Extractor fans - do we have to have one?

[GinAndOnIt]

We have a very ancient extractor fan at the moment, which is pretty knackered. Only the strongest fan setting works now, so it's so loud that I never switch it on. I hate it, and am constantly bumping my head on the thing.

The wall it's on is an interior wall, so we're not sure 'where' it extracts to, but is it a regulation to have one?

Ideally I would like to take that and the cupboards out, and replace with shelves. We have a separate kitchen area with cupboards and are in the process of setting up a great big larder, so don't need these top cupboards.

Won't your kitchen stink without one?

If it is not vented to the outside it will have a carbon filter in it, I think it's meant to be replaced every three months. Maybe that's all that needs doing to the one you've got?

The shelves and contents will get covered in sticky grease from cooking without an extractor fan.

But if we don't actually use it now, surely it won't smell any worse than now?

Does anyone know if they're a building regulation or not?

Building regs say you must have an extractor fan in the kitchen, but it doesn't have to be directly above the cooker.

However if it is placed elsewhere, it needs to be more powerful.

(30 l/s above cooker, 60 l/s if elsewhere in kitchen.)

You won't know that your house stinks - but everyone who walks in will.

You need one with an exterior vent as those charcoal filters do nothing but get sticky. No need for a very spendy Westin or Elica though. The extractor fan kind more often used in bathrooms are often perfectly adequate for the average domestic kitchen and you can buy attractive grilles to conceal them these days so you're not looking at an ugly plastic cover.

I like Vent Axia but I bet Piglet John has an opinion, probably more learned than mine.

For upmarket kitchens a Westin is the standard but £1500 for an extractor is not the best allocation of budget unless you're a serious cook.

Any visitors are probably too distracted by the smell of dogs and silage

The wall ones look like a good idea. We need to get one for the bathroom anyway, may as well get two!

Sounds as if you have a recirculating extractor rather than vented. You should be washing the filter screens (3 monthly at least) and replacing the filter (annually?). If you are not that may explain why it no longer works and is noisy.

Re replacing: check with council re Building Regs. I think you can replace like for like (recirculating versus vented) so long as you are not doing anything extensive re extensions etc. The law has changed so it would be worth checking.

Where's the external wall in relation to the current extractor? If it's to the left, run ducting over the top of the wall units and replace the old extractor with one which works properly. Proper extractors are so much better than recirculators.

There's an outside wall to the right, but that's to the front of the house.

The reason the extractor is so noisy, is because the switch is broken, so it won't switch on unless its switched to the loudest setting. We have talked about taking the oven out completely and putting an aga where the fireplace currently is, which would probably solve all these problems.

Found this for you.

Must I install an extractor fan?

Building regulations that came into force in April 2006 state that extract ventilation must be fitted in kitchens built from that date. A kitchen will meet the regulations if the air is extracted externally and provides the extraction airflow rate outlined in the government’s Approved Document but will not meet regulations is the hood simply filters the air and recirculates it back around the kitchen. For detailed information on the building regulations, visit the government’s Planning Portal pages.

In other words, if your house is older than April 2006 then no, you don't have to have one.