It is difficult to imagine a modern kitchen without an air purifier. The smell of cooking food, stuffiness, dirty plaque on the ceiling, walls and furniture, an unfavorable climate in the house - all this is long in the past thanks to the invention of this irreplaceable assistant. Before answering the question, how to choose a hood? It is necessary to figure out what kind of hoods are, to consider their types and functional features.
Why are hoods so necessary?
A lot depends on the state of the air: from the taste of dishes that are prepared or stored indoors, to the well-being of family members. Inadequate air ventilation can cause dizziness, and unpleasant odors spoil your mood and impair your appetite, which is why you need to clean the air. Airing the room weakly saves from the smell of burning directly in the working area, therefore, in order to improve the climate in the house, it will be better to catch the smells immediately above the stove. To accomplish this task, an extractor hood is needed in any kitchen. Especially necessary and important extractor fan in the kitchen with a gas stove, it traps the carbon monoxide that is released during combustion.
When we choose a hood, we want it to be efficient, quiet, not very expensive, look stylish in the interior, require simple installation, and reliably improve the home climate. How to choose a hood for the kitchen and how to find out which one you need is determined by many parameters, which we will list in this article.
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Do I need a hood in a kitchen with an electric stove
Many people purchasing an electric stove wonder whether a hood is needed? A fairly common misconception about the unimportance of the hood when using an electric or induction hob... Really, electric stoves do not emit carbon monoxide as gas, this is their main advantage. But the smells when cooking on an electric stove are the same as the presence of burning when frying food. The smell of food throughout the apartment is not the most pleasant moment. Therefore, we answer with confidence - you need to approach the choice of a hood for an electric stove also if you had gas stove.
Types of exhaust devices
In terms of shape, the following types of kitchen hoods can be distinguished: flat suspended, built-in and domed.
Suspended
The most common type is suspended. Such devices are cheaper than other models, their installation is not difficult and does not require the participation of a specialist. Such a device is located above the hob, and you can also place a cabinet above it, since the flat model does not require installation under the ventilation duct.Air purifiers of this type sometimes look cumbersome in the interior, however, with proper selection, they will support both classic elements and notes of modern design. The flat model is equipped with replaceable filters, which are best replaced in time for efficient operation.
Embedded
Built-in appliances are installed in a special cabinet and are almost invisible, only the exhaust surface itself is visible from the outside. These hoods for the kitchen equipped with an air duct entering the ventilation duct: it is located behind the cabinet doors. Many built-in models are equipped with a pull-out panel that allows you to increase the working surface of the device, when folded, the dimensions are narrow. These units have a low noise level, a laconic design that allows you to remain invisible in the interior, both retro and modern.
Dome
Dome fume hoods are the most fashionable and interesting option. There are designer models that will take center stage in the kitchen interior. They resemble a chimney chimney: a thick channel and a dome, so they fit perfectly into classic styles or retro. These air cleaners are the most diverse in terms of design. White, black or colored, glass, metal or wood, retro or hi-tech - modern design ideas allow you to choose the perfect device that will meet the most demanding taste. Fume hoods of this retro design are popular in country houses.
Sometimes they are referred to as domed, and sometimes such types of kitchen hoods as an island air cleaner and a hood with glass are distinguished separately.
Island
Located in the middle of the room, fixed to the ceiling above the slab. Such an interesting installation is used in the interior, where the working area is made in the form of an island. The round shape looks especially interesting; the surface can be either flat or curved. These types of devices are suitable for a retro-design TV show style.
With glass
The hood with glass (modern) is designed to perform not only its main function, but also serves as a design element in the interior. In such devices, the backlight looks especially interesting, especially if the hood with glass is not easy transparent, but white, black or, for example, smoky. Glass types of hoods are not suitable for a retro interior, as they look super modern.
Air purification mode
According to the principle of operation, air purifiers are of three types:
- flowing;
- recirculating;
- combined.
Flow hoods are called kitchen hoods connected to ventilation (duct). The air is captured by the fan impeller and is immediately discharged through the duct from the room. According to this principle, the old classic options in the retro style that are familiar to us work. Flow-through types of devices emit less noise than recirculation ones.
Kitchen hoods with an air duct, although more efficient than recirculation ones, have one serious drawback: complex installation. Plus, it is not always possible to punch a technological hole for installing hoods in the kitchen, the ventilation duct may be missing or too far away.
Most modern kitchen hoods with an air duct work in a combined mode (exhaust - circulation), you can bring it under the ventilation duct, or you can use it independently. They are also equipped with an ARS system that detects the smell of burning. Thanks to this system, the air cleaner turns on automatically according to the sensor signal, which makes it possible to better capture even the slightest odors.
Performance
Productivity is one of the important parameters, showing how much air the unit "pumps" per unit of time. The larger the dimensions of the kitchen, the greater the performance should be. In order to determine what performance to choose for your kitchen in order to maximize the climate, calculate the volume of the room by multiplying its area by the height, and then multiply the resulting number by 12.But even for a small kitchen, it is better to choose models with a capacity of at least 350 cubic meters / hour. The most common performance of modern air cleaners: 702, 851 and 1020 cubic meters / hour.
Control Panel
Exhaust devices also differ in the way they are controlled. The following types can be distinguished:
- push-button (raised buttons),
- touch (flat non-convex buttons),
- slider (mechanical horizontal switch),
- remote (using the remote control).
It is difficult to say which types of kitchen hoods are better for control - the choice is determined only by your preferences and the general style in technology and interior: a slide or button panel will fit better in retro style, and a touch panel in a modern one. However, it should be noted that sliders and buttons are more prone to dirt and more difficult to clean, which cannot be said about their more modern counterparts.
Connection to communications
Correct installation of the purifier is the key to its high-quality work. To connect the device to the ventilation system, use short pipes. The more elbows the ventilation duct has, the lower the performance of the device (each bend reduces this figure by 5%).
It is better to choose a duct with smooth walls and a large diameter. Corrugated hoses, despite their convenient installation, significantly reduce performance.
Dimensions
The choice of the size of the hood depends on the area of the gas or electric stove, the size should be no less (or better - more), narrow devices cannot fully fulfill their functions. The standard sizes that are most often on sale are 45, 60 and 90 cm. The height of the air cleaner is positioned depending on the type of hob. Air purification is required by all hobs without exception - from an old Soviet retro stove to a modern electric or induction hob. Above the gas stove, the level at which the air cleaner is installed is no higher than 80 cm, and above the electric one can be lower - in the region of 70 cm.
Noise level
Noise level is one of the important indicators when choosing any home appliance. No matter how effectively he copes with his task, excess noise will cause discomfort to the owners, cause irritation and even provoke a headache. The ideal model should be powerful enough, but at the same time quiet, not create unnecessary noise in order to effectively clean the air without causing inconvenience to the owners. Experts advise to choose a hood with a noise level not exceeding 50 dB. The lower the manufacturer declares the noise level, the better, it will be right to make a choice in favor of the minimum noise.
Body material
The choice of high-quality material for the hood body is quite important. Inexpensive fume hoods are made of enamel. Polished stainless steel looks much more solid, but this also affects the price of such devices. In addition, steel is more picky in care, soot sticks to it more, and it is impossible to clean it with abrasive products - there will be scratches. The hood with glass is made of tempered glass, resistant to damage and temperatures, it closes the ventilation duct, protects it from contamination. However, glass surfaces, especially white ones, need to be cleaned almost daily, otherwise streaks and stains will ruin the entire appearance. To properly care for such a surface, you need household chemicals for cleaning glass.
Lighting
Lighting above the stove is never superfluous, so modern air purifiers are equipped with backlighting. This can be a halogen, fluorescent or incandescent lamp. Most often, light sources are located at the back of the device. In new models, there is a rotary lamp, with which you can focus the light flux in the desired area and change its intensity. A hood with glass is usually equipped with a large number of lamps and can even replace a full-fledged chandelier. In low light, you can choose this type of hood.
Additional functions
Modern hoods have, in addition to the main function - air purification - additional ones. It will be right to choose a good model equipped with them. Most often, there are two functions: interval switching and residual stroke. What are they needed for? (See also: How to clean your kitchen hood from fat at home )
- "Interval switching on" - the hood is periodically switched on after a certain period of time, this function is needed to ensure a constant supply of fresh air.
- "Residual run" - after turning off the appliance, the fan will operate in quiet mode for 5-15 minutes to perfectly clean the air and get rid of odors left on the stove after cooking.
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We have an electric stove, and the question about the hood was somehow logical. Well, in addition to gas, there is also steam, and fumes, and fat. Without a hood, by the way, the bottom of the cabinet was covered in oil and cracked from moisture. Recently purchased on Avito. Although I don't buy such things remotely, my husband convinced that there was some kind of delivery, they say, first chairs, then money.