Kitchen extract? or not to extract? - that is the question!

[tartanterror]

I hate the cooker hoods with greasy re-circulation filters. Instead I want to install a continuous extract fan which self-boosts when it senses humidity for the whole kitchen as part of a whole house ventilation strategy. It will be located on an external wall about 2.5m away from the hob.

I want to have a uniform run of wall units over the hob which don't step up and a linear LED light below them for a very streamlined look.

The kitchen supplier is doing me a layout design and is insisting I have a cooker hood and a "top" unit which ruins the whole aesthetic.

My mum didn't bother with a cooker hood which has been completely fine but her units do step up over the hob.

What do the regs/guidance say about these things?

You can't have a wall unit directly over a hob with a small gap in between. The heat/steam/condensation/grease will cause all sorts of issues.

You can have a hood built in so it looks like a cupboard with no step up. We have an integrated Miele one above ours.

You can get a downdraft hob with integrated extraction.

I still wouldn't put cabinetry above it tho. I think thats a mistake.

You'll need open shelving directly above the hob or a unit that's sitting higher up
A normal unit will get greasy, damp and dirty

We have this pull out Extractor

I have no extractor but also have no cupboards above the hob or indeed on that wall.

have you seen the extractors which rise up from the worktop and can be pushed down when not in use?

You'll have a minimum clearance above the hob that's required, normally at least 65cm.

Each hob will have its own regulations - choose a few you like and check the instructions for those ones in particular. It may have a minimum height allowance needed.

Get one of these it has an integrated vent in the hob. It’s great!!

You can get extractors that are fitted in the worktop.
https://cookology.com/product/collections/black-products/cookology-cdd605bk-60cm-downdraft-cooker-hood-with-black-panel/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23058631159&gclid=CjwKCAjw6P3GBhBVEiwAJPjmLh2tH1hY-fmE1u9IDi1B_6fYLFN797GIX0NZoX3yChKGwQsU30MQ8hoCP5UQAvD_BwE

Technically building regs don’t require you to have a cooker hood. You will need mechanical extraction though, and if you don’t have a cooker hood then the requirement is that it’s much more powerful - though I don’t recall the actual extraction rate required.

I’ve got a couple of (German made) kitchens that do have a continuous run of cabinetry over the work surface, including hob. The cupboard over the (induction) hobs have a concealed pullout extractor though.

We bought a house with a continuous extract fan. It was awful. I could hear it constantly; it was like living in a aeroplane. It wasn't loud but I could 'sense' it, as it were. We actually gave it a couple of months before getting rid of it.

This. We have a similar set up, the extractor unit is built into a regular cupboard, with minimal space lost - see pics. I wouldn’t go without an extractor, even if you don’t think you need it for odour removal, boiling anything creates a lot of moisture that will damage the kitchen long term.

Yes ours is like the picture above.

Its ducted out through our empty chimney stack as closer, but they would have ducted up and above cupboards with a built in trim to conceal if needed.

All our upper cupboards are higher so they go to the ceiling with no gap above. Lift up doors so no smacking head into open door

Steam and hot air naturally rise up from your cooking, so something above that captures it is sensible. You can try to fight it and suck it downwards using extra noise and power if you want,

You can get an extractor that hides in a wall box. A sensible height is one that means you can't bang it with your head when you lean over the hob to look in a pan. The makers specify MINIMUM clearances but unless you are very short this will be too low for comfortable use.

I prefer it to be wider than the hob to catch steam that drifts sideways.

I'm not keen on humidity sensors at all. You should turn it on before you start cooking.

If you want whole house background ventilation you can get a quieter ventilator.

If your kitchen has a door, and you shut it, the hood or kitchen extractor will create suction that prevents steam and odours drifting round the house.

Above the hob is called the "hot zone" and your hob will have a specific clearance stipulated in the installation manual. You will need to look at the hobs you are interested in to see the clearance.

I have just measured my units, the gap from the worktop to my normal wall cabinets is 45cm and to my built in extractor 85cm. Mine is concealed inside the cupboard but obviously does step up. My wall cabinets are the same height as my larder units so are determined by that height.

Here is some advice from AO on the hot zone. https://ao.com/ContentHubRoot/HelpAndAdvice/General/guides-and-advice/what-is-a-hot-zone

Yep we used to have that - the front pulls out to make a vent.

Like this: (sorry for horrible link, the link button isn’t working over mobile)

ao.com/product/dbb97am60b-bosch-series-6-integrated-cooker-hood-black-98506-6.aspx?ef_id=CjwKCAjw6P3GBhBVEiwAJPjmLmy4URy7h_V14hO00X5vaaH2_oqIOfVSCc2cKvdEn1c1dv20XUrZlhoCsj8QAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!8149!3!!!!x!!&gclsrc=aw.ds&&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=shopping%20-%20mda%20-%20mid%20level%20cooker%20hoods%20-%20performance%20max%20%7Cshopping%20-%20mda%20-%20mid%20level%20cooker%20hoods%20-%20performance%20max%20&utm_term=shopping%7CDBB97AM60B_BK&utm_content=%7Cpaidpla&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19847670150&gbraid=0AAAAADmq138BvjeR6JDmwXHMPNp44cBQR&gclid=CjwKCAjw6P3GBhBVEiwAJPjmLmy4URy7h_V14hO00X5vaaH2_oqIOfVSCc2cKvdEn1c1dv20XUrZlhoCsj8QAvD_BwE

ooh thanks - I will investigate

oh that is nifty and just what I was looking for - can you remember the make/model please?

Lift up doors is a good idea - but I will need to check the ceiling height as it isn't a tall space

Thank you - "Integrated Cooker Hood" - now I know what to google for
I'll do some checking out tomorrow and then pop back with some ideas for a sense check - thanks all!

The building regs (only enforceable in new builds or an extension) require an extractor to the outside air with a rate of 30l/s of over the hob, or 60l/s of elsewhere in the room.

I think it’s important to have an extractor, but when I redo my kitchen, I definitely won’t be having one over the hob. I’d have one located on an outside wall at a higher rate or one of the newer hobs that extracts downwards and is very unobtrusive.

I think this type is called a canopy extractor, though the listing calls them cooker hoods. It's what I'd want if I was refitting my own kitchen. I'd go for maximum possible width. They fit in whatever cabinet type you're using, most often a top box.

www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Manufacturers/Elica/Built_In_Canopy/index.html

Thanks! Had a look and it says "The minimum distance between the supporting surface for the cooking equipment on the hob and the lowest part of the range hood must be not less than 50cm from electric cookers and 65cm from gas or mixed cookers". But so far I haven't found a ceramic hob that says less than 65cm...

It’s the Ikea Underwerk (or was, four years ago.) I believe it’s made by Whirlpool. Ours vents directly outside as it’s on outside wall, but it can also self-circulate if your hob is on an internal wall.

You can absolutely have a running LED strip fitted beneath it in the run of adjacent cabinets, as that’s how I originally had it spec-ed; but they never got delivered in time for fitting, and four years later, life got in the way and I never got around to sorting out that part.