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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that kitchen extractor hoods are

26 replies

Heathcliffscathy · 29/04/2010 14:47

entirely useless, ugly, and a waste of space.

Further to my question could this be the most boring AIBU post ever?

I need help with this though, does a good looking, quiet, effective one (less obtrusive the better) exist?

not very hopeful that I'll get any response!

OP posts:
AitchTwoZone · 29/04/2010 14:49

we got a very plain, very square siemens one that is slightly smaller than our hob... but it is a nightmare. who wants bendy glass fgs?

Adair · 29/04/2010 14:50

Open a window?
Have one of those ventilation circle/fan things in the window/wall?

We don't have one here. It gets v smoky and smells do linger. /but then we open the window and it's ok. Tbh don't really miss it (had one in old flat).

castille · 29/04/2010 14:51

Ours has a flat glass "hood" so pretty discreet. The chimney part is steel though, so not sure it fits your criteria...

How about one that is integrated into a wall unit?

lisianthus · 29/04/2010 16:01

This is one of the bees in my bonnet. It drives me mad that kitchen appliance websites go on and on about how snazzy Hood X looks, but don't mention the extraction rate (or, if they do, hide it away in some obscure part of the website).

I live in a very small flat and it is absolutely crucial that the hood work really well if the entire place isn't to reek of fish or whatever all night after I cook it even if I open a window.

Sophable - I replaced my hood about a year and a half ago and found at the time that my best bet was to get a white Smeg pull-out one. There was room for small shelves in front of the chimney part (or a spice rack, it was unobtrusive, and it had an extraction rate of 650m3/hr from memory. It was an extraction one, though, not a recirculation type. If you can't vent it and need a recirculation one, that's harder.

Good luck!

Trifle · 29/04/2010 16:20

I did away with an extractor/cooker hood altogether and have a cupboard above the hob instead. Far more efficient use of space.

ooojimaflip · 29/04/2010 16:46

Look at the specifications for decibels and extraction rate. We went for the quietest one we could find - still loud on top or boost, but can hear radio/telly/child over it on medium and low pretty quiet. No window in kitchen just double glazed glass door so pretty critical.

chimchar · 29/04/2010 16:49

we've never had one before, but had a nice looking steel one when we had our new cooker fitter... it is so very VERY loud that i can hardly stand to have it on! in my limited experience, not only to you get what you pay for with the extraction rate and desighn, but with how noisy or quiet it is to use too...

chimchar · 29/04/2010 16:49

jeeez! sorry bout crap spellings!

DecorHate · 29/04/2010 16:55

I only have one because I had to for building regs. Hate the things - would rather open a window. I got one from Ikea that is hardly noticable - pulls out from under a cupboard, the vent pipe goes up within the cupboard. Tbh you can't put a lot in the cupboard because of the vent but I store baking trays, etc in there...

DecorHate · 29/04/2010 16:57

Oh and mine is made by Whirlpool so should be available elsewhere... You can only see about an inch of stainless steel below the cupboard

grottielottie · 29/04/2010 17:21

Ours is completely useless and noisey. Plus they always look grubby.

MamaMary · 29/04/2010 17:30

Having had one in our previous house which was useless, we decided not to bother with one in our new kitchen. Don't miss it at all.

ooojimaflip · 29/04/2010 18:13

Ours is Siemens btw. If you cook on a griddle a lot (particularly fish) they are really good. You do need to check the extraction rate though.

Original poster
Heathcliffscathy · 29/04/2010 21:00

gosh thank you...

i'm erring on the side of not having one tbh...i do hate them so much to look at.

i think building regs wise we need to have something, but i think it only needs to be vent fan in wall...and i don't think it needs to be electric.

does anyone know about these and are there nice looking ones (rather than plastic fantastic doom?)

OP posts:
midnightexpress · 29/04/2010 21:11

We had the Ikea/Whirlpool one in our old flat too and it was pretty small. I'm unconvinced that they work particularly well and the ones that do sound like bloody jet engines.

I do laugh at those 'feature' extractors. However, for unobtrusive, there is something like this, should you have the odd 1600 quid knocking around.

taffetacat · 29/04/2010 21:33

I also hate them and hate their noise. For building regs, we have a vent fan in the back wall, brand is Alto, its a fairly yuk white plastic one but clever old DH has made a pretty wooden box which he's painted white and put that over it. If I really need it on ( fish curry ), then I remove the box or usually just open the folding/sliding doors for a few mins.

Our hob is on a big island in the centre of the kitchen so the last thing I wanted was an ugly great extractor shouting at me each time I walked into the room.

faddle · 29/04/2010 21:48

I love my extractor hood, not for aesthetic reasons, but because when my DD was small, the ONLY thing that would get her to sleep was the sound of the fan. She slept underneath it for about 6 weeks in her moses basket, with me or DH asleep on the sofa about 6feet away. Was a life saver
so YABU. It saved my sanity.

choccyp1g · 29/04/2010 22:00

I've got a fancy SMEG one, vented to the outside; it looks good, but is very noisy, and doesn't really get the smells out. I tend to turn it on for a moment when I lift the lid on stew or soup, and have it on all the time when frying onions or meat. h
However, I am almost convinced it makes no difference to the smells, but does take the immediate steam away. When you think of the amount of power they use, it's shocking.

I suspect a hole in the wall above the cooker would work just as well, because the hot (smelly) air would automatically go out that way...come to think of it, it's already been invented, called a chimney.

Trouble is, I want to change my kitchen to have the cooker on the other wall, so will no doubt spend a fortune on another useless filtering hood.

paisleyleaf · 29/04/2010 22:57

I've never had one and don't really know what they're for. It's never occurred to me to get one.

Original poster
Heathcliffscathy · 01/05/2010 17:09

do you lot know how ugly wall extractors (building regs requires) are???

they are hideous plastic things...

if anyone can find me a lovely matt metal finish wall air extractor (not a hood for a hob) i'll love you forever.

OP posts:
taffetacat · 01/05/2010 18:07

They didn't exist 6 months ago which is why DH made our box to cover it up.......

bibbitybobbityhat · 01/05/2010 18:16

When we finally have our kitchen re-done, I won't have one. Open the flipping window and be done with it, I say. It is just another piece of clutter, another something to clean, and it makes such a noise. I NEVER use ours.

Adair · 02/05/2010 12:23

Wickes have some Chrome ones
here

This not so offensive.

Oh, I like I like this has pleasing retro appeal, it comes in brushed chrome too... oh gosh, there is a whole world of extractor fans out there -who knew?!

Original poster
Heathcliffscathy · 02/05/2010 21:58

i don't want a pull cord

OP posts:
JackiePaper · 02/05/2010 22:01

I love mine, having lived without one in the old house for 5 years - where the result was stinky kitchen and damp walls.