Recirculation hood

The main modes of exhaust hoods for the kitchen

You can get rid of the smell of cooked food, oil particles in the air using natural ventilation through an open window, or forcibly by turning on the hood. Her choice will require analysis of a wide range. According to the principle of operation, hoods can be divided into two large groups: flowing and recirculating.

Flowing air takes the air out of the room to the ventilation shaft or to the street through the hatch. Clean air enters through the windows and doors due to the generated traction.

Recirculation passes air through the filters, cleansed and delivers it back to the kitchen.

Each cleaning method has its advantages and disadvantages. Flow-through cleaning provides large volumes of quality air, but requires significant installation costs, takes up more space. Filtration is economical to install, but requires regular replacement of the cleaning elements.

Recirculation hood - description

It is suitable for small rooms, for rare use, as well as for improper operation of general house ventilation, low air quality outside the window (for example, next to the industrial zone).

Device

One or more fans rotate in the housing. The air from the cooked food is drawn into the device. Once inside, it passes through filters that clean it of particles of oil, odor. The cleaned air on the other side of the device exits back.

Unlike other types of exhaust hoods for the kitchen

Unlike flow hoods, recirculation hoods are more autonomous and compact. Having decided to hang it above the stove, you have to take care of the power supply with electricity and a space comparable to its dimensions at a height of 80-85 cm above the burners. For comparison, flow-through cleaning requires significantly more space for installing a dimensional duct.

Varieties of recirculation hoods for the kitchen

Design options allow you to place a recirculation hood in different parts of the kitchen, the choice depends only on where the stove is. At the location of the structure there are:

  • wall-mounted - traditional wall mount;
  • built-in - usually mounted on a cabinet above the stove, have a protruding part, which during operation extends as a visor; it is technically possible to integrate the hood into the countertop, so that it extends for the duration of cooking, draws in air directly next to the cooking surface;
  • island - used over stoves installed remotely from the walls.

Features of the operation of recirculation hoods

Autonomous operation does not provide air with oxygen, and after a while ventilation is required. The air is thoroughly cleaned of soot, grease, but without ventilation it remains moist. For high-quality air purification, timely replacement of filters is required, otherwise not only moisture but also smell, particles of fat will remain in the air.

Advantages and disadvantages of extractor hoods

Due to the design features, there are advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:

  • reasonable price due to less power;
  • longer working life due to low loads;
  • reverse thrust is excluded;
  • air purification even with faulty common house ventilation;
  • autonomy, the ability to install in any convenient place;
  • ease of installation;
  • compact sizes.

Disadvantages:

  • the need to replace filters, the cost of which is an order of magnitude higher than for flow models;
  • low efficiency when installed over a gas stove, since the filters can not cope with the combustion products.

Important! A feature that should not turn into a drawback: when choosing a recirculation hood, study the range and availability of filters for different models! Sometimes the purchase of an inexpensive unique hood results in a headache and disproportionate waste when replacing filters.

Types of filters used for recirculation hoods, their features

Typically, in stand-alone structures, air goes through two stages of purification:

  1. from visible particles;
  2. fine cleaning.

Different materials are used for filtering:

Metal strainers are installed on each hood, they trap grease and other small splashes from the air. The smaller the pattern of such filters, the less particles are inside the hood, the lower the wear of the internal parts and the longer their life.

These filters are available for replacement. However, metal nets are washed. Corrosion-resistant machine wash well with dishes, aluminum must be washed by hand so that oxidation does not occur.

Microscopic particles are captured by fine filters:

  • carbonic- the most common and affordable, it absorbs foreign substances well from the air, ensuring high retraction performance; absorption occurs at the molecular level, it will not work to wash the carbon filter, it is disposable;
  • acrylic- has a fibrous structure, which theoretically allows gentle hand wash without spin and repeated use; in practice, the material is not durable, when washing the filter often fails; requires an expensive purchase of a new one;
  • disposable filters from synthetic winterizer, interlining, paperwidely popular due to their availability; the cleaning depth is slightly inferior to coal.

The frequency of filter replacement and cleaning is usually indicated in the manufacturer's accompanying instructions. The actual effective filter life will largely depend on the intensity of use of the equipment. Taking into account the period specified by the manufacturer, as well as the intensity of your operation, check for a layer of grease and soot on the metal filter. If so, it is time to clean and / or replace.

Modern models often provide pollution indicators.

Tips for choosing a recirculation hood in the kitchen

When choosing, you must consider:

  • suitable dimensions - the width should be slightly larger than that of the stove;
  • power corresponding to the size of the room (indicated in the instructions);
  • noise - conventionally considered the hood to be silent if its noise is 30 dB, quiet - 40-50 dB; hands-free - more than 50 dB; maximum for a house - 70 dB;
  • optimal set of functions.

The functionality of modern range hoods varies greatly. Assess your need for:

  • process automation depending on temperature, humidity;
  • sensory control;
  • remote control;
  • other helper functions.

For each additional function, an additional charge will be required.

Watch the video: What is a Recirculating Range Hood?- What is a Ductless Range Hood? (March 2024).

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