I am retrofitting an ERV in my finished home and I need advice on where to locate exhaust air (i.e. intake) registers in my kitchen.
This is an exhaust ducted system with 3-in Zehnder ComfoFlex exhaust ducts running up a partition wall cavity from the lower level, behind my refrigerator. Given the obvious constraints of running duct work, I’m limited when it comes to register placement. However, I am able to run the ducts over top of the kitchen cabinets.
In the attached photo, I’ve identified three possible port/register locations:
A: Just above the refrigerator is a nice little gap in the cabinetry where I could place a wall register but it might be an eyesore and will probably be a pain to install.
B: I could run a duct down the back of the corner cabinet so the register is just above the toaster oven. This is also where we do a lot of food prep and slow cooking so it’s an ideal spot for catching odors. However, I’m not clear on whether this will be a fire/safety issue or if it’s too close to the stove. In case it’s relevant the microwave above the stove has a kitchen exhaust fan ducted to the outdoors. The rectangular duct sits above the cabinets.
C: I would like to have a register as close to the ceiling as possible. The kitchen is in a large open-concept space with a vaulted / cathedral style ceiling. It would be nice to capture warm, humid air near the ridge. The partition wall reaches 4 feet below the ridge. I’m thinking a round exhaust port at or near the very top of the partition wall could capture some stale air. The only way to get a duct to the very top of the ridge would be to penetrate into the attic (just behind the highest part of the wall, 2 feet above the cabinets). This would be complicated to achieve but it’s possible.
I could place an exhaust register in all three locations but I’d like to see if the braintrust has any better ideas or words of caution.