Choosing the right extractor for you

A cooker hood draws air from the whole of the kitchen, not just the hob beneath it. Ideally, your appliance should be able to change or "fold" all of the in the room between 6 & 12 times per hour (once every 5 to 10 minutes). As such, it is essential to know the volume of air in your kitchen area when specifying a new extractor.

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Multiply the length, width and height of the room (measure in metres) and, for easy maths, multiply that number by 10. This is the rate of extraction you will need from your new cooker hood which is measured in metres cubed per hour m3/h.

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e.g. Your kitchen measures 5m wide x 5m long x 2.4m high: 5 x 5 x 2.4 = 60 cubic metres. The extraction rate required in this example would be around 600m3/h.

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The above is a guide and, in large open plan kitchen / living areas, it is not always possible to achieve the required rate of extraction from a domestic cooker hood. In these cases, a remote (externally mounted) motor should be considered as these are generally the most powerful solution available.

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Opting for a higher powered appliance, even in a smaller area, is preferable as you are able to run the appliance on a lower, and therefore quieter, setting.

Wherever possible, it is best to install your cooker hood with ducting to the outside via an external wall or roof vent. Where this is not possible, your appliance can be installed "recirculating" where the air is cleaned by the grease filter, and cooking odours are removed by an additional activated charcoal filter. The air is then recirculated into the room.

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Most of our appliances can be configured to operate either way, usually by simply adding a charcoal filter and routing ducting from the motor back to the wider body of air in the kitchen (via vents in the chimney cover or through the top of the cabinet for built in appliances)

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Charcoal filters are sold separately and are model specific. Many models have an option of a Long Life / Regenerable filter, which can last up to 5 years in some cases.

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Please feel free to Contact Us to discuss your requirements.

To get the best performance and the quietest operation, it is essential to fit the correct diameter ducting to your appliance. The required diameter of ducting is stated in the Spec section of each appliance, commonly 6" or 150mm ducting is required with only a few exceptions on lower powered appliances.

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The maximum recommended length of the ducting is 5 metres for cooker hoods and 7 metres for venting hobs. Please bear in mind that each right angle bend creates the equivalent restriction of 1 linear metre of ducting...

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e.g. A ducting run of 3 metres with 2 x right angle bends is equivalent to a 5 metre straight run.

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Where possible, rigid PVC ducting should be fitted for best performance and noise reduction. If flexible ducting is required, it should be as short and tightly pulled as possible, commonly to join 2 lengths of rigid ducting on an awkward angle.

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Fitting ducting that is smaller in diameter than specified for your appliance will: Reduce performance, increase noise levels and, in some cases cause damage to your cooker hood which would not then covered by warranty.

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If you are unsure, please feel free to Contact Us to discuss your specific installation.

For the most part, regular cleaning of the grease filters is all that is needed to keep your appliance running like new. It is recommended that the grease filters are cleaned every 4 - 6 weeks, either by hand with normal dish soap, or by placing them in the dishwasher. Please note that cleaning filters in the dishwasher can sometimes cause the finish to fade / deteriorate over time.

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If you have a recirculating appliance, the charcoal filter will also need to be replaced, generally every 6 - 9 months depending on usage. A Long Life, regenerable filter is a good investment as, with proper maintenance, these will commonly last 3 - 5 years and will work out cheaper over that time compared to replacing disposable filters.

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A full range of genuine Elica filters is available from our store. If you are unsure which is the right product for your appliance, please do Get in touch and we will be happy to help with this.