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What are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing an outlet of a kitchen exhaust hood through a chimney or directly through the outer wall of the house? There are unused chimneys in the house but there is not a hole to one of them at the right place in the kitchen.

I think there could be differences in these parameters:

  • heat leakage (the house is insulated by polystyrene foam boards from the outside)
  • staining of the house wall
  • complexity and price of the maintenance
  • difficulty and price of the construction

If the chimney will be unused is it worth to enclose the open top end because of lower heat leakage and easier maintenance?

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A hole in a wall is less likely to leak than a hole in the roof. Furthermore, when a hole in the wall leaks, it is likely to produce fewer problems than a leaky hole in the roof.

In the future, during reroofing, unused chimneys might be removed, and the associated hole in the roof along with them.

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If the chimney is really unused, that would work... but you'd be setting yourself up for a safety hazard if the chimney is ever used again, since combustion gasses could back-draft through the vent. Bad Practice, I think.

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  • Maybe chimney is not the right word. In Czech Republic where I live chimneys are used both for combustion gases exhaustion and ventilation (but not the same chimney for both). I think that there are pretty strict regulations for chimneys being used for combustion gases exhaustion. ------ In the past chimneys were certainly being used for kitchen exhaust hoods but I have heard that nowadays it is preferred to make a hole to a side wall of the house instead. I am wondering if there are reasons to make a new hole to the house.
    – pabouk - Ukraine stay strong
    Commented Nov 3, 2014 at 14:12
  • Chimneys are not just for fireplaces. Any upward vent through the roof for removing the products of combustion serving a fuel burning appliance is a chimney.
    – user23752
    Commented Nov 3, 2014 at 14:52
  • Here in the US, "chimney" in the context of housing almost always means combustion exhaust -- fireplace, heating system, water heater, or other. You certainly wouldn't want that connected with ventilation. Even a ventilation chimney might not want to be connected to a kitchen exhaust, since that could result in sending the fumes you want to exhaust into other parts of the house. Sending the exhaust directly outside is probably a better solution.
    – keshlam
    Commented Nov 3, 2014 at 15:10

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