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Original poster

Kitchen extractor hoods

37 replies

FuzzyPuffling · 10/08/2020 13:27

Do I need one?
Although I have one in my current kitchen I have never ever used it. Not once.

I am now considering getting my kitchen re-done soon and wondered if an extractor hood is a necessity. I think they are pretty ugly things, and much prefer to open a window should that be required!

Opinions please.

OP posts:
chopc · 10/08/2020 13:34

We use a lot of spices in our cooking and cook fish frequently - an I have not just one but two extractors as I wanted to effectively get rid of all cooking smells

WoolyMammoth55 · 10/08/2020 13:58

I'm not an expert but I THINK fans are required in all kitchens and bathrooms under building regs.

We've got an integrated one which is not visible unless you're peering up under the cabinets, like this:
media3.neff-international.com/Images/600x/MCIM02035454_M-1-018_ContentTextMedia-4-3_full-width_50_cooker-hoods-integrated-canopy.jpg

You can also get fancy ones that rise up out of the worktop like this:
www.propertypriceadvice.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/09-NEFF.jpg

Good luck!

But I expect they are £££ especially if you don't really use them!

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 10/08/2020 14:00

Thank you.

( I don't use the bath room ones either. Open windows are my friend -much quieter and cheaper too)

OP posts:
TiddleTaddleTat · 10/08/2020 14:20

I don't think the bathroom ones are comparable (at least the ones I've used) but then I suppose bathrooms tend to get more humid than kitchens.

We have a kitchen that leads into the dining room and didn't want food smells everywhere. It works very well. It's called mattradition and from Ikea , was easy to install and reasonably priced. I think it's a which Best Buy.

We usually cook everything from scratch and couldn't live without an extractor.

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 10/08/2020 16:15

We cook from scratch too, but i still don't understand extractors. ( And, no, I don't have a smelly house!) I genuinely just open the windows! But if building regs say I have to have one, then I suppose I shall have to have one!

OP posts:
Smallgoon · 10/08/2020 16:29

I imagine you wouldn't need one if you only ever cook bland food, or indeed, don't cook at all... I certainly wouldn't be without one.

PigletJohn · 10/08/2020 16:35

yes, but it need not be a hood. Some people still use extractor fans in the wall or windows (these are less efficient, because the are not close to, and immediately above, the cooker, so need to be more powerful for the same benefits).

IMO the "chimney" style of hood is falling out of fashion, and you can get very good "canopy" types now, built into what resembles a "top box" or high cabinet bridging between your wall units.

this sort of thing

They can have variable power, some of them very powerful, and quieter than older designs

PigletJohn · 10/08/2020 16:43

btw some people have "recirculating" hoods that do not extract, but blow the steam, hot air, and much of the odour back into the house.

This type is best considered as an "ornament."

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 10/08/2020 17:25

Thank you. I very much appreciate all the comments.

(Food in this house is not bland, but....we open a window!)

OP posts:
NotMeNoNo · 10/08/2020 18:16

Have a wall extractor. They do need to be more powerful than over hob ones, but are still quieter because they aren't reverberating in a big steel box. You can get variations, timer, pull cord, humidity sensor etc. Obviously the nearer the hob the better and ideally with a vent the other side of the room so you get a cross flow. Also cheap as chips.

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 10/08/2020 18:21

Mmmmm may we start again? :)

I don't want an extractor. Any extractor. Unless I am obliged by law to have one.

Am I obliged by law to have one?

OP posts:
NotMeNoNo · 10/08/2020 18:41

I think if you don't change the room, you don't need to add ventilation if it wasn't there previously.

WoolyMammoth55 · 10/08/2020 18:46

Hi OP - your best bet is calling your local building control team and asking them directly. From the horse's mouth, so to speak! I'm struggling to find you a link to prove it either way but it's what I've been told - especially since you do already have one so @NotMeNoNo's point won't hold!

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 10/08/2020 18:50

Thank you. Building control it is.

Too confusing...I don't suppose there are many people with anti-extractor views like mine!

OP posts:
Smallgoon · 10/08/2020 18:53

@FuzzyPuffling Are you in England? My understanding is that it is a building reg requirement to have one in the kitchen.

Per @PigletJohn 's post, I got myself a canopy style hood extractor, as I wanted one built into the unit so it wouldn't be on 'display'. I haven't used it yet, as haven't moved in, however, it was a Which best buy so I imagine it will be good. Was an absolute nightmare to install though.

NotMeNoNo · 10/08/2020 18:55

I don't like extractor hoods, in previous kitchens we've had 1. Wall fan 2. Whole house passive stack ventilation (extreme but does work) and 3. Nothing as previous owners didn't bother!

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 10/08/2020 20:43

Yes I'm in England.
I'll investigate the hidden ones. Not too worried about installation (It will be the builders job!) and it won't matter if it doesn't work!

OP posts:
TheFnozwhowasmirage · 10/08/2020 21:19

We didn't need one when we changed our kitchen 10 years ago. As we were just replacing an existing kitchen ( which had no extractor) we were exempt). If you had a new room built for the kitchen,then you would need one. We built a new house this year,and we don't need any extractor fans anywhere because the whole house has an integral ventilation system that works continually anyway.

lookatmememe · 11/08/2020 06:50

I asked our designer this question and she said "according to building control, a new kitchen needs to have an extractor as good as or better than what was there before . If it's above the hob it needs to take out 30litres per second if it's elsewhere in the room it's 60 litres per second". Hope that helps.

Original poster
FuzzyPuffling · 11/08/2020 07:48

Thank you all. Your responses are all much appreciated ( especially on such a boring subject!)

OP posts:
WhentheDealGoesDown · 11/08/2020 07:54

We have one of those Xpelair type ones in the wall, seems to work just fine but there are only two of us so we are not cooking large family meals

stoneysongs · 11/08/2020 07:58

I was talking to my builders just last week about this (about to get a new kitchen). Building regs do require an extractor fan but it doesn't need to be a hood type, it can just be like a bathroom one, in an outside wall and you never have to turn it on. I think it might have to be more powerful than a bathroom one. Builder said don't bother with a hood or canopy, they are ineffective and pointless. We are in Wales, not sure if builders regs vary by region.

PigletJohn · 11/08/2020 09:27

"Builder said don't bother with a hood or canopy, they are ineffective and pointless."

eh?

Not true

Unless he had in mind a recirculating one.

CrystalMaisie · 11/08/2020 18:07

I have a hidden one like woollymammoth and piglet John recommened, I don’t like them either and didn’t want one visible. We do use it every time we use the hob though (bifold doors so no window to open

Kitchen extractor hoods
Kitchen extractor hoods
karmasic · 11/08/2020 19:06

I haven't got one, (I'm still alive, I just open a window/back door if I need to) and I don't get why building regs insist on one?