Kitchen hoods with extractor fans that don't actually extract

[BitserBaloney]

What is it with me. I've now bought a second house with a grand looking extractor hood with a noisy fan, but there is no ducting or connection to the outside. Am I missing something? What is the use of an extractor fan that doesn't actually extract what it sucks in to outside the house? Is this actually normal?!

I think ones that don't extract to the outside have carbon filters so they recirculate the air minus the smells?

Mine is like this (I didn't fit it, it was put in the house from new). There was a extractor fan on the wall along from the run of units but no ducting to it, so pointless in relation to the extractor.

Yes mine has a carbon filter - although I can't remember when I last replaced it!
Don't ducted ones have such filters?

Carbon filter? What witchcraft is this?

What about all the moist air from boiling water? I thought that was the point of extractors? Who cares about smells? Smells is the point of cooking!

Yeah the moist air could be a problem although my kitchen/conservatory is a reasonable size so I don't seem to have an issue with it. Before we put the conservatory on the separate extractor fan (like on a bathroom) could be used but we took it out when we took the wall out.

The carbon filter is a kind of black fabric mesh (presumably infused with carbon) that fits into a pull down bit on the extractor hood. This is for smells.

If it doesn't extract it is just an ornament and serves no purpose.

Though it helps keep the ceiling clean.

You have a recirculation extractor fan. see below info from the 'best hoods' website:

The air in the kitchen is drawn into the cooker hood. The air first passes through metal grease filters in which fats are trapped. Then the air is further cleaned by charcoal filters which help absorb cooking smells.
After this cleaning process, the air is circulated back into the kitchen.

Ducted hoods remove the air from the kitchen to the outside. This means that steam and condensation are removed from the kitchen – hoods in recirculation mode are not able to do this. Also, ducted hoods will circulate more air than recirculation hoods (depending on the extraction level and the number of bends and length of the ducting run).