Advice needed Re: kitchen exhaust for Passport

[RGene7001]

I am an owner of 2013 Passport 2650 and overall quite happy with this trailer. However, it lacks outside kitchen exhaust and it is difficult to justify by any cost or weight considerations. The air just recirculates after passing through activated charcoal; during cooking it gets really hot and smoky. I am thinking about getting it straightened out by installation of regular outside exhaust but worry about leaks, insects and damage to the trailer structure.
Did anyone do this upgrade, what are the results?
Thank you!

[JRTJH]

Some members have solved the issue by cutting a hole in the side of their RV and installing a vented range hood. Most others, however, have simply installed a FANTASTIC vent fan in the kitchen roof vent. Do a search for vent fan installation and you'll find numerous threads about this topic.

[Kristi]

We also considered installing a vented hood but were worried about cutting a hole in the side of the trailer especially since the awning is on that side and I don't want build up to form on the awning from cooking. Instead we bought a couple of griddles to use on the grill on the bumper & cook all the greasy stuff outside.


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[therink]

My current and last Keystone fifth wheels (both Sydney's) didn't/don't have them either. I was dumbfounded when I went to use the stove and realized I didn't have one. Yeah, saved about $30 in material and labor. Oh well, we have an outside kitchen and don't use the inside stove anyway.
I do find it strange that some Keystone models do and some don't, haven't figured that out yet.
I have thought about installing one but just not worth it to me.

[srvnt]

I saw a post with pics on outback.com that's similar to what im going to do. I going to order this piece and modify it a little as I only need it 4 1/2" from hood to outside wall vent.

vent piece:http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1276772
post link:http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22969&view=&hl=vent&fromsearch=1

[Bob Landry]

I was going to do that to my Outback, but some genius at Keystone thought it would be better to have a window that extends halfway behind the stone, so I went with the Fantastic fan in the existing roof vent cutout.

[warsw]

I am an owner of 2013 Passport 2650 and overall quite happy with this trailer. However, it lacks outside kitchen exhaust and it is difficult to justify by any cost or weight considerations. The air just recirculates after passing through activated charcoal; during cooking it gets really hot and smoky. I am thinking about getting it straightened out by installation of regular outside exhaust but worry about leaks, insects and damage to the trailer structure.
Did anyone do this upgrade, what are the results?
Thank you!Most hoods can be set up to either recirculate or vent to the outside depending on how you set up the internal block off plate. You will need to pull the hood to see if yours has this option. If not you will need to get a different hood. The biggest problem in a RV will be where the framing in the wall is in relation to the hood vent. You don't want to cut out part of your frame work when you make the hole for the vent. If you can somehow determine that the frame won't be a problem then there will be no reason why you could not setup to vent to the outside of your RV.

[RGene7001]

Thank you for your responses.
I finally picked up the Passport from the dealer. They put new hood with outside vent got $430. Looks good. Delaminated bathroom countertop was replaced as well. Looking forward replacing it to plastic or Corinth should the problem recur. In the meantime I will try water insulation with silicone or epoxide glue along the edge.

[fla-gypsy]

Silicone is not the best choice for sealing exterior openings on an RV. Either Butyl putty tape or Proflex is recommended

[trikerbob]

RGene, FWIW, this is what we did. We have a 195RB with two vents. The one in the bath has a small powered fan. The one over the kitchen/dining area is not. I took the bath fan out and replaced it with a Heng's Vortex fan, since I didn't have to run power to it. We only got the single speed, not the 3-speed reversible. We also put Maxx Air covers over both vents. Just crack the vent over the dining area, and turn on the bath vent, and it will pull a lot of air out of the trailer. And I didn't have to re-caulk anything on the roof. The Vortex fan also cost a lot less, too. We're satisfied with the results, for sure. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Robert

[eanddrice]

:) I actually have a vented range hood on my 2007 Passport. Snag was, it has a little trap door under the hood that one has to open before it will actually exhust ;)