Choosing a hood for the kitchen, taking into account expert advice

Today, household appliance stores offer a huge range of kitchen hoods. Models differ from each other in power and size, shape and material, operating principle and filtration system. Advice from professionals will help you 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 kitchen hood. After all, there is a central system, the ventilation holes of which are located near the stove. Why buy an additional device? The fact is that general ventilation shafts become clogged with dirt and small debris over time and do not cope with their task. As a result, the fumes and soot generated during cooking end up in the air that apartment residents breathe.

When a gas stove is turned on, carbon monoxide is released, which has a detrimental effect on human health. Even if the pita is electric, no less odors, vapors and burning are created. The hood cleans the air of harmful impurities, removes odors outside the apartment, in which, after installing the cleaning device, freshness and comfort reign.

What should you consider when purchasing?

In order for the hood to work for a long time and efficiently, when selecting it is necessary to take into account all the features of the model. The performance of the device directly depends on its power. A properly selected device can refresh the air in a room 10 times within one hour. Some devices are equipped with fans with 2 or 4 speeds to more effectively remove dirty air.

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

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

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

Work principles

Kitchen hoods are divided into three types based on their operating principle: recirculation, flow-through and combined.

Recirculating

This type of hood purifies the air in the room by passing it through several filters and expelling it back. Such devices do not need to be connected to the air duct, which is associated with cluttering the room with unnecessary pipes and other inconveniences.

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

Advantages of a recirculating hood:

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

Devices of this type have their disadvantages:

• make a lot of noise;
• Filters need to be replaced periodically.

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

Flow-through

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

Advantages of flow hood:

• high power of the device;
• does not make noise;
• Metal grease filters last a long time.

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

Combined

Not so long ago, hoods appeared that can operate both as flow-through and as recirculation. They are very compact, take up almost no 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 interfere with the design of the room.

Types of filters

The hood comes with filters that clean the air from grease, soot and carbon monoxide. Each model has its own set of filters, which must be taken into account when choosing a device.

• The metal filter frees the air from fat particles. Externally, this part is a fine mesh made of foil or aluminum. Such filters are easy to clean; they do not need to be changed, since they will last as long as the unit operates.
• A synthetic filter is needed to clean the air from soot, carbon monoxide and grease. It is a cassette made of acrylic or other polymer into which a piece of filter fabric is inserted. This filter operates almost silently, but the filter material has to be changed periodically.
• At the last stage of cleaning, the air is passed through a carbon filter. All the smallest particles of contaminants remain on it, which creates an unpleasant odor. It has been noticed that using a carbon filter can clean the air from tobacco smoke. To disinfect the air, silver is added to the filter in addition to carbon. The disadvantage of carbon filters is that they need to be changed every six months, and they are quite expensive.

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

Shape and dimensions

According to their appearance and method of fastening, ventilation devices can be of the following types:

• Hanging - flat rectangular devices, mounted above the hob under a wall cabinet or shelf. Lightweight, compact, and requiring no installation skills, the devices will cope with their task in a small kitchen. The downside is that the carbon filter needs to be changed periodically.
• Fireplace — have the shape of an umbrella and are mounted on the wall behind the gas stove. A high-performance flow-through hood will fit perfectly into the design of a large dining room or kitchen. The working surface of the device can be horizontal or inclined.
• Built-in — installed inside the kitchen unit. From the outside, such devices are almost invisible, they do not spoil the view and save space.
• Domino - a modern type of hood that became popular only two or three years ago. The device hides in the countertop and automatically extends when necessary. Very fashionable and convenient, however, such household appliances cost several times more 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 equipment. The device has great performance and impressive dimensions.
• Corner - installed above the stove located in the corner of the room.

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

Device power

The work of removing contaminated air in the hood is performed 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 removed 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. Cafes and restaurants where the cooking process occurs continuously will require a large, powerful hood. For an ordinary kitchen, a medium-power unit is suitable. It will not make so much noise and will consume a reasonable amount of electricity.

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

Power = room 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.

Control type

When selecting a hood for an apartment, it is very important to pay attention to the type of control. For the convenience of buyers, manufacturers offer three types of controls.

• Electronic - carried out using touch buttons. Each function is activated after lightly touching the desired sector. The start of work is indicated by a display with LED backlight.
• Push-button - traditional control using buttons.
• Slider - control occurs using a mechanical slide switch - a slider located inside the device.

For lovers of super-fashionable models, hoods with remote control have been developed.

Material from which the hood body is made

Plastic and aluminum, stainless steel and tempered glass are used to produce hoods. Elite models are finished with artificially aged wood, artificial silver, and copper. All these additions affect the cost: the more expensive the material, the higher the price of the kitchen hood.

• The most popular and inexpensive are devices with a body made of heat-resistant plastic. The structures are lightweight and the surface can be easily cleaned with soapy water. Such units look simple and cheap, which fully corresponds to the price of the product.
• Hoods made of aluminum or stainless steel have a more respectable appearance. Such products differ from plastic ones in durability and wear resistance. Manufactured with electronic and slider control types.Metal hoods have only one drawback - the surface quickly gets dirty, after every accidental touch fingerprints remain on the metal, which spoils the appearance.
• The most expensive household appliances are made from tempered glass or rare wood. This equipment is controlled remotely from a remote control and has a whole range of options that ensure comfortable use of the device. These include adjustable hob lighting, a timer, an interval system, and reverse. Stylish and beautiful hoods of this class will perfectly complement any sophisticated interior and will decorate your home or apartment.

When choosing a hood for a dining room or kitchen, you need to take into account all the characteristics of the product; you should not choose ventilation equipment solely by design. The main indicators that you should pay attention to are power, size and type of device.