We choose a hood for the kitchen, taking into account the advice of specialists

Ventilation of a living space is critical to the health of the people living in it. Often the central ventilation system for some reason does not cope with the exhaust air. Because of this, an unpleasant smell appears in the kitchen, and the ceiling, furniture and walls are covered with greasy plaque. To prevent this trouble, you must correctly select the hood in the kitchen. Today, a huge assortment of this product is presented in household appliance stores. Models differ from each other in power and size, shape and material, principle of operation and filtration system. The advice of professionals will help to understand the features of the device and choose the right device.

Why do you need a hood?

Not all housewives correctly understand the purpose of a cooker hood. After all, there is a central system, the ventilation openings of which are located near the stove. Why buy an additional device? The fact is that the mines of general ventilation eventually become clogged with dirt and small debris and can not cope with their task. As a result, the burning and soot that occurs during cooking, get into the air, which the residents of the apartment breathe.

When the gas stove is turned on, carbon monoxide is released, which adversely affects human health. Even if the pita is electric, no less odors, vapors and fumes are created. An extractor hood cleans the air of harmful impurities, removes odors outside the apartment, in which freshness and comfort reign after installation of a cleaning device.

What to consider when buying?

In order for the hood to work long and efficiently, when selecting, it is necessary to take into account all the features of the model. Productivity of the device directly depends on its power. A correctly selected device is able to renew the air in the room 10 times in one hour. Some devices for more efficient removal of dirty air are equipped with fans with 2 or 4 speeds.

In addition to power, you need to pay attention to the dimensions. The exhaust surface should be slightly larger than the surface of the gas stove.

A very important criterion is how much the unit is noisy. The sound strength of a working hood should not exceed 45 dB, then it will not irritate the nervous system.

It is good when there are light sources on the hood. It can be halogen or LED bulbs illuminating the hob. To choose the right model, you need to familiarize yourself with the features and nuances of using a particular device.

Work principles

Cooker hoods according to the principle of operation are divided into three types: recirculation, flow and combined.

Recirculation

Hoods of this type purify the air in the room, passing it through several filters and throwing it back. Such devices do not need to be connected to the duct, which is associated with cluttering the room with extra pipes and other inconveniences.

Inside the device are two filters - grease and carbon. The first traps the particles of fat that are always present in the fumes generated during cooking. The carbon filter traps the smallest particles and odors. Clean air returns to the kitchen.

Benefits of recirculation hood:

• no need to equip the ventilation duct;
• the room is warm;
• low cost;
• Installation of the device can be carried out by anyone without experience and skills.

Devices of this type have their drawbacks:

• make a lot of noise;
• filter replacement is necessary periodically.

The room in which the recirculation hood is installed should be ventilated more often.

Flowing

The flow-through device is connected via pipes to the general ventilation of the house. The exhaust air passes through the hood and is thrown out through the central duct. Such devices have a fan and grease filters.

Advantages of a flow hood:

• high power of the device;
• no noise;
• metal grease filters serve for a long time.

The disadvantages of devices with this type of work include the complexity of installation. If the stove is located far from the ventilation hole, then you have to lead pipes throughout the room, which is not always convenient and beautiful.

Combined

Not so long ago, hoods appeared that can work both as flowing ones as recirculating ones. They are very compact, almost do not occupy space, and the pipes supplying exhaust air to the shaft are so thin that they easily fit in a wall-mounted kitchen cabinet. Such devices cost an order of magnitude higher, but they look great and do not violate the design of the room.

Varieties of filters

The hood is equipped with filters, with which the air is cleaned of grease, soot and carbon monoxide. Each model has its own set of filters, which must be considered when choosing a device.

• The metal filter frees air from particles of fat. Externally, this part is a frequent mesh of foil or aluminum. Such filters are easy to clean, you can not change them, as they will last as long as the unit will work.
• A synthetic filter is needed to clean the air of soot, carbon monoxide and fat. It is a cassette made of acrylic or other polymer into which a piece of filter cloth is inserted. Such a filter works almost silently, only the filter material has to be changed periodically.
• At the last stage of cleaning, air is passed through a charcoal filter. All the smallest particles of pollution that create an unpleasant odor remain on it. It is noticed that with the help of a carbon filter it is possible to clean the air of tobacco smoke. To disinfect the air, silver is added to the filter in addition to coal. The disadvantage of carbon filters is that they need to be changed every six months, but they are quite expensive.

Today on sale you can find inexpensive models that do not use grease filters. When buying such a device for an apartment, one must remember that it will last a very short time, since the particles of fat will settle on the fan and on the walls of the mine. This will inevitably lead to malfunctions.

Shape and size

In appearance and method of attachment, ventilation devices can be of the following types:

• Outboard - flat rectangular devices, mounted above the hob under a wall cabinet or shelf. Lightweight, compact, do not require installation skills, the devices will completely cope with their task in a small kitchen. Minus - periodically need to change the carbon filter.
• Fireplace - have the shape of an umbrella and are mounted on the wall behind the gas stove. The high-performance flow-type hood will fit perfectly into the design of a dining room or large-area kitchen. The working surface of the device may be horizontal or inclined.
• Recessed - are installed inside the kitchen. Outside, such devices are almost invisible, they do not spoil the view and save space.
• Dominoes - A modern type of hood, which became popular just two or three years ago. The device hides in the countertop and automatically extends when necessary. It is very fashionable and convenient, however, such household appliances are several times more expensive than usual.
• Island - designed for large living rooms or dining rooms.The hood is mounted on the ceiling above the location of the stove, barbecue, grill and other cooking appliances. The device has great performance and impressive dimensions.
• Corner - are installed above the stove located in the corner of the room.

Currently on sale you can find hoods of different sizes. The most popular are those devices with a case width of 0.5; 0.6; 0.9 m. The main thing is that the exhaust panel completely overlaps the surface of the plate.

Device power

Work on the removal of contaminated air in the hood is carried out by a fan, the power of which determines the performance of the device. The more powerful the fan (sometimes there are two), the more air is vented outside the room.

When choosing a design, you need to focus on the area and purpose of the room in which the device will be installed. For cafes and restaurants, where the cooking process takes place continuously, you need a powerful large hood. For an ordinary kitchen, an average power unit is suitable. He will not make much noise and spend a reasonable amount of electricity.

More precisely, you can calculate the required hood power by the formula:

Power = floor area x wall height x 12

The resulting value corresponds to the minimum performance of the device, so you need to choose with a margin.

Type of control

When choosing a hood in an apartment, it is very important to pay attention to the type of control. For the convenience of customers, manufacturers offer three types of management.

• Electronic - carried out using touch buttons. Each function is activated after a light touch on the desired sector. The start of work is reported by the LED backlight.
• Push-button - traditional control using buttons.
• Slider - control is carried out using a slider mechanical switch - a slider located inside the device.

For fans of trendy models, hoods with remote control from the remote control have been developed.

Material of the hood housing

For the production of hoods, plastic and aluminum, stainless steel and tempered glass are used. Elite models are finished with artificially aged wood, artificial silver, copper. All these additions affect the cost: the more expensive the material, the higher the price of a cooker hood.

• The most popular and inexpensive are devices with a housing made of heat-resistant plastic. The constructions are lightweight, the surface is easily cleaned with soapy water. Such units look simple and cheap, which is fully consistent with the price of the product.
• A more respectable appearance in hoods made of aluminum or stainless steel. Such products differ from plastic in durability and wear resistance. They are made with electronic and slider controls. There is only one drawback for metal hoods - the surface quickly gets dirty, after every inadvertent touch on the metal there are fingerprints, which spoils the appearance.
• The most expensive household appliances made of tempered glass or rare wood. This technique is remotely controlled from the remote control and has a whole range of options that ensure comfortable use of the device. This is an adjustable illumination of the hob, a timer, an interval switching system, a reverse stroke. Stylish and beautiful hoods of this class perfectly complement any refined interior and become an adornment of a house or apartment.

When selecting hoods for a dining room or kitchen, all the characteristics of the product must be taken into account, you should not choose ventilation equipment solely in design. The main indicators that you should pay attention to are the power, size and type of device.