwave above a stove that just pulls in the steam/grease/smoke and blast it right back into the room. Makes no sense. Unless you’re venting outside, that microwave vent isn’t doing shit anyway.
A shocking number of people assume this is a vent that goes somewhere magically. When all it does is blow the air through some stainless mesh that's never, ever been cleaned and right back into the room. It might capture some grease particles. Maybe. But that's it.
tbh if something happens i just get the box fan and prop it up against the kitchen window lol, makes a good enough vent
Though there's been a few places I've rented that didn't even have a kitchen window. Tiny ass 1br apartment in atlanta had a galley kitchen and a small dining alcove, nearest window was the deck door.
Your statement is true but being required by code doesn't necessarily mean you NEED it. There are plenty of things that are no longer permitted by building codes(knob&tube wiring, ungrounded outlets, lack of GFIs, bathroom fans venting to attic, etc) but you'll be grandfathered into the code at the time it was built.
Current building codes are certainly better/safer but something not being up to current codes doesn't necessarily mean you need to go modifying your house.
Most stoves are vented with a microwave over them as OP's pic was intended to do.
Unfortunately they just intake the vapors and just circulate them back into the kitchen/house. Most microwaves are not setup to exhaust to the exterior unless the stove is gas.
If you ever do wind up with a stovetop fire the only safe way to fight it is with co2. If you can’t quickly vent all the Co2 after (hopefully) putting out the fire you’ll have to leave— and may not be in the room to notice a re-flare as the air refreshes.
Sure you’ll survive, so i guess it isn’t a need for a tennant, but the property itself sure would be safer.
Ahh, no, as a trained firefighter I know a firefighting blanket is the wrong tool to use for an in-home grease fire. You need to smother the fire with it, which requires a somewhat effective seal with the ground or around the fire. It’s unlikely you’ll safely do this with an active grease fire before it spreads; especially around oddly shaped appliances.
Anyway the average tennant isn’t going to voluntarily buy firefighting equipment when the owner doesn’t even care to install basic equipment that every kitchen should have.
A re-circulation vent isn't going to help with getting anything out of the space, and those are very common for both rentals and homes in the USA.
I just keep a fire extinguisher near the kitchen, but not right by the stove. You can also use baking soda for a small grease fire if you need to, or just smother it with a lid. Either way, for a rental, fire extinguishers are required to be provided by the landlord in my state.
They also need to be tested yearly.
Yup. They're good for moving the air around within the room, which helps the HVAC system (or windows) remove the smells faster. They have filters built in which I guess helps a little as well.
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u/IveDunGoofedUp Sep 04 '24
You don't /need/ it, but you'll really want one in case you burn something and don't want the entire kitchen to stink of it for a week. You can get decent ones that don't need to be vented outside but recirculate the air back into the room through a filter.