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Original poster

Pigletjohn- Help! Raising and widening chimney opening to accomodate cooker and hood.

24 replies

Lucy61 · 06/01/2016 20:57

Desperate for advice. We've had a builder raise the height of the opening in our kitchen chimney breast so that it accommodates a cooker and a hood. The builder has put in a concrete lintel to support the brick work but the lintel is so deep it almost blocks the opening, making it difficult to see how we can fit any sort of extractor/ hood. The gap between the lintel and the back of the chimney is probably 4cm.

We're at a bit of a stand off with the builder as we didn't ask for the chimney to be blocked off! Is there anything we can do to successfully fit a hood/ extractor in this situation? We would be happy with one that recirculates the air/ carbon filtered but they all look big and we'd risk getting too close the cooker. Is there anything I could suggest to the builder to move things forward?

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wowfudge · 06/01/2016 21:30

Someone who can advise you properly on the chimney will be along, but I can tell you that the circulating cooker hoods are totally useless. Opening the window is more effective. They do trap some grease from cooking, but that's about it. A wall mounted extracted fan would be a million times better.

wowfudge · 06/01/2016 21:31

Someone who can advise you properly on the chimney will be along, but I can tell you that the circulate cooker hoods are totally useless. Opening the window is more effective. They do trap some grease from cooking, but that's about it. A wall mounted extracted fan would be a million times better.

Original poster
Lucy61 · 06/01/2016 21:49

I know wowfudge, but we are really desperate to be able to put something even remotely suitable where a hood should be. Otherwise, the plaster will eventually warp and we would have condensation dripping onto our cooking.

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PigletJohn · 06/01/2016 23:52

is it an external wall behind the cooker?

What is the height of the slab that is acting as a lintel?

Some photos might help.

Is the building work finished yet?

What is the depth of the chimneybreast?

Original poster
Lucy61 · 07/01/2016 09:27

The height of the lintel from the ground is 176 cm. The total width of the opening (which is now mostly blocked) is 30cm. We are hoping to install a dual fuel range cooker - 900mm.

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Original poster
Lucy61 · 07/01/2016 09:28

The builder left it a stage where it has been boarded/ filled and prepared for plastering.

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PigletJohn · 07/01/2016 10:41

Is 30cm the depth or the width?

Is the wall behind the cooker an external wall?

Original poster
Lucy61 · 07/01/2016 14:31

It's on an internal wall, sadly. The depth is 30 cm, height 176cm and width 96cm. I will attach a photo.

Pigletjohn- Help! Raising and widening chimney opening to accomodate cooker and hood.
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neepsandtatties · 07/01/2016 15:27

How were you planning to extract the extractor fan originally (had he not blocked off the chimney?) If I recall correctly, you can't vent an extractor fan up straight up into a redundant chimney (condensation will drip back down) so you would have had to have a right-angled bend to take it to an outside wall anyway. So maybe you could get a hole drilled in the side of the supporting wall, and vent the extractor fan through there and out to the external wall through/on top of a row of cupboards.

PigletJohn · 07/01/2016 16:01

I used to have something similar, and kept a large FF in it.

You are going to need ducting to the outside world. A recirculating hood is only worthwhile as an ornament, it does not absorb steam so does not reduce condensation.

If you are refitting your kitchen, you could run ducting on top of, or inside, your wall cabinets.

Rather than a hood, you might consider a built in/under extractor, blended into your cabinets.

I will see if I can find an example in the Elica catalogue

Original poster
Lucy61 · 07/01/2016 16:05

That was the original plan, but because he has almost blocked the opening, leaving a space only 2 to 3 inches deep measuring from the end of the lintel to the back of the chimney, I assume there is no where for the vent to go. I hope I'm wrong and that there is a way of doing this.

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Original poster
Lucy61 · 07/01/2016 16:06

Sorry cross posted.

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PigletJohn · 07/01/2016 16:17

here we are

click on built-in hoods

the Elica website is terrible, I think it must have been designed by somebody in a competition to use the maximum number of technical gimmicks or to make it specifically user-unfriendly. If you are interested, email them and ask them to post your their glossy brochure, which is much easier to read.

neepsandtatties · 07/01/2016 16:28

Does the builder have any suggestions?

This ducting I've linked to would fit in your hole, but because of its tiny depth, the extraction rate is compromised, and this would be exacerbated by every bend you need to have in it. It seems that all the components you would need are available though (see right-hand side of page) but I think you would still end up with an extractor much to close to the hob - it's not the ducting that is the problem, it's the bulk of the extractor (that is usually recessed into the surface above the hob).

www.i-sells.co.uk/system-225-flat-channel-1-metre?gclid=COvKwOeMmMoCFUyNGwodfqoPeQ#tabPane1

neepsandtatties · 07/01/2016 16:39

A-ha! Would this work?

www.appliancecity.co.uk/elica/cooker-hoods/ascent-90-bl/product-20598?gclid=CLf_r52QmMoCFUYTwwodgsMCig

You would use the 'rectangular to round' adapter in my previous link to join the round spigot to the rectangular ducting, which would fit up the hole left (then the '90 degree bend' to take it in the direction of the outside wall). You could paint the ducting the same colour as the rest of the recess (it wouldn't be seen from eye height any way).

mrsmortis · 07/01/2016 17:12

You need to be careful because there is a minimum distance that you have to maintain from the hob to the extractor. Looking at that picture I'd say you need to find out how much height you have to play with. That will limit your options too. We were in a similar position and we couldn't find a 90cm one at all.

Original poster
Lucy61 · 07/01/2016 21:15

Thanks for your replies. Neeps, that looks promising! I agree Mrs Morris, I will now need to find a very slimline extractor so as to maintain a 65 to 70'cm distance between the extractor and the hob.

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mrsmortis · 08/01/2016 08:40

We ended up with a bosch one that is designed to go under cabinets if that helps. It's only 60cm wide but it was all we could find that vented the way we needed it to and was under 18cm deep.

Original poster
Lucy61 · 08/01/2016 10:00

Mrsmortis- how recently did you buy your extractor- do you remember the model?

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mrsmortis · 09/01/2016 13:29

It was over 4 years ago. But this looks like the current equivalent:

www.bosch-home.co.uk/products/cooking-baking/cooker-hoods/built-under-cooker-hoods/DHU645PGB.html#tab2

PigletJohn · 09/01/2016 14:41

Krea is similar and available in 900mm

elica.com/GB-en/products/hoods/krea

PigletJohn · 09/01/2016 14:57

JL sell a Krea, but I was surprised by the low price, it is the budget version. Mine is the more powerful 900mm Krea Lux with two motors and washable metal grease filters.

www.epicair.co.uk/index.php/krea-stainless-steel-lux-600mm-1.html

There is a similar Concorde LX but it has disposable filters.

I have been very pleased with the Elica brand.

Original poster
Lucy61 · 12/01/2016 16:25

Thank you so much everyone. The krea looks promising!

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