Are you a fan of your kitchen?

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Ok so the title is corny, but this is a pretty serious topic.  I want to address the whole area of Extraction, aka Fans, Hoods.  To make things simple we will talk about Extraction systems and they type of hoods which are available, eg Island/Wall versions etc.

I get to talk to people at all stages of the build or renovation.  I much prefer to chat to a client the beginning of their planning process.  The reason being, is that for some reason, customers, designers, architects and just about anyone involved with the build (except the builder mostly) forget about good extraction.

It’s not a complicated area, it just gets left behind a bit.  There are a number of methods of extraction.  When you see a hood (the bit in the kitchen) it is either connected to an external motor, an internal motor or operates an air re-circulation mode where by the smelly greasy air is drawn over charcoals and redispersed into your kitchen environment slightly cleaner. 

The most efficient and quietest method of extraction is via an external motor.  This is where the motor which draws the air, sits on the outside wall, or in the roof or in fact in the attic or under your floor even, and is ducted to the ‘hood’ in your kitchen.  This provides silence too as the motor is further away from your living space.

Next best is the internal motor.  This is the most common in the mid priced market.  The motor sits inside the hood, and a duct is led from the hood to an outside wall, where the dirty greasy air is sent. 

Extraction is measured in cubic meters per hour.  Now, this can get quite complicated and unless you’re a bit of a whizz at maths, it’s good to know that anything over 800cm³ per hour is good.  Over a 60cm regular hob, you should at least have a hood which is of the same width.  Better if it’s slightly wider.  If you are putting in a range with a chargrill and a griddle then you need to have stronger extraction and need to be looking at 1400cm³ per hour plus.  Also, if you do put in a Viking range, make sure your kitchen designer and you choose a hood which comes to the front of the range.  There’s a big trend to put in extractors that are not the same depth of the hood, which is grand, except when you are chargrilling a steak at the front. 

Drumms have a wide variety of extraction systems, from the hidden subtle types to the exciting designs from Falmec which are part extraction and part room lighting.  Lots of systems on the market look good, there’s no doubt of that, but you have to make sure they work well.  You need silence, efficiency and style.  Come to Drumms for advice. 

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