Any DIY exhaust hood builds for cheap?

I am looking for a cheap way to vent exhaust from the propane burners to the outside. if I simply open the doors on the shed it will not be necessary BUT I would feel better with a means to vent from directly above the burners.

Not a hood, but a simple idea. Mount a power vent above and behind the kettles. They also sell a louvered panel for the building exterior.

http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/power-vents/7766.html

I've seen some people here use inline fans and make a "box" above the brewing area. Search "hydronics fan" and see what pops up.

I'm thinking about building a box out of foam board. I'll seal the seams with epoxy (I have some from another project) Then, paint the rest with more epoxy. cut a hole in the right place for my in-line fan, and done.

Epoxy resin is safe for foam, not so with polyester.
Could also be done with aquarium sealant??

I have also thought about a large tote, turned up-side-down, with a hole for the fan.

Check out Nattybrew's Electric rig starting about post #169 I believe. He has lots of pics, and he made a custom hood out of, IIRC, wood and FRP paneling with an inline fan.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/nattybrews-electric-brewery-build-216462/index9.html

Rondacker said:

I'm thinking about building a box out of foam board. I'll seal the seams with epoxy (I have some from another project) Then, paint the rest with more epoxy. cut a hole in the right place for my in-line fan, and done.

Epoxy resin is safe for foam, not so with polyester.
Could also be done with aquarium sealant??

I have also thought about a large tote, turned up-side-down, with a hole for the fan.

Click to expand...

Get foil tape used to seal duct board will hold everything .......my.02

cyberbackpacker said:

Check out Nattybrew's Electric rig starting about post #169 I believe. He has lots of pics, and he made a custom hood out of, IIRC, wood and FRP paneling with an inline fan.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/nattybrews-electric-brewery-build-216462/index9.html

Click to expand...

Beat me to the punch! Total cost for my build (with the fan) was maybe $250 bucks. All its made of is four 2x6's, Plywood, and lined with an FRP panel to help protect the wood from the moisture.

Here's some pics from my build:

I just re-read the OP.
I don't think that I would be comfortable with a hood made from a combustible material over gas burner.
The fan behind the burner idea seems best to me.

After seeing Nattybrew's set up, I'm gonna copy that one, since I'm building an electric rig.

NattyBrew said:

Beat me to the punch! Total cost for my build (with the fan) was maybe $250 bucks. All its made of is four 2x6's, Plywood, and lined with an FRP panel to help protect the wood from the moisture.

Click to expand...

Any issues with reducing the piping after the fan?
how does it perform in use?

Rondacker said:

I just re-read the OP.
I don't think that I would be comfortable with a hood made from a combustible material over gas burner.
The fan behind the burner idea seems best to me.

After seeing Nattybrew's set up, I'm gonna copy that one, since I'm building an electric rig.

Click to expand...

Don't set it on fire, then

Natty- How did you attach the two 2x6's to each other? I'm talking the parallel edges, not the lag bolted butt joints. thanks!
Tom

Appologies for reviving an old thread, but my question is relevant to this one and I figured it'd be better than starting a new empty thread.

Has anyone considered using a galvenized steel 'trough' for the basis of an exhaust hood. Livestock troughs can be picked up on all their shiny goodness for under $200 for even the biggest ones.

http://www.gsesolar.com/stock_troughs_steel.html





These are designed to hold up to being abused by livestock outdoors in all season, for many years. I'd be a little concerned about condensate dripping back down from the galvanized surfaces, but as long as the fan is adequately sized to remove the vapor, that shouldn't happen.

I had planned to just build a box with lumber and FRP similar to NattyBrew's contribution above, but thought this might work.

Thoughts?

thanks!

Looks like a viable alternative...prehaps something similiar but plastic...
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-50-Gallon-Tote-Set-of-4-Titanium/15940602
Just a thought, how bout 1/2 of a 55 gallon drum cut lengthwise???

I think these look great and will do the job nicely. And at about the 1/10th the price of a custom SS hood, I don't think you can go wrong.

Here's my build from galvanized sheet metal and slotted steel:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/diy-garage-hood-heat-shield-375755/

Don't forget about sizing the exhaust fan correctly. The generally agreed upon ratio for gas burners is 100 CFM per 10,000 BTU's to be safe.

I plan on just making one out of sheet metal when I get to it.... (Im lucky, my family owns a sheet metal shop)

Have any friends that work in a sheet metal shop or HVAC?...
They usually have access to galvanized sheets for duct, and brakes to bend em up... 3x8 or 4x8 sheet of 26ga galv is pretty cheap... (Usually will have scrap painted pieces around too prolly for cheaper)

Draw up what you want, explain it to em, maybe ask for someone in the shop that has a similar interest (Beer) and get it done...

OR

Or, just buy the metal, have em shear it, (unless you have tin snips laying around) and build a wood frame outta 2x2's or something. Skin it with the galv sheeting, the wood would give you something to mount a fan too as well....

I bought a 8 by 4 sheet of the blue high density foam insulation from Lowes and built a hood out of it. It's a three foot square that is fine foot tall. I used wood glue and tape to seal the joints, but spray foam insulation would work if your cuts aren't straight.

I brew in the basement, so I use an exhaust fan and solid dryer duct to push the air out the vent for my clothes dryer. Works great, but not much to look at.

cyberbackpacker said:

Check out Nattybrew's Electric rig starting about post #169 I believe. He has lots of pics, and he made a custom hood out of, IIRC, wood and FRP paneling with an inline fan.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/nattybrews-electric-brewery-build-216462/index9.html

Click to expand...

His pics don't work anymore