When renovating a kitchen, it is essential to define the furniture distribution and the electrical appliances and take into account the technical and installation characteristics of each appliance so that everything works. The advice of a professional, therefore, is key to bring the project to fruition.
Counseling is also important when choosing the right suitable extractor hood. Whether the kitchen is odor and smoke free will depend on its extractor capacity and efficiency. A topic important enough not to take your choice lightly, don't you think?
Hood type
Ceiling hoods, surface hoods, wall hoods, built-in hoods, ambient hoods…. It may seem difficult to choose a model but it is not. The kitchen layout will largely mark this decision.
The main types, in general terms, are the following:
- Ceiling hoods. When the cooking zone is located on an island or peninsula, the ceiling hoods are recommended.
- Wall hoods. When the cooking zone is located in front of a wall, both a wall hood and a hood embedded in a kitchen cabinet can be installed to extract the fumes.
- Surface hoods. They are indicated for loft-type spaces where you want to avoid that nothing interferes with the open design. They are hidden in the kitchen cabinet when not in use, thus eliminating visual obstacles in this space of the house.
The size of the hood
The bell must be the same or greater than plate cooking. When we cook, the cooking steam rises vertically, opening its angle about 10-15º as it rises and loses speed. That is the reason why many experts recommend, to guarantee good absorption, installing a hood 20% larger than the cooking zone.
Extraction capacity
To calculate the adequate capacity of an extractor hood, the size of the kitchen must be taken into account since this determines the volume of air to be renewed. According to several studies, the extractor hood must renew between 6 and 12 times its volume, at minimum and maximum power. Therefore, in a kitchen with about 10 m2 and a ceiling height of 2.50 m, the hood must have a capacity of 150 m3 / h at minimum speed and 300 m3 / h at maximum speed, approximately.
Another important factor when choosing the capacity of the extractor hood will be the pipe diameter required by the device. We must ensure that we have a proper duct installation. If the kitchen tube is less than the one required by the hood, the hood will not work well.
Energy efficiency
Extractor hoods have their own energy label. It indicates the name of the manufacturer, the energy efficiency, the annual energy consumption and the most important characteristics of it by means of pictograms. In general, it is important to know that hoods with recirculation air have a much more efficient energy consumption than those with an outdoor outlet.
The smoke outlet
Does your home have a smoke outlet to the outside? Is the installation up to date? In order to choose a suitable hood model, it is necessary to know what type of installation we have and in what condition it is. Only then can we determine which of the systems, extraction or recirculation, used by the hoods to renew the air is viable.
- By extraction. The hood motor sucks in the air that is generated when cooking and after passing it through a metal anti-grease filter, it expels it outside the house through a flue pipe
- By recirculation. The hood absorbs and cleans the air by passing it through a grease filter first. Then, it passes through a disposable activated carbon filter that works by absorbing odors to return clean air to the kitchen.
sound level
Neutralize vibrations as much as possible and engine noise through an integrated damper and silencer is key to lowering frequencies. Those that are perceived as annoying to the human ear. It is important that the hood correctly fulfills its mission, but also that it does so silently or at least, it does not disturb.
As you have seen, there are many details to take into account when buying a hood. Hence the best trust a professional to design the project.