A Guide To Buying An Extractor Hood

Extractor hoods work as an important addition to everyone’s kitchen. They do not only remove grease, steam and odour allowing for a more pleasurable cooking experience, but also add an attractive element to the kitchen. The styles can vary greatly depending on whether you are looking for a discrete appliance, or a centre piece for your kitchen.

It can be useful to cook whilst using a cooker hood as most come with inbuilt lights, allowing for greater visibility. Also, you can often purchase matching accessories for the hoods, such as splashbacks, dish racks or shelf units.

An important feature to take on board is the extraction rate. The higher the rate the more efficient the cooker hood will be. This is measured in cubic metres per hour. The extraction rate needed is dependent on the size of the kitchen. So the larger the kitchen, the greater the extraction rate should be.

When installing an extractor hood it is vital to consider whether to recirculate the air using a filter or whether to duct out. Ducting out can sometimes be the preferred method as it enables all the excess air to be filtered away. In some properties however you are unable to duct out, so recirculation using a carbon or charcoal filter is an alternative. This is a perfect method if you are lacking space in your kitchen, however it can result in less air being recirculated, as filters can restrict some of the air flow. Further, the filters will need replacing. This is dependent on use, but approximately they will need to be replaced every six months.

When deciding on cooker hoods it is essential to take into account the amount of noise they produce. This is measured in decibels. This noise level can vary depending on what type of ducting is used, and the setting the hood is on at the time.

There are many different types of hoods on the market, some of them are:

If you are interested in an eye catching appliance which will stand out in your kitchen then designer chimney hoods would be a perfect choice.

Alternatively, if you have a hood which is built into an island unit and you can view all around the hood then an island hood would be best suited to you, which are designed so they can be seen at an angle.

If you do not wish to have your hood on show then an integrated hood is a good option as it allows the hood to be hidden in your kitchen behind a door panel, which is pulled out during use.

Alternatively, you can opt for a canopy hood which is designed to fit under an overhead canopy kitchen unit.

Downdraft hoods can also be used. They rise from the worktop, and so are perfect to maximise space.

Alternatively, you can choose a telescopic hood which fit underneath a kitchen cabinet above a hob and can be pulled out when needed.

Due to the huge variety of extractor hoods available there is one to meet everyone’s needs, the difficult part is choosing just one!

Our extractor hoods range is extensive and we cover many manufacturers.