Asking for help with kitchen extractor fan, please.

CSandL

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if someone could give me some advice please.

Long story entailing a very long wait for an extension to be finished - anyway...the building inspectors have been and said that they can't sign off the extension as there is no external extractor fan in the kitchen.

This was in October.

We are still waiting for the builder to organise his mate to come and do it, so got in touch with another electrician.

We don't really know anything about these things, but DH said that the cooker already had an extractor hood and all we needed is ducting to the outside which the electrician said we didn't need an electrician for, only a builder.

Is this right?

Do we need another extractor fan at the end of the ducting (ie electrician) or not (ie builder)? I am so miserable about trying to get this actually finished, I would be SO grateful for someone to actually finish the job, but who do I need?

Thanks all.

richardbeatson

Please see page 10 of this document (http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADF_2006.pdf) which outlines that you need an extract rate, in the kitchen, of 30 litres per second adjacent to the hob or 60 litres per second elsewhere. If you can prove that your over-hob extractor fan gives this and is vented outside then it will meet the regulations and be fine. You should contact your local Building Regulations Officer to confirm this is the case. Obviously you will need documentation to support your case.

Regards

Richard Beatson
(I am an Architectural Technician - you probably don't know what that is. It basically means that I am dealing with the building regs on a daily basis)

CSandL

Thank you so much, I'll check it out!

Kerry

daveyb_2

Hi,

I've read (tried to read!?) the document you refer to but am not really any the wiser as to whether we need an extractor fan and whether we can do anything to avoid having one.

We've had a new kitchen built and we specifically didn't want an over the hob extractor fan. We're now at the end of the build and a final inspection is due. The builder, who's project managed the whole thing, is now getting concerned that we need to put an extractor fan somewhere in the kitchen - which we really don't want to do.

The hob is directly infront of a window and, if needs be, we'll just open the window if we need to ventilate the kitchen whilst cooking.

Is there anything we can do to avoid being forced to put in a extractor that we don't want?

Thanks, David.

TimBuckTeeth

If you check through the forum there are many posts on problems with mould and condensation, having an effective extractor fan in the kitchen and bathroom should prevent most of these problems.
A recirculating cooker hood is virtually useless in controlling humdity and odours from cooking.
Connecting the cooker hood (if it has a good enough flow rate) via ducting to an external vent is the most effective option, but may not be practical depending on the location. Otherwise an extractor fan direct on an external wall is an option, at least 6" diameter for the required flow rate. A good quality fan eg. Xpelair or Ventaxia will be more effective and quieter than a cheap one.

ariba10

daveyb wrote: »

Hi,

I've read (tried to read!?) the document you refer to but am not really any the wiser as to whether we need an extractor fan and whether we can do anything to avoid having one.

We've had a new kitchen built and we specifically didn't want an over the hob extractor fan. We're now at the end of the build and a final inspection is due. The builder, who's project managed the whole thing, is now getting concerned that we need to put an extractor fan somewhere in the kitchen - which we really don't want to do.

The hob is directly infront of a window and, if needs be, we'll just open the window if we need to ventilate the kitchen whilst cooking.

Is there anything we can do to avoid being forced to put in a extractor that we don't want?

Thanks, David.

Have a read of this and then decide whether you need an extractor fan or not


http://www.harfordsonline.com/downloads/condensation%20info.pdf

CKdesigner

daveyb wrote: »

Hi,

I've read (tried to read!?) the document you refer to but am not really any the wiser as to whether we need an extractor fan and whether we can do anything to avoid having one.

We've had a new kitchen built and we specifically didn't want an over the hob extractor fan. We're now at the end of the build and a final inspection is due. The builder, who's project managed the whole thing, is now getting concerned that we need to put an extractor fan somewhere in the kitchen - which we really don't want to do.

The hob is directly infront of a window and, if needs be, we'll just open the window if we need to ventilate the kitchen whilst cooking.

Is there anything we can do to avoid being forced to put in a extractor that we don't want?

Thanks, David.

Hi, It is a requirement for new builds and new extentions that involve a kitchen to have some form of extractor, whether it be a fan in the wall or a ducted cooker hood. I believe this has been a requirement for a few years now.

If you ask any decent appliance manufacturer or kitchen designer what is the most important appliance in the kitchen? - The answer is, the cooker hood. When you think about it, you have probably spent a few thousand pounds on nice new shiny cabinetry and the thing that will look after it the most is the cooker hood. It will take out the moisture and grease in the air that simply openning a window will not do.

I am sorry, I don't want to scare you but if you invest in a decent cooker hood it will pay you back in the long run.

Good luck.

andyhop

Many trades could do this work

All you need is for someone to core a 5" hole on the wall, use rigid ducting from cooker hood to hole, fit grill on outer wall

All materials can be bought from screwfix for next to nothing

daveyb_2

Thanks for the replies but we really don't want an extractor of any sort and my question was really about interpretation of the Building Regs. They refer to mechanical extraction but then it goes on to talk of opening a window for ventilation and desn't seem to state whether this is an either/or or you must have both.

As it happens, it isn't possible to put a cooker hood over the hob because we've designed it to be directly infront of a window and the only available blank wall to put an extractor on would be at the other end of the kitchen and it would simply be there for bureaucracy as we just wouldn't ever bother turning it on at that end of the kitchen.

I wouldn't expect mould/condensation to be a problem - it's an old house (1874) anyway with plenty of through air flow (sometimes too much) and, although we've had double-glazing fitted about 12 years ago, that doesn't seem to have caused any problems since.

So my question is really back to interpretation of the Building Regs. Is mechanical extraction an absolute requirement (Part F seems to end by just stating that there needs to be "adequate ventilation" without being any more prescriptive)?

Thanks, David

andyhop

you have put the hob infront of a window?

Sounds like a bad design as leaning over to open the window could result in injury

A expelair on a pull cord would keep them happy and the new ranges are quite slimline and discrete

daveyb_2

andyhop wrote: »

you have put the hob infront of a window?

Sounds like a bad design as leaning over to open the window could result in injury

...but it does allow us to keep an eye on the children in the garden and gives a more pleasant view when you're cooking even if they're not outside!

We promise to be very, very careful

So are you saying that mechanical extraction is an absolute requirement for building regs?