With kitchens today functioning as living spaces as well as simply places to cook, it’s more important than ever to get extraction levels right. Ann Phillips, from kitchen extraction specialist Westin Design, offers some helpful advice:

1 – If you find an extractor design that you love, it is worth considering the practicalities first. Find out how long the duct run is. If it is more than 5 metres, it will require a powerful fan. How much room do you have to get the duct fitted? If the space is anything less than a 150mm cross-sectional area, you might as well forget extraction and open the windows!

2 – The cubic metres per hour (m3/h) measurement is an indicator of how effective the fan will be. The higher the number, the better the extraction. However, it is worth bearing in mind that this measurement is taken in free air and as soon as the fan is placed into an extractor it will lose some of this performance.

3 – Performance will be lost if the duct run is long and has many bends or flexible ducting is not pulled taut. For optimal kitchen extraction, the cooker should placed against a wall, with the shortest and straightest duct run possible to outside.

4 – With open-plan kitchens and hobs on island units, positioning the extractor against a wall is not always possible. Downdrafts – which disappear back into the worktop after use – can often work well in these cases.

5 – Powerful internal fans can be noisy in the kitchen, so remote fans are a popular alternative. These can be situated part-way along the ducting (in-line fans) or on an outside wall or roof. This way the performance isn’t compromised and conversations can easily take place in the kitchen while cooking.

01484 421 585 | www.westin.co.uk

Posted By: Ann Phillips, sales and marketing manager for Westin Design