Cooker hood buying guide
Integrated & canopy cooker hoods:
The term ‘integrated’ is used to describe extractors that are fitted into kitchen units.
- Fully integrated – These fit in between the kitchen cabinets and will have a door or panel on the front that matches the kitchen. You pull the door up to operate the fan and push back in place when you have finished cooking.
- Canopy – These are installed to the bottom of the kitchen cabinet over the hob.
Chimney cooker hoods
By far the most popular style of decorative hoods. These attach to a wall and have a chimney section that covers the ducting if you vent through an outside wall. There are many styles available from stainless steel the latest glass headroom hoods and available in 60/70/90/100/100/120cm widths. Pick ones that have the best energy ratings to save on your energy bills and check out the ones with ‘silentis’ settings that are whisper quiet.
Island cooker hoods
Open plan dining is very popular, and we have an extensive range of island hoods to choose from.
If your hob is in the middle of your kitchen on an island, then you will need an extractor that is finished on all sides and attached directly to the ceiling.
There are many styles and widths available and the ones with glass or copper add a bit of sparkle to the kitchen space.
Ceiling cooker hoods
These are becoming very popular now that they are sold at affordable prices. These models have a high extraction rate due to the distance away from the hob and fitted flush in the ceiling. A handy remote control keeps everything under control from lighting to power level.
Most ceiling hoods will be ducted out for best operation but can be used with carbon filters as an alternative.
Downdraft cooker hoods
Relatively new innovation and we have models which have the extra integrated in the middle of the hob or a motorised lift up version that sits behind the hob.
Again, these were very expensive models but are now at really affordable prices and should be considered if you want the very latest ‘tech’ in your kitchen.
What extraction rate do I need?
For normal family usage, say a couple of boiling pans, we recommend a rate of 10 air changes per hour will suffice. That means that you need a hood motor that will be capable of changing the volume of air in your kitchen completely 10 times in 1 hour.
The first step is to work out the volume of your kitchen by multiplying the length, width and height (in metres) to get the cubed volume (m3). Then multiply that number by the number of air changes (10) to get the extraction rate required.
E.G
The kitchen is 2.4m high and 4m x 5m in size.
2.4 x 4 x 5 = 48
Then multiply by the number of air changes (10)
48 x 10 = 480m3 per hour.
If you have a 5 burner hob or a larger family then you may wish to consider 12 air changes per hour and a higher extraction rate hood.