Is extraction better than recirculation?

Although extraction hoods are more effective than recirculation hoods, they are more expensive to install due to all the extra requirements. A recirculation hood pushes the air up through filters inside, which then remove any moisture and smells before the air is then reintroduced into your kitchen.

What's the difference between extraction and recirculation?

Extraction is when the stale air is extracted out of the room through ducting in an outside wall to the air outside. Recirculation is used when it is not possible to duct out through an outside wall. The air is sucked into the hood, filtered, purified and pumped back into the room.

Do you need an extraction fan?

In short – yes, you do need an extractor hood. Since April 2006, building regulations state that extract ventilation must be fitted in a kitchen which has been built from that date onwards. A kitchen will meet these regulations if the unclean air is extracted externally.

Do extractor fans remove steam?

Extraction hoods remove grease, steam and cooking smells outside of the kitchen via a hole in the wall and ducting which the air can flow through.

What is ducted extraction?

Ducted extractors remove air entirely, down a stretch of ducting to outside the home, propelled by a motor placed just outside or just inside the building. Air is taken through a grease filter, which traps fats, whilst odours, fumes and condensation are expelled outside.

We test the effectiveness of extractors that are built into hobs (instead of placed overhead)

Are recirculating hoods effective?

Yes. A recirculating range hood works beautifully, the same way as a ducted range hood. The main difference is that rather than the air getting exhausted to the outside, it passes through a filter, and then recirculated back into the house.

How effective are downdraft extractors?

Downdraft hoods need to work harder to make steam go in the other direction, so extraction rates do tend to be a bit lower. They tend to have 80-90% of the same extraction power, but do check to see.

Do extractor fans remove moisture?

It is very important that you leave these fans turned on and do not attempt to disable them by removing the fuses. The fans are designed to remove moisture from the air and many of them have a 'boost' function which comes into operation when the moisture in the air is at its highest - such as after bathing or cooking.

What is a good extraction rate for a cooker hood?

A useful rule of thumb is to choose a cooker hood with a flow rate that's ten times higher than the volume of your room. It's easy to work this out yourself. Simply multiply your kitchen's width, length and height in metres to get your kitchen's volume in m³, and then multiply the result by ten.

How do I reduce steam in my kitchen?

If your kitchen has windows, open them while cooking. This will increase the ventilation and help regulate the temperature. Keeping a window open, even just a small amount, will help massively reduce trapped steam and condensation.

What can I use instead of an extractor fan?

Why do I need an extractor fan in my kitchen?

Recirculating extractors work by pushing air through filters that remove any cooking odours before the air is reintroduced back into your kitchen. This gets rid of any stale air and pumps it back into the room filtered and purified.

Can you have a kitchen without an extractor fan?

You do not need to have a conventional cooker hood in your kitchen. However, you may need to have some form of extraction in the room to the outside.

Do I need a recirculation kit?

Do I need a recirculating kit for my range hood? Ducted hoods do not require recirculating kits since your kitchen air moves through ductwork to the outside of your home. Recirculating range hoods recirculate your kitchen air without a kit, so you don't need one for those either.

Do downdraft extractors need to be vented?

Typically, downdrafts are recirculated although they can be vented to the outside. To vent a downdraft extractor to the outside, you'll have to go down through the floor if your island/breakfast bar isn't adjacent to a wall which may mean installation costs are higher.

Do extractor fans work?

Simply put, if your bathroom is suffering from the onset of mould or damp, an extractor fan is highly recommended. With regular use of hot taps and showers, water vapour will build up over time leading to excess moisture and condensation.

How much extraction do I need?

The extraction rate you need for your bathroom will depend on the room's size. However, building regulations state that the minimum fan extraction rate your bathroom should have is 50 m^3/hr (or 15 l/s) if the room doesn't have an openable window, so do ensure you at least meet this level.

What should I look for when buying a kitchen hood?

What does extraction rate mean?

A measure of the percentage of the grain that is made into flour during the milling process. Flour with a higher extraction rate has more of the bran, germ and outer layers of the endosperm in it. Whole wheat flour is 100% extraction, white flour around 72%.

Do extractor fans stop mould?

Everyone can attest to the amount of steam a shower produces. An extractor fan minimises this. To prevent mould. The condensation your shower creates can lead to a worse problem: mould.

Does an extractor fan use a lot of electricity?

Bathroom Extractor fans use very little power to operate, generally consuming between 5 - 36 watts depending on the make and model. This in comparison to a single 100w lightbulb is clearly far more conservative.

Is an extractor fan better than an open window?

Technically it depends which is higher than where the vapour is being produce - an open window above a bath will take out more steam than an expelair on the opposite wall . A cooker hood above a hob will extract ( as long as it's pretty straight run to outside) better than an open window a few feet away etc .

Are hobs with built in extractor any good?

An extractor hob is incredibly efficient. This is because it takes care of any odours at source. The extraction unit is positioned in the centre of the hob. It draws the steam and cooking smells directly from your saucepan by pulling the air down.

Are downdraft hoods any good?

Downdraft range hoods can be highly effective at removing smoke, odors, and grease from your kitchen. However, due to their design, they will never be equal in performance to overhead range hoods. This is because downdraft range hoods have to suck in the fumes from the side even though the fumes are rising straight up.

Where does the air go on a downdraft extractor?

Normally, extractors with downdraft or hob extractors are equipped with a recirculating air system. Here, the extracted air is blown through the filter into the kitchen cabinet. This has several disadvantages: The extraction performance is worse because the filter obstructs the air flow.