8 steps for choosing a kitchen extractor fan and 40 photos

To begin, let’s see, why do we need an extractor fan in the kitchen and is it really necessary? This device has two important functions: Protects furniture, walls, ceilings and textiles from the appearance of fatty deposits and soot; Removes and cleans the air from smoke, odors, combustion products, vapors and other impurities that are harmful to health, formed from cooking on the stove. By the way, the air in the kitchen during the heat treatment of products becomes the dirtiest in the house. Therefore, if you often cook, your kitchen is not the smallest and/or you use a gas stove and a column, then you cannot do without a kitchen extractor fan.

However, in order for the extractor fan to really benefit, and not to stand idle, it must be chosen correctly: in terms of performance, mode of operation, size of the umbrella and design. Understand all the nuances of the kitchen extractor fan options will help you our 8-step guide with photos of appliances in the interior.

Step 1. Determine the type of exhaust The first thing you need to decide: flow or circulation extractor fan you need.

The flow extractor fan connects to the ventilation duct of the house and takes the exhaust air into it. Flow models can not only completely (!) Remove the exhaust air in the exhaust mode, but also operate in the circulation mode and run fresh air from the street into the room. If your kitchen has the ability to connect the extractor fan to the ventilation of the building, then it should be done, especially if the kitchen is not small or combined.

The circulation extractor fan is not connected to the ventilation channel and works only in the recirculation mode – it passes the polluted air through the filters, and then the cleaned air is thrown back into the room again. This type of exhaust is less effective, in many respects, its performance depends on the quality of the filters, so they need to be changed/cleaned in a timely manner (let’s talk about filters a little lower). But the circulation rescues when there is no possibility to connect the extractor fan to the ventilation chamber. For example, in case the island table with a stove is installed too far from the ventilation duct and you don’t want to pull the duct through the whole kitchen.

And the circulation extractor fans are cheaper than flow-through, so if you want to save and your kitchen is small, the circulation extractor fan is fine. Now let’s talk a little about filters. Kitchen extractor fan filters are divided into two categories: coal and grease. Circulating devices are equipped with carbon filters, and flow – with grease catchers. The first detain particles of fat, soot, smoke, evaporation. They are involved in any mode of operation of the extractor fan, can be disposable or reusable.

Step 2. Decide which device we need – built, suspended or domed? Suspended extractor fans (from 2300 rubles) are always only circulating, compact and the most inexpensive. Most often, they are mounted under the kitchen cabinet above the stove or mounted to the wall.

Dome extractor fan is a construction of an umbrella and a pipe and resembles a fireplace with a chimney (because they are often called mantels ) And, as a rule, have greater productivity. If you often cook, your stove/kitchen is large and you want the extractor fan to decorate the interior, then the fireplace model is what you need.

Built-in extractor fans are built into the cabinet above the stove or in the decorative dome and are connected to the duct. They are good because they are simply not visible, moreover, due to the lack of decorative trim, embedded models are cheaper than dome ones.if necessary, can be increased to the size of the plate.

Step 3. Specify the dimensions of the plate and extractor fan The main principle of choosing the extractor fan according to size is simple: the width of the umbrella should correspond to the plate width or be larger than it (but not less!). For this reason, the most running gear are extractor fans 50 cm wide, 60 cm wide and 90 cm wide.

Although not so important, is still better, pick up the device so that its visor does not protrude strongly above the slab, otherwise, it can be hit. If you choose a chimney extractor fan, then the height of the device also matters. After all, she says about

Step 4. Calculate optimal performance It is time to talk about the most important criteria for choosing a kitchen extractor fan – about performance.

The exhaust capacity is an indicator of the maximum air volume that the device is able to catch in an hour of work. The performance of the weakest kitchen extractor fan can be 150 m 3 / h, and the most powerful – 2500 m 3 / h. How powerful your extractor fan should depend on the size of the kitchen (including the size of the attached rooms, if any).

Step 5. Pay attention to the noise level Want to cook with relative silence? Choose an extractor fan with a noise level of up to 45 decibels. True, there are quiet extractor fans significantly more expensive, and sometimes their silence is achieved by reducing the engine power. Which extractor fan is better – with one super-powered motor or with two slightly less powerful ones? The second option is preferable, as it allows the extractor fan to work not too loud and at the same time quite effective. Cheap extractor fans are always noisy. Models with noise levels above 50 dB can make a noise almost as loud and annoying as a hair dryer or vacuum cleaner. Step 6. Choose the type of control Different extracts to have different controls: push-button, touch, electronic (with remote control) or slider control (see photo).

In our opinion, it is worthwhile to give preference to the device with the touch control panel with backlight – it is much easier to keep it clean than protruding buttons now and then threatening to “stick” in fat. Step 7. Understand the extra features. Almost all extractor fans are equipped with lamps. This simple addition often helps during cooking, so it makes sense in the store to test the backlight for ease of switching and changing the lamp. Ideally, the light bulbs in the extractor fan should be LED – they are safe, do not fade for a long time, do not heat up and are easily disposed of.

Depending on the “tricked out” you can see models with 1-2 speeds of air intake and even from 10. In our opinion, there is not much point in paying for the abundance of speeds, 3-4 modes will be quite enough for most non-professional chefs. Also, modern extractor fans are almost always equipped with a timer or a residual stroke button, which makes it possible to synchronize its work with the stove. When buying an extractor fan, you should make sure that it has safety shut-off sensors and a sensor that reminds that it is time to replace/clean the grease filter. Some manufacturers (for example, Siemens) build in the extractor fans even TVs.

Step 8. Plan the design of the extractor fan If you decide to purchase a built-in or suspended model, then they need to choose a design disappears by itself. But when choosing a chimney-type exhaust device, the appearance of the body is of great importance. Here are some tips to help you: For classic and “rustic” interiors, you should choose built-in stealth extractor fans or domed appliances in retro or country style. Carving, artificially aged body finish, inserts made of brass or antique silver – all this will be very appropriate in traditional kitchens. The blessing of the model in retro style today is presented on the market by almost all manufacturers. By the way, the standard extractor fan can be closed with a decorative dome.

For modern interiors more suitable device concise design with clear or rounded shapes. Possibly colored and printed, with a glossy, matte or chrome finish. The main thing is that their size and shape should not be to the detriment of the functionality of the technique, as is often the case in practice. For example, we advise you to abandon the popular slant extractor fans as in the photo below. Due to the inclination of the case, such devices become ineffective, although they look great, take up little space, are easy to use and do not allow high users to accidentally hit their heads on the visor.

Another unfortunate example of choosing an extractor fan is that this “cylinder” is too small for a 4-hob stove.

The color of the extractor fan is the safest to choose in the tone of the facades, walls or apron. The easiest way to take care of metal extractor fans, as well as light-colored devices, such as metallic or white. The most difficult to care for – this is an extract of dark colors with a glossy surface as in the photo below.

What to do if the extractor fan does not turn on Here there are several possible faults: The device may not be connected to the electrical network. It is necessary to check the fact of connection, and the presence of voltage in the outlet. Operability of the switch is checked by the tester. If this element is not “called”, it must be replaced. It may be that there is a power problem. They may occur due to breakage of the circuit breaker or failure of the fuses. The power plug may also fail. By the way, there may be a built-in fuse in the plug that can burn out – in this case, its replacement will be required. Internal wiring of the device can also cause failures. It must be checked with a tester, and the detected bad contacts are eliminated by tightening the screws or pressing the tips with pliers. But the failure of the electric motor requires major repairs and the intervention of professionals. extractor fan works but does not eliminate odors

If, while working in the kitchen, extraneous odors still remain in the kitchen, then most likely the matter is in the filter. The efficiency of the exhaust is reduced if it is not replaced in time (not cleaned). For example, a carbon filter located immediately behind the air intake grille must be replaced about once every 3 months. This type of filter can be collapsible, then only coal pellets change in it (photo on the left). Disposable grease filters (paper and cloth) must also be replaced. They are not restored and cannot be washed. But metal mesh designs need regular cleaning (they can even be washed in a dishwasher – approximately once a month). If you made sure that the problem is not in the filter, then the problem can be solved as follows – increase the device operation time, including it a few minutes before turning on the burners and turning it off a quarter of an hour after the stove is free.

Lighting does not work If the lighting of the extractor fan does not work, then everything can be repaired with your own hands using the following algorithm: In the case when the fan rotates without failures, but the lighting does not turn on, the light bulb is simply replaced with a new one. When the replacement of the light bulb did not help solve the problem, it is worth checking the operability of the light switch, most likely it simply went off the wire more info about extractor fan visit this post click here.