Do you need a hood in the kitchen - all the pros and cons
The cooker hood has recently become almost an obligatory component of the modern kitchen. It is believed that it is impossible to do without it. But to the question why it is impossible and what is its necessity, very vague answers are often given. In addition, many users on the Internet raise the question of its complete uselessness, that the hood is nothing more than a tribute to fashion, imposed by active salesmen on the population. But is it really needed and why?
What is a hood
To begin with, it is worth deciding what it is. The hood is a system that includes a housing, motor, fan and filters. The engine puts it into operation, the fan is necessary to create air draft, and the filters trap grease, soot, and foreign odors. To capture soot and odors, carbon filters have been created, and grease - grease traps.
All extracts are divided into:
- exhaust;
- circulation.
The exhaust hood has pipelines and brings air through them to the street or to the ventilation well. The circulation room does not have air ducts, and the air is cleaned through filters, where the air is forcibly driven by a fan. The air circulates in the hood, is cleaned and re-supplied into the room.
Each type of hood has its own advantages and disadvantages.
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Advantages and disadvantages
Exhaust hoods provide a supply of really fresh air from the outside, which is their main advantage. After all, they do not “drive” the same air around the room, like circulating ones. But their inconvenience lies in the fact that it is not always possible to pull air ducts. It is especially difficult to organize such a hood in studio apartments. In addition, the exhaust hood can provoke heat loss, since if the air ducts are brought out through the window, then it must be open.
Important: the installation of an exhaust hood requires special skills and cannot be done by any person without work experience. In some cases, it is required to punch ventilation holes, which can negatively affect the interior design solution and require repairs.
Circulation is convenient in that it is not necessary to pull the air ducts. It can be done even where there are no ventilation ducts at all.
Its other advantages:
- no heat loss;
- easy to install;
- can be installed in any houses, even old ones with clogged ventilation ducts.
If the house has plastic double-glazed windows, then a circulation hood may be preferable. Many hood users complain that the hood draws air from the bathroom during operation and an unpleasant smell appears in the kitchen. This happens just if plastic windows are installed in the house and there is an exhaust hood, the air ducts of which are tied to the ventilation duct. In this case, a low pressure zone is formed in a hermetically sealed room and air begins to be drawn in from the riser ventilation ducts. A simple conclusion follows from this - in a kitchen with plastic sealed windows, it is better to prefer a circulation hood.
Important: you should not install an exhaust system in a kitchen with a geyser, as this will lead to a violation of draft in the ventilation shaft and chimney and problems with air removal.
But in private houses with an existing ventilation system, exhaust systems are preferable.
Purpose of the hood
The hood is needed in the kitchen primarily in order to purify the air from:
- gas combustion products;
- harmful substances formed during the cooking process;
- odors;
- burning;
- fat;
- soot.
It is known that over time in the kitchen, due to the operation of the gas stove, the ceilings and walls gradually turn yellow, and a greasy coating appears on them. This plaque is difficult to wash off, as it consists of fat mixed with dust, burning particles and soot. It is impossible to prevent the appearance of plaque on surfaces without an extract - microscopic particles of burning and fat will still form during cooking and get into the air, and then settle on the surface. The only way out is to capture these particles and remove them from the air before they reach the surfaces of the walls and ceiling. And this is the prerogative of the hood in the kitchen.
In addition, not everyone likes the smell of cooking food. Especially when it comes to the smell of fish. The hood in the kitchen is just the same designed to remove any odors. This quality is especially valuable in a studio apartment and in any other houses where the kitchen is combined with a living room or dining room.
It is important to protect walls and furniture from grease settling. If in the kitchen the walls and furniture are made of washable materials, then in the living rooms furniture from grease can be seriously affected. Therefore, the hood in the studios is extremely relevant. And in the kitchen, its presence reduces the amount of fat that gets on the walls and furniture.
Based on all of the above, the conclusion follows: the hood is definitely needed. Especially when it comes to apartments where the kitchen is combined with other rooms or has no doors. This solution is also often found, since the doors are removed with small areas of the apartment in order to facilitate movement around it and increase the usable area.
Invisible hoods in the center of the kitchen (video)
View from the other side
On the net, you can often stumble upon debates between opponents and supporters of hoods. Opponents argue that the hood in the kitchen is just a tribute to the fashion imposed by manufacturers and is in fact absolutely useless. Moreover, some fear that it can be a source of pathogenic microorganisms, since various bacteria easily and simply multiply on the fat accumulated in it. There is some sense in this. That is why it is necessary to carry out constant cleaning and replacement of grease traps.
Also, opponents of the hood claim that both with and without it, there is no special burning and soot in the kitchen, the amount of which is greatly exaggerated by the manufacturers of hoods. You can get rid of fat by closing the cooking food with lids. Hence the conclusion that the hood is not needed.
Very often you can see the following picture: a person has acquired a hood, but after a while he stops using it.
Reasons why the hood in the kitchen does not turn on:
- A person does not see a tangible difference;
- Too noisy operation of the hood.
Do you need a hood
How are things really? If we consider the issue from all sides, it becomes clear that the expediency of the hood must be decided in each specific case individually.
In small kitchens and very small rooms, where there is practically no space, you can do without an extractor hood, since an open window can provide fresh air and clean it. In large rooms, this issue will not be solved. Therefore, here the hood is most likely needed. Next, it will be necessary to decide which one to choose - exhaust or circulation. The choice should be based on the above advantages and disadvantages of certain systems.
You also need to choose the right hood. It is worth remembering that if the model makes a noticeable noise during operation, then soon it will no longer be turned on and the purchased hood will turn out to be a very useless purchase. Therefore, attention should be paid to low-noise models.
In houses where there is a ventilation and air conditioning system, an exhaust hood model in the kitchen is no doubt preferable. In this case, it is possible to provide complete air purification. In most ordinary city apartments, an exhaust system is not needed, as it will only create additional problems and draw in air from the ventilation shafts, which is not very fresh. Therefore, it is better to either completely abandon the hood in the kitchen, or choose a circulation model. By the way, then it will be possible to save on installation.
And the last thing: even if the kitchen does not form burning and soot in tangible quantities, this does not mean that it does not form harmful substances that are invisible to the eye, but harmful to health. We are talking primarily about the products formed during the combustion of gas. These substances are perfectly captured by the hood. Therefore, if the house has an electric stove, then the hood can be a useless device. But if there is a gas stove in the kitchen, then the hood is needed in any case, as it will help remove the toxic substances formed during the combustion of gas.