Outdoor Kitchen Ventilation Planning Guide

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• Part of the beauty of building an outdoor kitchen is having the opportunity to cook with grills you can’t use indoors. But the smoke and fumes from these BBQ pits still have to go somewhere.

  That’s where proper ventilation comes in. Vent panels and vent hoods are the best ways to address this issue and ensure your outdoor kitchen is as safe and enjoyable as possible.

  If you’re installing a BBQ island in a propane or natural gas setting, vent panels are required to disperse the gas and protect the outdoor kitchen in the event of a leak. Vent hoods for clearing the area of smoke are sometimes required by local codes when building an outdoor space with a grill, but even if not, you should seriously consider making them part of your building plans.

  Let’s take a look at each item individually to see what makes them so important.

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Natural Gas & Propane Vent Panels

Placement of vent panels is the main concern with natural gas and propane, which can build up inside a BBQ island and potentially ignite if there’s a leak anywhere. These two gases have different densities that cause them to behave in certain ways, so you must be aware of their properties when installing vent panels in an outdoor area.

Propane (LP) is heavier than air, which causes it to sink. For this reason, vent panels in propane settings must be installed as low to the floor as possible.

Natural gas (NG) rises because it’s lighter than air, so you must place vent panels in these situations as high on the island as possible.

Knowing where you need to position the panels is only half the battle, though — the necessary number and spacing of vent panels varies from grill to grill.

With properly installed natural gas and propane vent panels, you can rest easy knowing your outdoor kitchen is safe to use. Browse our collection of outdoor kitchen island vent panels and make sure you aren’t caught without these all-important components.

Outdoor Cooking Vent Hoods

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• Just about everybody loves smoky flavors in their BBQ, but we haven’t found many people who enjoy the smoke itself lingering in their outdoor area.

  A vent hood above the grill is the surest way to solve this problem, which is why we offer many different types of outdoor kitchen grill hoods. These items generally cover most or all of the grill, capturing unpleasant smoke and grease that could harm people or other appliances in the outdoor kitchen.

  Though vent hoods aren’t necessary in every outdoor kitchen, covered spaces require them for appropriate ventilation. Even if you’re building an open-air outdoor area, including an outdoor cooking vent hood will allow you and your guests to fully enjoy your time around the grill without worrying about excess smoke or stained walls.

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