Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - Old Kitchen fan - how to insulate?

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jimr451
12-08-07, 01:06 PM
Hi,

We have an older style (through the wall) kitchen fan. The wall around it feels very cold, and the only "covers" I can find are very cheap plastic, held on by weak magnets (strong winds actually blow it off).

I'm looking for a method to seal this off better. I was going to craft a cover for the inside, but am wondering if putting something over the outside vent is better. Does anyone make anything for these kinds of fans? It seems like there should be, but I came up blank after a lot of searching.

-Jim

XSleeper
12-08-07, 01:54 PM
The best thing I can think of would be to take the cover off, and slip in a piece of rigid ISO styrofoam that has been cut to fit snugly. If you wanted to air seal it over the winter you could use some of that rope caulking that doesn't get hard quickly and just poke it around the outside of the styrofoam. PL300 foam adhesive would probably make it too hard to remove in the spring.
jimr451
12-08-07, 06:13 PM
Thanks - I hadn't thought of the styrofoam - it's relatively cheap to try anyway. Fastening it might be a challenge, but maybe I can rig something up. I'll try that and see how it works. Thanks!

-Jim