How to Resize a Stainless Steel Chimney
Resizing your stainless steel range hood chimney doesn’t have to be something you hire a specialist to do for you. You also may need to resize your chimney to complete your installation or allow for easy access to electrical components of your hood. This can be accomplished in a few easy steps.
- Determine where you want to cut your chimney using a ruler. All of the chimneys at Proline Range Hoods are telescoping. You’ll want to cut the bottom edge of the top piece, as that edge won’t be visible.
- Mark the location on all sides with a marker.
- Apply tape against the marked area on the side of the chimney that you want to keep. This will help you maintain a clean line while cutting.
- Put on safety glasses and secure your chimney in place.
- Cut your chimney.
What You’ll Need
- Safety Glasses
- Norton Cutoff Blade
- 4.5-inch grinder
- 80-grit flap wheel
We'll tell you where to get all of these materials in the final step!
Determine where you want to cut your chimney.
It’s common that you’ll have two chimney pieces along with your range hood. The upper chimney piece slides inside the lower piece, allowing you to customize your chimney length. Because the chimney is telescoping, only two edges will be visible: the top edge of both pieces. As a result, you’ll want to measure your cut from the bottom edge of the top piece, since that piece will be hidden from view.
Use a ruler to measure the amount of chimney you want to cut. You can also adjust the top edge of your bottom chimney piece to match the length of chimney you want to cut, as done in the video.
Mark the location on all sides with a marker.
Once you have measured the length of chimney you want to cut, mark that distance on all sides of the chimney with a marker.
Apply tape against the marked area.
After you mark the location with a marker, apply tape along the measurement on all sides of the chimney. Apply the tape on the side of your chimney you want to keep to better protect that area as you complete your cut. It’ll also help you maintain an accurate, straight cut.
Put on safety glasses and secure your chimney in place.
Before you resize your chimney, be sure to put on your safety glasses. It doesn’t matter how you set up before cutting your chimney. But, in the video, we clamp a 2x4 to a table and let part of it hang off the table. If you use this setup, place your chimney on this 2x4 and then clamp it. This way you won’t have the table or your chimney moving as you make your cut. It’ll also reduce the vibrations, allowing you to cut the chimney smoothly.
Note: Clamp the chimney on the side that you will be recycling.
You can stay safe with these affordable safety glasses from Amazon.
Cut your chimney.
Once you’re set up, begin your cut. The Norton cutoff blade from Amazon is great for cutting stainless steel. The thin blade generates little heat, which can be damaging to stainless steel. It’s also made of carbon so it’ll wear down as you use it. This makes the blade easier to maneuver as you make your cut.
You’ll attach this to your 4.5-inch grinder, also available on Amazon here. After you make your cut, take your 80-grit flap wheel, attach it to the grinder, and then grind the cut edges to make them smooth. And, you guessed it. You can also find this flap wheel on Amazon. Be sure to gather these materials; then you can replicate how the chimney is cut exactly as presented in the video!
When installing your chimney, you won’t want to get cut. You can also use sandpaper to smoothen the edges.
I just cut down a range hood chimney and left it with burn marks along the edge. Can this come off?
There are a few strategies you can try to remove the burn marks from your stainless steel chimney.
Make a baking soda paste with three parts baking soda and one part water. Apply the paste to your chimney and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then, wipe the chimney clean with a microfiber cloth.
You can also sprinkle baking soda on the chimney and spray it with vinegar. Let the vinegar break down the burn marks for about 15 minutes. Then, wipe the chimney clean with your microfiber cloth.
Another strategy you can try is to use dish soap and water. A strong grease-cutting dish soap might be able to clean your chimney of its burn marks.
If these techniques don’t work, call your manufacturer to see if you can buy a replacement chimney.
Thanks for stopping by to read about resizing your stainless steel chimney. If you have any questions, check out the video below or call us at (877)-901-5530.
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