Moving the Range Hood

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Linda Giuliani

Moving the Range Hood

Post by Linda Giuliani »

We are going to move the hood over the range back so I can see what I'm stirring on the stove without stooping over. A long time ago on the previous forum I know this was discussed, but I can't remember if there were any complications to be aware of when doing this move. Jerry E at Born Free says that by law they have to locate the hood where it is but that many people move them back and he indicated it was simple to do so. How far back has anyone moved it? Greg doesn't want to move it at all, or very little. (Obviously HE doesn't stir the pot!) I don't want to defeat the purpose of the fan, but it is enough of a hassle preparing gourmet meals in a tiny space without getting a backache while "watching the pot boil"! So I want to move it as far back as possible.

I welcome input and advice from those of you who have done this. Thanks!
Steve W
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:00 pm

Post by Steve W »

Linda. Your comments regarding stirring the pot and not being able to see what you are doing gave me a chuckle. Exactly my wife's comments following our first trip. To keep peace in the family, I moved the hood back and it was easier than I thought it would be. As I recall, I moved the hood back almost to the rear wall. It takes two, in that one person has to hold the hood as the screws are removed, the hood moved back and the screws reset in their new locations. The only thing to keep in mind is not to tighten the screws to the point where it begins to buckle the inside of the hood. You might tell your husband that the wiring for the monitors in the front of the hood is plentiful and will not bind when the hood is moved :? . I am deliberately a little vague on the actual procedure as it has been a while, but I am not overly gifted when it comes to such work & I do not recall it being any great problem. For what it is worth, my wife was overjoyed and said it made cooking so much easier. Another option would be to take the unit to an RV shop and let them move the hood back. I would think it would be a very quick job.
Linda Giuliani

Post by Linda Giuliani »

Thanks, Steve! I think we can handle it ourselves, but glad to know there aren't hidden traps to be aware of. I've put up with it in the factory position for TWO YEARS. My mistake was in not having Greg stir the pot so he could see first hand what my complaint was.

Now if he could only increase my counterpace by about double . . .!
(I had hoped the 32' Born Free might address that issue, but the big changes in that rig are really in the bed/bath area. So I didn't solve my counter space issue, but did save a bunch of money by not trading up to the 32' rig!)


Thanks again.
springerbill

Post by springerbill »

Hi Linda - I moved the vent hood on our 26 RSB back about 3". It was no problem at all - simply removed the existing screws, moved the hood into the desired position, marked the vent screw holes, drilled new pilot screw holes in the bottom of the cabinet and reattached the vent hood using the existing screws. It is easier to do with two sets of hands vs. only one. Good luck! Bill Lyon
springerbill

Post by springerbill »

Linda - one correction to my previous post - our BF is a 26' RB. Sorry about the mistake. Bill Lyon
Trisha

Oh good

Post by Trisha »

This little chore is on my list for this week.

i don't know from laws, but whoever puts that hood there doesn't cook. Of that I am sure. Not only can you not stir or see, you can't flip anything with a longish handled spatula and the darned handle catches on the hood and you end up with food flipped into unpredictable places.

Suffice it to say, if this law isn't written in stone, I suggest that BF change the position. Period.

For cooking, the current positioning SIMPLY DOES NOT WORK! Period. I know, many don't cook. But as I travel alone and detest dining in restaurants by myself, I cook a lot. Daily.

Please, please, please, BF...MOVE THE HOOD BACK ON ALL THE UNITS so that it's at least flush with the microwave (mine is actually out further.

Fans do a fine job of pulling air toward them without being directly vertically above them.

(rant off)

sorry about that. But it has proven to be one of those little total annoyances to me. Especially consdiering that fan doesn't even actually GO anywhere who cares where it is??? eh? Jerry?

Patricia (just wait, I'm coming back north sometime after you all defrost)
CHARLOTTE

Post by CHARLOTTE »

Looks like you're in rare form tonight, Trish... My 2 cents on the hood thing is ... I'm short and easily bump into it let alone the problems when trying to cook on the stove. My stove top has the dials next to the wall...what dummy designed that? :? Not only is it hard to get in there to turn them on..off..up..or down...but the dials melt...when you have a pot on the rear burner...

I will definitely be having this set up changed while in IA at the Rally. Hey Trish...have you gotten home yet from Quartszite???
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Mike Jean Bandfield
Posts: 513
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:43 pm

Range Hood and Counter Space

Post by Mike Jean Bandfield »

Ditto on everything that's been said on the range hood. That was the first change we made. Pushed it back 5 or 6 inches - all the way to the wall. It's an easy change, improves the situation and doesn't look too odd.

We'd prefer not to have the large microwave cabinet at all. The micro we have at home has a built-in range hood with a recirculating fan and takes up much less room than the Born Free's cabinet. However, it is not a convection oven which might require the large box.

Regarding counter space. we've been mulling over options and are soliciting ideas. Currently we use a metal folding rack about 20+ inches wide and 8-9 inches deep that spans the width of the sink and is high enough to use the faucet. It's not a bad solution - it holds hot pots and whatever up out of the way. It's just not as stable as we'd like. In that small area it is too easy to bump into. It slides easily and stuff on top can slide too easy. On the plus side it's light, sets up easly, folds flat and stores against the wall in the wardrobe closet.

Mike
Mike & Jean
2005 26' RSS Diesel
CHARLOTTE

Post by CHARLOTTE »

Mike & Jean: I had an counter extension made for mine. It's installed on the edge of the counter & runs from the edge of the sink back to about where the stove area starts. It has a piano hinge and latches. When I need it I raise it up, put the latches in place and it extends out giving me counter space to work on while allowing me to still get to the sink, etc. When traveling I usually just let it hang down but I'm sure it could stay in place without a problem. I have some pics...if you think this idea would work for you. I'm not sure what floor plan you have...but mine is the RSB and I saw it originally installed in a rear bath floor plan. It works well on both....Just my input..
Linda Giuliani

Post by Linda Giuliani »

Charlotte, I would like to see a photo!

I do have the pull out cutting board below the stove on my unit. But I sure could use more space. It would be nice if I could steal some space into the "living room" over the sofa area but I haven't figured out how to do it. For now I have a "bean bag" type lap desk sitting on the sofa at the edge of the kitchen and I use it to hold dishes and bowls. It doesn't work for hot pots or as a cutting board but it doesn't slip off the sofa and it's light weight and stores easily. Plus we then use it as a lap top table when eating. We carry this lap desk instead of the big heavy "arm rest" that came with our coach. (That kept sliding off the leather sofa and was heavy and bulky to store on the road)

And I have a small cutting board with rubberized edges that fits across the sink (we don't carry the heavy piece that the factory designed to fit across it). Little things help.

The best answer is to have Greg grill most of the food outside and I just prepare a big salad. But even just making a salad seems challenging with a small countertop. Guess I'm just a "big countertop" kind of gal!
CHARLOTTE

Post by CHARLOTTE »

I'll be happy to e-mail pics...however...as I have trouble with MS Outlook on my computer, could you contact me through a PM so I can see your direct e-mail address...then I can send the pics using that.
Hope you understand....
Last edited by CHARLOTTE on Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Trisha

rare form?

Post by Trisha »

me??? lol...

yes I guess I was. I kinda liked the Borg comment and nobody said a word :)

oh well. Guess my humor is an acquired taste?

As for counter space, that's why I bought the 26 RB. I would rather sleep in the cabover and have the counter space :)

Of course, right now my counter is covered with stuff I ought to put away but I was at the beach this afternoon and not doing any work.

No, I have not been home since the Quartzsite rally. It's just too cold up there and too nice here. Today I bought a toad because it got too expensive not to have one. Jeep liberty. :)

Now I need to get the blue ox stuff put on it.

I will get home so I can spend a few months, then I go again to alaska. Gotta get my dues in.

TTYS and thanks for askin'

Trisha
CHARLOTTE

Post by CHARLOTTE »

Trish..I think you bought exactly the right kind of vehicle to tow. You're gonna love it...Are you going to the Iowa Rally? Still haven't put curtains up like you have...but I wallpapered around my stove & sink areas...I used a self sticking wallpaper border with a soft pattern...and it really makes the area look a little cozy...More important...it brings a freshness to that small space. The flat beige or whatever color that is...is sort of sterile looking...The nice part is I can change it if I want a different pattern in the future without damaging the wall...Just my way of making my darling BF more personalized...I may pass on adding curtains, but your doing so gave me the idea for adding a personal touch & some color...so thanks kiddo...enjoy your RVing time...and be safe...
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Mike Jean Bandfield
Posts: 513
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:43 pm

Range Hood and Counter Space

Post by Mike Jean Bandfield »

I have attached some pictures which illustrate the discussion.

Note Charlotte's modified counter. It looks good and would provide good function. We'd like to weigh it against other options before deciding. (But we haven't got any other options yet.)

Linda and Greg - note the repositioned range hood and a 6 footer's new view of the range.

Since we had the Born Free's micro in the house while parts were on order for the house micro, I threw in a picture of the empty cabinet so you could see it and and the wiring to the monitor panel.

The Galley Vws pic shows the wire rack we use while cooking. For major gormet productions, we also have a small table, obtained from Camping World, that we set up in the aisle to the rear of the range. It's adjustable in height and was reasonably priced.

From looking at various pictures, it appears that older models have a smaller microwave cabinet that is probably easier to work around. Anyone worked with both?

'Hope this helps.

Mike
Attachments
Galley Vws 1 2 3.jpg
Views of the repositioned range hood and our galley wire rack in its various poisitions.
(176.08 KiB) Downloaded 5160 times
Microwave Cabinet and Range.jpg
A view inside the microwave cabinet. And a 6' 2" view of the range.
(105.84 KiB) Downloaded 5182 times
This is a picture of Charlotte's modified countertop. Thanks Charlotte!
This is a picture of Charlotte's modified countertop. Thanks Charlotte!
RVcountermineSm.jpg (41.29 KiB) Viewed 14471 times
Mike & Jean
2005 26' RSS Diesel
Linda Giuliani

Post by Linda Giuliani »

Between Charlotte's modified flip up counter extension and Jean's rack, I may have an entire kitchen "makeover" when I include the relocation of the hood! I have a Corian type countertop so my flip up extension might look a little odd since it wouldn't be made of the same material (but looks don't always trump function). Where did your metal rack come from Jean?

My cutting board "pull out" does provide some extra space. Also, I have a cover that fits over the stove burners so when I'm not using the stove, I have extra counter space. I guess the newer models have the new type stove - as I saw at the Dallas show and I didn't see a cover for those. Also, I have a single small sink, so that provides a little more counter space between the sink and stove. It is still a puzzle for creating a truly workable kitchen space for those of us who don't cook from a can or frozen dinner.

On a more positive note, I didn't find any great kitchen spaces in any of the coaches of greater length or price at the Dallas show (Referring to Class A's since there weren't many Class C's there to see.) Even on 40 foot rigs with slide outs, the workable kitchen counter area seemed tiny. Do men design these rigs? Am I the only one who needs elbow room? I could do with a little less sofa space and a little more kitchen counter. Guess if I had the money to back up my request, I could get a dream kitchen in almost any rig!

Thanks to you both for the photos and ideas.
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