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Comment by cplusplusfellow | Hacker News Reader

Do you also have a gas stove? I’ve lived in lots of places that have unvented blowers but none of them had gas. Would be against code in almost every city in America.

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Yep, gas stove unfortunately. I can't speak to code, but most people I talk to share this experience -- I assume there's grandfathering at play.

It's just illegal and no one complained or enforced.

Where I am, it's called non-conforming and, unless there's a complaint, it doesn't become a problem until you pull a building permit AND a Building Official notices.

I just looked it up and section M1503.1 of the 2018 International Mechanical Code has an exception for range hoods which allows most to be used ductless. Some states, CA for example, don't allow this but the majority of states just follow the IMC code.

How much maintenance do those fans require to keep working well? I feel like the common thing is to basically not touch them, and they get pretty gross and don't seem to do much.

Edit: I got downvoted for this? I feel like I've seen a lifetime of these fans being decades old and in poor shape. I think you folks are vastly overestimating how many people clean those or replace the filter.

They're basically char filters, so if you wipe them and change the filters every 6 months or so you're good.

I'd be surprised if the average change time is any less than 5 years though.

You need to clean the filters regularly so they don’t become a fire hazard due to oil buildup; the better ones should have some kind of reminder system and will have filters that are dishwasher safe.

Very little maintenance is required but not zero. If it gets gross, wash it.

I had a blower that recirculated with a gas stove in NYC, in a newish (2008 I believe) building.

New construction in NYC bans gas stoves.

The last 2 houses I have lived in both had gas stoves and unvented blowers. Both recently built.

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