Extractor Fan

[pussyfoot]

Hi apologies if this is in the wrong section!

I am having a new kitchen fitted in the new year & I'm not sure if an extractor fan is necessary or not it's only a small kitchen with limited space but I do have an old fashioned type air vent called a window I am also on an extremely tight budget.

Thank you in advance & merry christmas x

[TheChair]

Depends on what sort of cooking you do, but in my experience, the smaller the kitchen, the greater the need for an extractor, if you don't want condensation and lingering cooking smells.

[MantaRay]

Dehumidifiers work quite well and don't draw away the heat, so can be an alternative to an extractor fan. I wouldn't pay extra for a fan installation if I had a window that could be opened.

[pussyfoot]

Thank you chair, maybe I should have worded my question better, is it necessary to have a big extractor over the hob or will a smaller pull cord type one be just as adequate. I need all the wall space I have really.

[diddlydo]

I seriously regret not having an extractor fan fitted when we had our kitchen extension - the builder talked me out of it! Even though we have 2 opening windows, the kitchen still gets really fuggy/steamy/smelly. I wouldn't have a cooker hood though - blasted nuisance as they're (a) very noisy and (b) are always in the way at head-height for tall people.

[The Builder]

Forget the window, pussy. They don't extract anywhere well enough for kitchens. Building Regs ask for a minimum 30 litres per second extractor, but you aren't obliged to fit one with a simple kitchen replacement.

If you have a gas hob, then you'd be very foolish to have no overhead extraction. Even without gas (which forms water as it burns). cooking sends a load of water vapour around the house. Then there will be condensation problems.

Simple charcoal cooker filters are only good for smells. You really do need either a fan driven cooker hood ducted to outside, or a ceiling/wall mounted fan.

[Dogsbody2]

Cooker hoods are only noisy if:
a) you buy a too cheap one that isn't designed properly
b) it is installed without due regard to instructions that say avoid decreasing the diameter of the extract hose or sharp turns in its routing. Doing either of these things promises turbulence, equating to noise. You can also insulate the vent hose for noise with fibreglass.