This is hardly ideal when you want to have a quiet evening!

We put up with this noise because it’s better than letting the smell of fried mackerel make our home uninhabitable.

Cooker hoods are essential as they take the bad smells and damp air out of our kitchens and either take it outside or filter it back into our kitchens.

However, surely there is a quiet cooker hood that does this job just as well as the loud cooker hoods on the market?

Yes, there is. In fact, here are seven cooker hoods that will do a great job of removing smells and damp air from your kitchen while never producing a noice above 70 decibels.

We’ve ordered them by maximum noise level, with the quietest first. The maximum noise level is how much noise the hood will make on the highest setting, or the booster setting if the product has one. We’ve also listed the minimum noise level, which is how loud it will be on the lowest setting.

Let’s take a look at these amazing cooker hoods, shall we?

FAQs on Cooker Hoods

How loud is the average cooker hood?

Cooker hoods usually produce between about 60 and 75 decibels (dB) of noise on their highest settings.

60 dB is roughly the noise of a normal conversation. Anything at this level or below can be considered ‘quiet’ for a cooker hood.

Cooker hoods that produce 70 dB or more of noise will sound quite loud. To give you an idea, 75 dB is about as loud as a vacuum cleaner.

Can you get a silent cooker hood?

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to get a completely silent cooker hood. The quietest cooker hood we could find still has a maximum noise level of 52 decibels, which is slightly louder than the hum of a refrigerator.

It’s impossible to manufacture a cooker hood or extraction fan that is completely silent, but some models are quiet enough that you’ll barely notice them.

The quietest models use brushless motors, which are quieter than the standard motors in more old-fashioned cooker hoods, as well as being much more energy efficient.

What size cooker hood do I need?

The size of a cooker hood is usually given by its width.

Popular sizes include 60 cm, 70 cm and 90 cm. Often the exact width is slightly less, for example 59.8 cm rather than 60 cm.

In general, a cooker hood should be about the same size as the hob that it is covering. If you have more space, you may prefer to choose a larger hood.

Are all cooker hoods noisy?

Not all cooker hoods offer the same speed, power and performance. This difference means that there can be a great difference in noise level between different models and brands.

Most cooker hoods available have a noise level of between 60 and 70 decibels on the highest setting, which for most people, is a comfortable noise level.

If you are sensitive to noise, try to stick to a cooker hood that produces less than 70 dB on the maximum setting.

How Can I Make My Kitchen Extractor Quieter?

As mentioned above, not all cooker hoods have the same operating noise level. No matter how quiet your cooker hood should be, there are always steps that you can take to keep the noise level to its absolute minimum.

1. Run at the lowest speed

One of the easiest ways to keep a cooker hood as quiet as possible is to run it at the lowest speed for your needs.

The majority of modern cooker hoods have variable speeds and power settings that you can choose from depending on your needs.

Whilst it is nice to have a very powerful cooker hood that can deal with the smell of burning food and strong vapours easily, you don’t need to use the highest setting each and every time you cook a meal.

2. Keep the filters clean

Grease filters can end up clogged up very quickly. If the filters are not clean, you’ll find that you need to use increasingly higher settings to get the same level of performance out of your cooker hood.

The grease filters in most modern cooker hoods are now very easy to clean, and can generally just be rinsed out with hot water.

By rinsing the grease filters a couple of times a week, you’ll be able to keep your cooker hood operating at its very best.

3. Make sure everything is tight

Loose bolts and components are one of the leading causes of loud noises in appliances. Over time, screws and bolts can work loose, leading to annoying rattling noises.

If you have noticed annoying rattling noises, turn the cooker hood off completely, and check over it thoroughly to make sure that all of the screws, bolts and panels are installed correctly. If they’re loose, tighten them up before using the appliance again.

4. Check the ducting

There are a range of issues with ducting that can lead to increased noise levels, these include the type of pipe and the size.

Size of the ducting

This issue is more common in kitchens where the cooker hood is being upgraded. If the ducting is too small for the cooker hood, it will over-extend. This will lead to louder noises and can cause increased energy usage too.

Type of ducting

The type of ducting that you are using can have a major impact on the noise level too. Rigid piping is much more likely to vibrate than flexible pipes, dramatically increasing the noise level. If you can, swap to flexible ducting instead of rigid metal ducting.

Ducting blockages

If there is a blockage from a damaged component or a build-up of grime in the ducting itself, you’ll also notice an increase in noise level as the air has to work harder to move through the piping.

Consider installing a duct damper

If the excess noise seems to be coming from your ducting but it is a suitable size and you are using flexible ducting, consider installing a duct damper.

A duct damper is an optional device that can be installed at the end of the ducting to reduce the noise caused by turbulent air. Some of these devices need a power supply, but not all.

Choosing the Right Cooker Hood

Cooker hoods are designed to remove smoke, smells and airborne grease from your kitchen to keep it fresh. They all have different features; some are more efficient and certain ones will also remove steam, so it’s important you make the right choice. Here’s how.

If you’re designing a new kitchen, you can adapt your design to accommodate a particular type of cooker hood. Otherwise, for an existing kitchen, the choice may depend on the current layout.

The main styles are:

• Visor — A traditional design that takes up little space and is often the cheapest and most basic
• Canopy — Generally concealed beneath an overhead cupboard or in a canopy housing and so is hardly noticeable
• Chimney — Fits against a wall and has a large canopy and chimney above so it’s generally installed as a feature but requires plenty of space. Some newer models have a vertical format that angles out from the wall and so protrudes less.
• Integrated — Concealed behind a cupboard door and so is completely unobtrusive and pulled out to activate.
• Island — Applies when you have a cooking island and is attached to the ceiling directly above it. It creates a stylish feature but tends to be the most expensive.
• Ceiling — Fits flush to the ceiling and so is unobtrusive but requires a remote control to operate.
• Telescopic — Similar to a visor hood but is extended when in use and has a flat profile at other times.
• Downdraft — Hidden in the worktop when not in use and rises when needed with air channelled down towards it.

The hood you choose should generally be as wide as your hob and can be wider if you have the space available. It should be positioned about 75 cm above the hob although ceiling-mounted ones will inevitably be higher.

Where the air goes — extracted or recirculating

All cooker hoods work in a similar manner up to a point, in that a fan draws air into the hood and then passes it through a filter that traps the grease.

However, extracting hoods remove the air outside through ducts while recycling hoods pass it through a charcoal filter to absorb the cooking smells before re-introducing the air into the kitchen.

Recirculating hoods are therefore easiest to install but have a reduced extraction rate due to the level of processing. Extracting hoods are most suitable for a cooker installed against an external wall since the duct can go straight out.

For island and ceiling hoods, the ducting has to run in the direction of the joists while ducting is generally through the floor for downdraft hoods, which makes installation more complex.

When buying an extracting hood, you will need to also buy the necessary ducting. However, this type has the added benefit of also removing steam and so reduces the level of condensation in your kitchen.

Getting the performance required

Since the purpose of the cooker hood is to remove smoke and smells, you want one that will do this efficiently. The recommendation is that a cooker hood should be capable of changing the air in a kitchen about ten times an hour.

To determine the required extraction rate for your kitchen, calculate the room’s volume (height x width x depth) in cubic metres and multiply by ten.

Compare this to the published extraction rate for each cooker hood and choose one with at least this rate. For island and ceiling cooker hoods, go for a higher rate (at least 800 cubic metres per hour) since the hood will be positioned further away from the hob.

If your chosen cooker hood can either recycle the air or duct it out, you should normally add 30% to the required extraction rate for recycling. Similarly, extraction may be reduced for a ducted hood if the ducting is long and has several bends.

Cooker hoods are generally relatively quiet in operation but some are noisier than others, typically the larger and more powerful ones. Check the noise rating if this is important and also check the energy efficiency rating if you’re looking for cheap operation.

Other things to consider

Though most cooker hoods have similarities and the main considerations are price, performance, size and type, they do have other features that may affect your decision:

• Most hoods have one or more lights to illuminate the hob and you may want LED versions for energy efficiency.
• Consider the accessibility and simplicity of the controls and if a remote is provided or necessary to make operation easier.
• Choose a style that fits in with your kitchen or get a concealed version.
• Determine if the grease filter is easy to remove and clean, and if replaceable filters are needed and their cost.
• If you regularly cook smelly food, consider a cooker hood with a high-power boost option for quick removal.
• For recirculating hoods, check the costs and frequency of replacement for the charcoal filters.

Aside from this, your budget will be an obvious factor and you’ll generally be swayed towards a model that will look really nice in your kitchen. However, make sure it will do the job.

Conclusion

The quietest cooker hood we could find when researching this article was the Elica Skydome H30, which is a 100 cm ceiling hood with a minimum noise level of 40 decibels and a maximum noise level of 53 decibels.

We hope this look at the quietest cooker hoods in the UK has been helpful in improving the level of noise in your home. For even more kitchen products that can help you make your kitchen the heart of your home, please explore our website further.

Scott

Scott is a writer and a passionate home chef. His passion for cooking began when he was 10 years old. Scott has been writing professionally for over five years now and loves to combine his passion for cooking with his day job.

The post The Quietest Cooker Hoods & Extractor Fans (2026 UK) appeared first on Chef's Pick.

Since the style of cooker hood affects extraction rates, we’ve decided to look at the most powerful models in each different category of cooker hood.

About Cooker Hood Extraction Rates

How is extraction rate measured?

The extraction rate of a cooker hood is measured in cubic metres of air extracted per hour, usually written as m³/hour.

What is a good extraction rate for cooker hoods?

The average kitchen in the UK is roughly 30 m³. This means that it in theory, it would only take 6 minutes of having a 300 m³/hour cooker hood on full to replace all the air in the kitchen.

One formula used to calculate what extraction rate you need is the following:

• kitchen width x kitchen length x kitchen height x 10 (all units in metres)

Therefore, a kitchen that was 4 metres wide by 6 metres long and 2.6 metres high would require an extraction rate of:

4m x 6m x 2.6m x 10 = 624 m³/hour

The average extraction rate of a domestic cooker hood in the UK appears to be around 300-500 m³/hour, so anything above that is relatively powerful.

Chimney and canopy hoods tend to offer the highest extraction rates while integrated and visor hoods usually have quite low extraction rates.

Cooker hood extraction rate calculator

Visor Hoods

At the time of writing, we couldn’t find any visor hoods that can extract more that 500 m³ of air per hour. If you want something with a very high extraction rate, consider a different type of cooker hood.

What’s the Most Powerful Cooker Hood on the Market?

When researching this article, the most powerful cooker hood we could find was the SIA DD90BL 90cm Downdraft Cooker Hood, which has a maximum extraction rate of 850 m³/hour. 

Chef's Pick

Chef’s Pick is your guide to the best kitchen equipment and appliances in the UK.
We help you understand the confusing world of cookers, ovens and cookware so you can get the most out of your kitchen.

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When it’s working correctly, it quietly removes cooking odours, excess moisture, and grease from the air. But how can you check if it’s doing its job?

Here, we show you how to check if your kitchen extractor fan is working as it should. We’ll explain the common signs that indicate a problem, such as weak airflow or strange noises, and provide easy steps to figure out what’s going on.

If there is an issue, don’t worry—we also have a step-by-step guide on fixing your kitchen exhaust fan.

How to Tell If Your Kitchen Extractor Fan Is Working Correctly

To determine if your kitchen extractor fan is working correctly and removing grease, steam, and odours as you cook, ask yourself the following three questions:

1. Does your kitchen extractor fan turn on?

The first thing you should do is to try and turn your kitchen extractor fan on—an extractor that doesn’t turn on is definitely broken!

All exhausts and range hoods function differently but can be divided into two main design categories:

• Manual control: You may need to press a power button, turn a knob, or use a touchpad to activate the ventilation system. This will start the fans that draw air and cooking odours through the filters.
• Automatic ventilation: Other kitchen extraction fans turn on automatically when they sense a certain amount of heat from your stove. If this is the case, you’ll need to test the extraction fan’s functionality when you’re next cooking.

It’s also wise to test the fan at different speeds. Most extractors have multiple fan speed settings (low, medium, high), allowing you to choose the appropriate speed depending on the amount of cooking and the level of ventilation needed.

Check that the pulling from your fan increases as you move up the different settings by holding a tissue in front of the fan and observing its movement.

Often, people experiencing issues with the extraction fan in their kitchen have a fully functional fan but aren’t using these settings properly.

Make sure you’re choosing the right level of ventilation, or the exhaust won’t be able to properly remove all steam and grease from the air as you cook.

2. Is your kitchen extractor fan making loud noises?

Another sure sign that your kitchen exhaust doesn’t work is if it’s making loud noises. A little noise from the fan is expected, but excessive noise can indicate something is wrong.

In general, a kitchen exhaust fan is considered quiet if it produces noise levels within the following guidelines:

• • Low speed: At low speed, a quiet kitchen exhaust fan should produce noise at around 40 to 50 decibels (dB). This is roughly equivalent to the sound of a refrigerator running.

• Medium speed: At medium speed, the noise level might increase to around 50 to 60 dB, which is comparable to the volume of a normal conversation.
• High speed: A kitchen extractor fan might generate noise between 60 to 70 dB when running at its highest setting. This is similar to the sound of a vacuum cleaner.

Remember, all models are different, and the most powerful cooker hoods will likely make more noise than this.

However, if your kitchen exhaust is making excessive sounds or unusual noises (such as rattling, banging, humming, squeaking, or grinding), there is likely a problem.

Some of the most common issues that cause a noisy kitchen extractor fan include:

• Loose or damaged fan blades, motor mounts, or bolts.
• Dirty or clogged filters that obstruct airflow.
• An accumulation of grease in the fan and air ducts.
• Motor issues, such as worn-out bearings.
• Loose housing around the kitchen exhaust fan.

3. Are there signs of grease buildup or steam damage?

The job of your kitchen exhaust is to pull steam and grease from the air as you cook. If there are signs of grease buildup or steam damage, it’s a sign that your kitchen extractor fan isn’t working. Here are some common signs to look for.

Signs of grease buildup:

• Look for greasy or sticky surfaces on kitchen cabinets, walls, and countertops. Grease buildup can accumulate on any surface near the cooking area.
• Over time, grease and cooking residue can mix with dust in the air and form a sticky, dusty layer on cabinet surfaces.
• If you have an over-the-range hood with filters, check the filters for a buildup of grease and cooking residue. These filters should be cleaned or replaced regularly.
• Handles and knobs on kitchen appliances, cabinet doors, and drawers can become sticky or grimy due to grease buildup.
• Grease and oil can leave behind stains and discolouration on surfaces in your kitchen, making them appear dull or dirty.

Signs of steam damage:

1. Excessive moisture from steam can impact the paint or wallpaper in your kitchen, causing it to peel or bubble on walls and ceilings.
2. Condensation on windows and walls can indicate high humidity and steam in the kitchen.
3. Prolonged exposure to steam and moisture can lead to the growth of mould and mildew on walls, grout, and caulking in the kitchen.
4. The presence of mould or mildew can lead to musty or unpleasant odours in the kitchen.
5. Wood surfaces, such as cabinet doors or wooden furniture, can warp or swell when exposed to excessive steam and moisture.

How to Fix a Broken Kitchen Extractor Fan

Having asked yourself the above three questions, you should know whether your kitchen extractor fan is working. Common signs of a broken fan include:

• Weak or no airflow from the extractor fan.
• Unusual or loud noises (some slight noise is expected).
• Inadequate removal of condensation and cooking odours.
• Excessive grease buildup in your kitchen.

Cooker hoods are necessary, so you should prioritise fixing the issue. This may require some basic troubleshooting and, in some cases, professional assistance.

Here are the steps you can take to address common issues with a broken kitchen extractor fan:

1. Check power and controls – If your exhaust doesn’t turn on, ensure that the extractor fan is receiving power. Check the power source, such as the outlet or circuit breaker, to make sure it’s not the source of the problem.
2. Inspect the filters – If your extractor fan has filters, inspect them for dirt, grease, or clogs. Dirty or clogged filters can reduce the fan’s efficiency. Clean or replace the filters as needed—regularly changing cooker hood filters is essential for proper operation.
3. Clear obstructions – Check the fan and ductwork for obstructions blocking airflow. Remove any debris, dust, or items that obstruct the path of the air, and clean the interior of the fan and the surrounding areas to remove accumulated grease and dirt.
4. Inspect the exhaust vent – Ensure the exhaust vent is properly connected and unobstructed. Sometimes, the issue may be outside the kitchen, where the vent leads to the exterior. Check the vent cap or flap outside for any obstructions or damage.
5. Check the fan motor – If your kitchen range hood makes unusual noises or the fan doesn’t turn on, it may be a motor issue. The motor may need to be repaired or replaced. This is a task best left to a professional technician.

If you’ve tried the above steps and the fan is still not functioning correctly, or if you suspect a more complex issue with the motor, wiring, or control system, it’s advisable to consult a professional appliance repair technician or an HVAC specialist. They can diagnose and repair the fan effectively.

If the fan is very old and extensively damaged, replacing it with a new kitchen extractor fan may be more cost-effective. Newer models are often more energy-efficient and come with updated features.

You can read our guide on fitting your new cooker hood or learn about the cost of professional cooker hood installation.

Hannah

Hannah is a freelance content writer and self-proclaimed foodie. When Hannah isn’t sitting tapping at her laptop, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen. As an ex-chalet host, she’s used to cooking four-course meals for 10+ people and loves feeding friends and family whenever possible.

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A cooker hood is a vital piece of kitchen equipment. It can stop your kitchen smelling, stop mould and damp causing issues in your kitchen and, of course, can complete the perfect look for a modern kitchen.

However, with so many cooker hoods on the market, how do you know which one to buy?

Here’s a roundup of the best recirculating cooker hoods available in the UK. We’ve tried to include something for all budgets and kitchen styles.

Most of these hoods don’t come with carbon filters included, but you will have the option to include them when buying from retailers such as Currys.

What Is a Recirculating Cooker Hood?

A typical cooker hood is set up to extract air from your kitchen via a vent or duct. They’re called extraction hoods, for obvious reasons.

These types of cooker hoods expel the smells and damp air from your kitchen and out into the world.

By contrast, a recirculating cooker hood passes the smells and the air through carbon and grease filters and then recirculates it back into your kitchen.

This means you don’t need to drill a massive hole in the side of your house and install ducting.

The biggest advantage of recirculating hoods is that they don’t require ducting.

The ducting you need for an extraction hood can look unsightly in your kitchen, and could cause damp issues if it isn’t properly sealed. The installation requirements also make extraction hoods more expensive to install.

One good thing about recirculating cooker hoods is that they can be installed anywhere in your kitchen. So, if your cooker isn’t placed on an external wall, it doesn’t matter at all.

One of the only downsides to recirculating cooker hoods is that the filters may need to be replaced more frequently than the filters in more traditional cooker hoods.

However, the filters may only need to be changed once a year, so it is hardly going to break the bank!

Many cooker hoods offer you the option of functioning either as a recirculating hood with the use of carbon filters or as an extraction hood with the use of ducting.

Often neither the carbon filters nor the ducting is included, so you need to decide how you will use the hood and remember buy the necessary extras when you buy the hood itself.

Pros and Cons of Recirculating Cooker Hoods

Here’s an overview of the pros and cons of cooker hoods versus extraction hoods.

Pros

• Easier to install
• Cheaper to install
• No ugly ducting in the kitchen
• Usually quieter

Cons

• Less effective at extraction
• Filters require replacing regularly

Choosing a Recirculating Cooker Hood

Here are some things to think about when looking for a recirculating cooker hood for your kitchen.

Style

Of course, one of the biggest selling points for a cooker hood is how it looks. It has to add some style to your kitchen, but that shouldn’t be the only thing it adds!

You also need to consider which type of cooker hood you are buying. Types of cooker hood include integrated, visor, chimney and island.

Which type you need will depend on where your cooker is located in the kitchen, how much space you have and whether you want the hood to be discrete or be a feature in the kitchen.

Function

As well as the look of your cooker hood, it’s worth thinking about how it will function too.

It’s no good getting a beautifully stylish cooker hood only to find out that it’s no good. Style and function need to go hand in hand.

Filters

Other things that are worth thinking about when buying a recirculation cooker hood include how often the filters need changing and how easy it is to change them.

We all like to keep things simple, and so the task of changing the cooker hood filters should be as simple and easy as using the thing daily. Otherwise, the lovely cooker hood you just bought may become the stuff of nightmares.

Installation

You should also find out how easy the cooker hood you’re considering buying is to install. Whether you are installing it yourself or not, if the install is a bit more complicated, it may cost more for a company to do it or it can cause you a lot of stress.

Also, by finding out how difficult the cooker hood is to install, this can help you price this part of the cost up and keep within your budget.

Conclusion

The best recirculating cooker hood for you depends on the layout and style of your kitchen as well as the size of your cooker. Our favourite in this list is the Neff D55MH56N0B, but check that it fits your kitchen layout before considering ordering it.

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Chef’s Pick is your guide to the best kitchen equipment and appliances in the UK.
We help you understand the confusing world of cookers, ovens and cookware so you can get the most out of your kitchen.

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You can hide a downdraft extractor from view when you’re not using it, making it an excellent choice for a minimalist modern kitchen.

They can be installed in any area of a kitchen and are particularly useful for using on an island with a cooker hob.

If your ready to invest in one of these amazing extractor fans, see our recommendations below.

How to Choose a Downdraft Extractor

1. Measure up, and choose the right size

The most important thing to check is that you are buying the right size extractor.

You should choose a downdraft extractor that matches the width of your hob. Measure your hob carefully, or look the product number up online to check its dimensions.

Downdraft extractors are fitted behind the hob, so you need to make sure there is enough space behind your hob for the extractor to fit comfortably.

You will need at least 70 cm of under-counter height to fit the hood.

You also need at least 75 cm of space above the hob, in the “hot zone”, as well as 9 cm to the left and right of the hob to give the extractor fan enough space.

2. Know what extraction rate you need

The bigger the kitchen, the more powerful an extraction fan you need in order to successfully remove the air.

You need an extraction rate of at least the following:

• kitchen width x kitchen length x kitchen height x 10 (all units in metres)

You can also use our kitchen hood extraction rate calculator tool here if that is easier.

3. Decide which features you want

There isn’t a great deal of variation in downdraft extractors—most of them do pretty much the same thing.

Some features to look for include:

• LED light – This will add some ambience and help illuminate your hob.
• Touch controls – These will blend in well with induction hobs.
• Multiple extraction speeds – Most fans offer several speeds, and may also have a “boost mode”.
• Carbon filters – These help remove gases and harmful substances from the air.

Downdraft Extractor FAQs

How does a downdraft extractor work?

Downward extractors are housed at the back or the side of the hob, and when you’re not cooking the appliance is hidden from view creating a more streamlined effect in your kitchen.

When you need to cook, you just press a button and the downdraft extractor will rise from the countertop ready to use. Once activated, the downdraft extractor removes moisture, smells and grease from the cooking area.

How do I install a downdraft extractor?

The best option for installing a downdraft extractor is against a wall, as the ducting can drop down underneath cabinets and straight outside.

However, if you want to install a downdraft extractor into a kitchen island, the planning process can be a little more complicated.

Ducted downdraft extractors usually have to be fitted into a kitchen island at the time the kitchen is built, so that they can be vented underneath the floor.

The motor for a downdraft can be situated within the extractor, remotely, or even outside your home.

If the motor is located outside your home, you can significantly reduce the amount of noise in your kitchen when using the downdraft extractor, but if the distance is too far between the downdraft and the motor the extractor will be less effective.

If housed indoors, the motor would take up the majority of kitchen cupboard space underneath the hob so you wouldn’t be able to have an oven underneath.

Recirculating downdraft extractors can be easier to install as they don’t need to be ducted, cleaning the air by pushing it through filters to remove cooking odours and grease, however these models are often not as effective as ducted ones.

Are downdraft hoods effective?

Downdraft extractors work by sucking the cooking smells and smoke to a pipe using a powerful fan, but for this to work properly adequate airflow is needed.

Smaller kitchens in particularly may not have enough airflow or circulation, meaning your kitchen can fill with smoke or food odours, although this is less of a problem if your kitchen is already well-ventilated.

The type of hob you use may also affect how well a downdraft hood works. Downdraft extractors are typically narrower in design than a traditional hob, with four zones in a line to take steam and fumes away.

A downdraft extractor used with a traditional-style hob might not successfully vent as much steam or odours from pots and pans placed on the front rings as those on the back when cooking, and a panoramic hob is perhaps the best type of hob if you’re thinking of installing a downdraft hood.

It’s also worth noting that installation can affect the effectiveness of a downdraft hood – for example if the ducting pipes used for extraction are too small in diameter, the hood will be less effective.

Downdraft extractor fans often have a reputation as not working as effectively as other methods of extraction; however recent models have become much better at removing odours, steam and grime when cooking with improved design and more powerful extraction rates.

Do downdraft extractors need to be vented? Where does the air go?

Whether a downdraft extractor vents to the outside of your home or not depends on which one you buy.

Some downdraft extraction units can be set up to extract externally or recirculate the air, depending on your needs. To find the right extractor for your kitchen, you just need to look for a few keywords:

External

These extractors need to be vented to the outside of your home. More often than not, downdraft extractors that vent to the outside need to be plumbed in via vents running underneath your kitchen floor.

If you don’t already have the vents in place, you’ll need to pull some of the flooring up to install them. If you are redesigning your kitchen, this is a great time to install these vents.

If you aren’t redesigning your kitchen at the moment, perhaps consider a recirculating downdraft extractor that can be switched to external extraction later on, like the Elica Pandora above.

Recirculation

This means that the extractor will clean the air coming in, get rid of any smells and grease and push the air back into your kitchen. In this case, the downdraft extractor doesn’t need to be vented to the outside.

So, if you’d like your downdraft extractor to vent to the outside of your home, look for any that say they are ‘externally venting’. If you’d prefer your extractor to clean the air and then push it back into your kitchen, a recirculating venting type is the way to go.

Conclusion

If we had to pick just one downdraft extractor to recommend, it would be the Cookology CDD900BK. Not only is this extractor affordable, it’s also powerful, fairly quiet, and very stylish.

We hope you enjoyed this roundup. Check out the rest of our site for more cooking appliance recommendations and tips.

Chef's Pick

Chef’s Pick is your guide to the best kitchen equipment and appliances in the UK.
We help you understand the confusing world of cookers, ovens and cookware so you can get the most out of your kitchen.

The post Best Downdraft Extractors (UK) appeared first on Chef's Pick.

These extractors are fitted into the counter behind your stove, rather than above it. This means they are ideal for hobs on kitchen islands and remove unnecessary bulk from kitchens.

Say goodbye to ugly overhead cooker hoods, and hello to your sleek new kitchen design solution!

But where do downdraft extractors vent to? And how do these nifty extractor fans actually work to remove smells and grease from the air?

How Does a Downdraft Cooker Hood Work?

Downdraft extractors fit into the countertop directly behind your kitchen hob. They actively suck the air directly from your food as you cook.

This includes all steam, grease, and smells, not allowing any of the air to rise into the room and circulate around your home.

Once they have sucked up the air, downdraft extractors pass the air through specialised filters.

The first filter is designed to capture grease and remove this from the air. The air then vents outside to be eliminated.

Alternatively, downdraft extractors can be used in recirculating mode, whereby the air that is filtered is cycled back into your kitchen.

If using the downdraft extractor in the recirculating mode, air passes through an additional active carbon filter.

These carbon filters are made from charcoal, which has outstanding odour-absorbing properties.

Therefore, as the air passes through this second filter all the cooking smells are removed. The air is clean and fresh and doesn’t smell like cooking whatsoever.

Does a Kitchen Extractor Need to Vent Outside?

When your kitchen extractor fan sucks out air from your kitchen, it needs to vent somewhere.

Extraction hoods typically do vent air outside, hence the term “extraction”. They literally extract air from your kitchen and deposit it (and all the steam, grease, and smells that come with it) outside your home.

This leaves the air in your home fresh and clean.

However, as just established, extractors don’t need to vent outside. They can pump the air back into your kitchen instead!

Therefore, these fans are more often called “downdraft recirculation hoods” as opposed to “downdraft extractors”.

Still, the latter is often used interchangeably to describe both types of venting methods. Besides, most models can be configured to work in whichever way you prefer.

You might be concerned that recircling cooking air back into your home sounds disgusting. However, extractor fans that use this mechanism have filters as discussed above.

The first removes the grease, and the second removes all cooking odours. As such, kitchen extractor fans don’t need to vent outside.

But if pumping the air back into your home, ensure there is a carbon filter so you’re not breathing in unpleasant smells.

How Effective Are Downdraft Extractors?

You might be wondering how effective downdraft extractors are compared to their overhead hooded counterparts.

The answer is that downdraft extractors are slightly less effective. This is because stream naturally rises, making it easier for overhead extractors to do the work.

On the other hand, downdraft extractors need to put in a little more effort to capture the rising air.

Therefore, downdraft extractors tend to be 80-90% as effective as regular overhead hooded extractors.

For home cooks, this difference is negligible, and so either type of extractor is a suitable option. However, people cooking in commercial kitchens might benefit from a traditional extractor fan.

Moreover, downdraft extractor fans only extend to around 20cm to 40cm above the kitchen countertop. Therefore, they can only extract steam and air from pots and pans lower than this level.

If you have a large family and regularly use taller cookware with a larger capacity, you might struggle with a downdraft extractor. In these cases, overhead fans might work best.

Hannah

Hannah is a freelance content writer and self-proclaimed foodie. When Hannah isn’t sitting tapping at her laptop, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen. As an ex-chalet host, she’s used to cooking four-course meals for 10+ people and loves feeding friends and family whenever possible.

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However, we know that some people don’t have the tools or time to install their own cooker hood. So, today, we’re looking at installation costs for cooker hoods in the UK.

Price of Installing a Cooker Hood in the UK

The price of installing a cooker hood varies depending on the model and the challenges that the electrician may face during the install.

However, during the research for this cooker hood article, we’ve found prices ranging from £75 to £200.

The cost can also depend on where you are in the UK and, of course, the price per hour your chosen electrician charges. So, look for good quality electricians in your area that are reasonably priced.

Do Retailers Install Cooker Hoods?

Retailers like AO and Currys offer installation on a lot of their kitchen appliances, like cookers, for example. So, you might be thinking that ordering your cooker hood from one of these large retailers means that they will install it too, for an additional price, of course.

Sadly, this isn’t the case. Most larger retailers that we’ve looked at (Currys, AO and Appliances Direct) do not offer installation on cooker hoods. This is likely because installing a cooker hood can take a lot longer than installing a cooker, for example.

When you know what you’re doing and have the right qualifications, installing a cooker is as simple as connecting a few wires. Installing a cooker hood, on the other hand, means drilling a hole through the wall of your home, running ducting and wires.

So, if you’d like your cooker hood installed by a professional, you will need to find a local electrician who will do the work for you.

Sites like Local Electricians Direct and Trust A Trader are great places to start. They have local electricians and all other kinds of tradespeople. Every tradesperson on these sites have been reviewed by their customers, so you can see how good they are.

You can also receive lots of quotes for your cooker hood installation from the electricians and make the best choice for your needs.

Installing a cooker hood isn’t too expensive, but it must be done correctly. There are guidelines to follow when installing cooker hoods.

These guidelines keep you safe and mean that your hood will function perfectly for many years to come. So, if you don’t feel confident installing your hood, find a good quality electrician with plenty of experience to do it for you.

We hope this look at installation costs of cooker hoods has been helpful. To find out more about cooker hoods, please explore Chef’s Pick further.

We have the very best cooker hoods available in the UK right now and plenty of info about choosing the right cooker hood for your kitchen.

Scott

Scott is a writer and a passionate home chef. His passion for cooking began when he was 10 years old. Scott has been writing professionally for over five years now and loves to combine his passion for cooking with his day job.

The post How Much Does It Cost to Install a Cooker Hood in the UK? appeared first on Chef's Pick.

However, the different types of cooker hoods add some confusion to how they work and what is required for them to work.

Today, we’re looking at whether a cooker hood needs a chimney to work, as well as a few other cooker hood confusions that need to be answered.

Do You Need a Chimney for a Cooker Hood?

No, you don’t need a chimney for a cooker hood. Most cooker hoods have ducting that is installed either into a false cabinet above the hood or into a metal cover that blocks the ducting from view.

The cooker hoods with the metal cover are called “chimney cooker hoods”, which is likely where this confusion comes from. While these resemble chimneys and act a bit like a chimney, they don’t need a chimney to work. In fact, no cooker hood needs a chimney to work.

How Do Cooker Hoods Work?

To explain why you don’t need a chimney for a cooker hood to work, we thought we’d look at how hoods function.

A cooker hood basically sucks up steam, water vapour, fumes and grime into filters that clean the air. Cooker hoods come in two main types:

• Extraction – The air is expelled out of your home via ducting.
• Recirculating – The air is cleaned and through filters before being reintroduced into the home.

All extraction cooker hoods have ducting, but have different ways of disguising it. So, a chimney style cooker hood has a metal U-shaped ducting cover. This makes it look like a chimney, but all it does is block the piping from view.

Other cooker hoods can be installed in false cabinets above the hob. These are called visor hoods or canopy hoods. The cabinet hides the ducting from view.

So, the cabinet is functioning much the same as the metal U-shaped ducting cover of a chimney hood. It has no function other than to hide the ductwork.

Which Cooker Hood Type Is Better?

Extraction cooker hoods suck the air up through filters and then push it, via ducting, outside of your home. All extraction cooker hoods work in the same way whether you use a chimney cooker hood or a canopy hood; they just offer a different style to your kitchen.

Alternatively, you could choose a recirculating cooker hood. These force the air from your kitchen through filters that clean the air. These then recirculate the air back into your kitchen.

Recirculating hoods are often noisier because they are working harder to clean the air. These don’t have ducting and do work in some applications. However, many people prefer extraction models because they are quieter and tend to clean the air more efficiently.

Conclusion

We hope this look at cooker hoods has been helpful. To recap, you don’t need a chimney for a cooker hood; some models are just called chimney cooker hoods.

Don’t forget, Chef’s Pick has loads of cooker hood articles if you’re trying to choose the best hood for your kitchen. We also have everything else your kitchen needs to turn it into a cook’s paradise.

Scott

Scott is a writer and a passionate home chef. His passion for cooking began when he was 10 years old. Scott has been writing professionally for over five years now and loves to combine his passion for cooking with his day job.

The post Do You Need a Chimney for a Cooker Hood? appeared first on Chef's Pick.

Cooker hoods, or some other form of extraction in the kitchen, are now a legal requirement for new kitchens in the UK, so it is good to understand the regulations.

Does Your Cooker Hood Need to Be Ducted in the UK?

Whether or not you are legally required to have a cooker hood that ducts and extracts air out of your home depends on whether it is a new build or an existing dwelling.

The Building Regulations 2010, a government document intended to help people meet building regulations in England, states the following in reference to domestic kitchens:

• New build: “Extract ventilation to outside is required in each kitchen, utility room and bathroom and for sanitary accommodation.”
• Existing dwelling: “If you carry out any ‘building work’, and there is an existing extract fan or passive stack ventilator (or cooker hood extracting to outside in the kitchen), you should retain or replace it. However, if there is no existing ventilation system you need not provide one.”

This means that if you don’t already have an extraction cooker hood in your home, you don’t need to buy one. However, all new homes will require one.

For non-domestic kitchens such as restaurant kitchens, recirculating cooker hoods aren’t allowed. Instead, you need an extraction system that is ducted:

“In mixed use buildings, non-domestic kitchens, car parks, and plant rooms should have separate and independent extraction systems. Extracted air should not be recirculated.”

Other Ducting Guidelines

Keeping your ducting short will improve the efficiency of extraction. There aren’t any legal requirements about ducting length, but it’s worth bearing it in mind.

Your cooker hood’s ducting shouldn’t exceed a maximum length of five metres. This must also be reduced by 1.2 metres for every right-angle bend that the ducting makes.

Most professionals recommend that your ducting is as short as possible, though. This is why most cooker hoods are installed with the extraction port in the wall above the oven.

That way, the fumes and grease can leave the kitchen as quickly as possible without getting trapped in long ducting.

How Far Should a Cooker Hood Be from Your Oven?

While we’re talking about cooker hoods, we thought we’d explore how far one should be from your cooker. After all, the height of the hood determines how effectively it functions.

If you have an electric cooker, your cooker hood should be 550 mm (55 cm) above your stove at a minimum.

For gas, the minimum is 650 mm (65 cm). The maximum for both is 800 mm (80 cm). Any closer, and you can damage your hood. Any further away, the hood won’t perform as well you’d like.

Conclusion

If you’re planning on installing a cooker hood yourself, we have a guide on how to do it here. Most cooker hood comes with plans, instructions, and templates that make the process much easier.

However, if you’re unsure or don’t feel you have the skills to install the hood yourself, please ask a professional for advice or pay them to install your cooker hood.

We hope this look at cooker hoods and the regulations has been helpful. Don’t forget to check out more of Chef’s Pick to find out more about cooker hoods, cookers, and cookware. We have what you need to turn your kitchen into your dream cooking space.

Scott

Scott is a writer and a passionate home chef. His passion for cooking began when he was 10 years old. Scott has been writing professionally for over five years now and loves to combine his passion for cooking with his day job.

The post Cooker Hood Ducting Regulations in the UK appeared first on Chef's Pick.

Allow us to help.

But first of all, what is the difference between the two?

Well, a downdraft extractor is a cooker hood that’s attachable to the kitchen countertop behind or above a hob. When being used, they rise out of the work surface and extract the air over the hob.

Downdraft extractors are typically used above kitchen islands, but can be fitted above a wall-side hob. The downdraft extractor can then be tucked away when not in use.

A hood is the canopy you see protruding above most cookers. They have a built-in fan mechanism and often provide light above your hob.

The Pros & Cons or a Downdraft Extractor

Pros

• They can be hidden when not in use.
• Easy to clean and maintain.
• Ideal for modern, minimalist kitchen designs
• Perfect for island cooking units
• Easier on the ears than a standard extraction fan
• Absorbent of fumes, steam, grease, and cooking smells
• Designed to be sleek and discrete

Cons

• Will not always be suitable for pre-existing kitchens
• Often not as powerful as the traditional extraction hood
• Can be expensive
• Can take up storage space when not in use
• Does not absorb steam or grease from the front hob rings as well as it does from the back two
• Ideal for electrical or induction hobs, but not so much for gas as they will draw the flame upwards and can cause uneven distribution of heat in your pans

The Pros & Cons of a Traditional Extraction Hood

Pros

• Reliable and even steam, odour, and grease absorption
• Ideal for humidity control
• Protects the paintwork and plaster of surrounding walls and ceiling
• Often comes with a built-in light
• Increases your property value
• Cheaper to purchase than a Downdraft

Cons

• Not as easy to clean
• Bulky and impractical due to their static nature
• Noisy
• Needs to be professionally installed
• Needs regular maintenance
• Can be a nuisance for the tall chef/cook!

Our Verdict

Both types have their selling features and their banes, so the jury’s out on which is best. It all depends on your kitchen design, your needs, and your personal preferences!

Clara Taylor

Clara is a freelance writer and former chef. Though she may have hung up her apron, her love of food and cooking is still going strong! When she’s not whipping up a verbal storm, she’ll be in her kitchen sipping wine and whipping up a culinary storm.

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