any tips on selecting a cooker hood?

katejo

I have not had one of the above before as I have only had an old fashioned recirculating extractor box. Any particular recommendations about features to look out for or avoid? Have you bought one recently which works well and is not too noisy?

I have looked at several but I'm not sure which to go for or how much to spend. There are only 2 of us using the kitchen so it won't get really heavy use.

abankerbutnotafatcat

I was in the same position (except we didn't have a cooker hood at all, we just used to open the window). I phoned our local appliance store and he asked me a few questions and recommended an Elica. I'd never heard of them before and the fact that it's an Italian brand did concern me but I went with hs recommendation as he knows his stuff and I've since found out that Elica are very well respected cooker hood specialists.

The main considerations will be how much space you have and your budget. As you said, the main features to look out for when comparing are rate of extraction and noise.

majjie

Elica are indeed a good brand to look at - so are Best - and you could try Luxair, they've got a very good 7 year parts and labour warranty at the moment.

Funnily enough the "old fashioned" re-circulating models that you talk about are probably going to get a new lease of life. Rumour has it that building regulations will insist on re-circulating models for new houses in the not too distant future. All that hot air (and steam) being pumped out of the house isn't very energy efficient.

ryder72

Extraction is very important to get rid of humidity and smells and also to trap grease particles. Without effective removal of humidity you are likely to take humdity levels in your kitchen to levels that could affect the carcase life. Grease will settle on your units, worktops and floor and require more cleaning.

Work out the volume of your room in cubic metres, multiply that by 12 and take 20% off (this is a very rough indicator). This should be the minimum extraction capacity per hour of your new hood.

As with all things, you get what you pay for so while you try and get your extraction rate sorted, look into the noise level at the required extraction rate. The cheaper the hood the noisier its going to be at the extraction rate you need so try and find one that delivers the extraction rate you need at the lower speeds, otherwise the hood has to work harder to do its job.

Elica is a good product but its their higher priced hoods that are the better ones. Also look at some of the hood that BSH do. There are specialist products from Westin, Gutmann and Falmec also worth considering.

ListysDad

Further to Ryders comment. Noise is also a direct consequence of the type and size of duct you run. As a rule of thumb, larger ductwork is quieter and larger fans are quieter for the same volume.

A MIN of 6" but better if you can do 8". All bends MUST be bends NOT elbows or no matter what size ou use you'll be wasting you time.

INSULATE the duct to reduce radiated noise using 25mm rockwool.

HTH

yangptangkipperbang

majjie wrote: »

Rumour has it that building regulations will insist on re-circulating models for new houses in the not too distant future. All that hot air (and steam) being pumped out of the house isn't very energy efficient.

Sounds like another ill-thought out, crackpot EU Law ! A damp house that stinks of Onions/Curry/Chilli/etc/etc/etc.............. just what we all want !

katejo

majjie wrote: »

Elica are indeed a good brand to look at - so are Best - and you could try Luxair, they've got a very good 7 year parts and labour warranty at the moment.

Funnily enough the "old fashioned" re-circulating models that you talk about are probably going to get a new lease of life. Rumour has it that building regulations will insist on re-circulating models for new houses in the not too distant future. All that hot air (and steam) being pumped out of the house isn't very energy efficient.

Where does this rumour come from? When i read this, I thought that the emphasis would be on having an extractor not that it had to be a re-circulating one.

majjie

yangptangkipperbang wrote: »

Sounds like another ill-thought out, crackpot EU Law ! A damp house that stinks of Onions/Curry/Chilli/etc/etc/etc.............. just what we all want !

Well, it might not be quite that bad ... if the manufacturers were to concentrate on improving the performance of the re-circulating hoods!

Where does this rumour come from? When i read this, I thought that the emphasis would be on having an extractor not that it had to be a re-circulating one.

Ah well ... I can't reveal my sources
It was from within the kitchen industry, though - and it does sort of make sense. Ventilation systems are getting more complicated in new build houses, with a planned route of air movement around the house and a heat exchange system to avoid wasting heat. Having an extractor blasting your warm air straight out through the wall might not fit well with that sort of system.

yangptangkipperbang

majjie wrote: »

Well, it might not be quite that bad ... if the manufacturers were to concentrate on improving the performance of the re-circulating hoods!

You think not - a hood that will remove ALL smells and condense the steam that it collects - how much will that cost ?

ryder72

Would be nice if people commented with some background and knowledge.

EU regulations on energy efficiency have been driving change for a while now. Passive houses are quite common in Europe and to meet these regulations, extraction in kitchens in being looked at. Some German and Italian manufacturers have been developing technologies for a while now.

I have myself experienced performance of extractors by a German supplier called O+F supplied through our kitchen supplier, Leicht. These use Plasma Ionisation technology to break down odour molecules into harmless gases and strong odours in a room eliminated as if by magic. They're not cheap right now but neither were pocket calculators when they first arrived.