A lot has already been said about the importance of having a hood in the kitchen. The modern model of such kitchen appliances is a multifunctional device that provides several important tasks. First of all, it is cleaning the air mixture in the kitchen from fat, combustion products, as well as neutralizing excess odors.
In addition, the hood also provides illumination of the surface of the stove, which makes the cooking process more convenient.
To make the device easily cope with its duties, it should be chosen correctly, paying attention to some important parameters.
What options to consider when choosing
There are several important parameters that it is important to pay attention to when choosing such a technique in the kitchen. Among them:
- production capacity. For modern models, this figure is from 180 to 1300 cubic meters of air per hour of operation;
- operating mode - recirculation or exhaust. Everything here is determined by the features of the kitchen.
- mounting method - wall mount, ceiling or built-in appliances. Such a parameter is determined by the characteristics of the room and the preferences of the consumer;
- sizes.
If everything is clear with the first parameters - they are largely determined by the preferences of the buyer or the features of the kitchen itself, then the size is a bit more complicated - for each stove and the room itself, the hood must have certain sizes. Which ones - let's try to figure it out.
Sizes of existing models
Now the market offers a wide selection of hoods of certain sizes. Among all the parameters, the width is the most important, since it determines the performance of the equipment, as well as its ability to remove particles of fat, vapor and the like from the air.
There are models with a width of 30-120 cm. But the most widespread are hoods, the width of which is 90, 80, 60, 50 or 45 cm.
It is impossible to say unequivocally which option is better, since it all depends on the size of the room. So, in a compact kitchen, a model with large dimensions will look ridiculous, and besides, it will take up extra space. Conversely, in a large kitchen, a compact model simply cannot cope with its functions.
It is also worth noting that the large size of the kitchen hood is not a guarantee that the equipment will have high performance.
How to determine the width of the hood
The main recommendation for the selection of a suitable hood along its width is the dimensions of the hob. It should be remembered forever that the hood can never be smaller than the surface of the stove for which it is used.
It is allowed that the width of the slab and the hoods coincide, but it would be better if the width of this treatment equipment protrudes slightly above the stove.
This is due to the fact that the main function of the device is to draw in and remove particles of fat and fumes from the room. This will happen as efficiently as possible when the hood is located exactly above the surface of the stove.
If the stove is larger than the hood, some of the products of combustion, fumes and the like will not fall into it, as a result of which the efficiency of the device will decrease. Most cookers have a width of 60 or 50 cm, as a result of which you can find models with the same parameters on the market.
Choosing a hood by its size, you also can not forget about the rest of the furniture in the kitchen.Most often, this technique is installed between the hanging cabinets or built into one of them. Therefore, the equipment should be selected so that its dimensions correspond to the dimensions of the kitchen furniture.
The option is considered ideal when the width of the hood is slightly larger than the width of the plate. So, if this parameter of the stove is 60 cm, then an optimal hood will be a model with a width of 80 cm. In this case, the performance and power of the device will definitely be enough, it will not be able to work at full power. As a result of this, the noise level and electrical energy consumption will be reduced, as in the wear rate of the device.
If you use a professional stove model in the kitchen, it will be very difficult to do there without an hood with a width of less than 90 cm, another device will not be able to provide high-quality cleaning of the air mixture. In this case, you need to choose furniture for the kitchen under the hood, and not vice versa.
Other parameters
In addition to the width, other dimensions of the hood are also important - height and depth. In modern models, the depth is exactly equal to the width. Thus, for maximum efficiency, the hood should be located exactly above the surface of the stove, while their area should be equal.
It should also be remembered that most built-in models are equipped with a retractable element, which ensures an increase in the working surface. This favorably distinguishes embedded models of technology against the background of classical models that do not have such a function.
The area of the retracting surface is especially important in the case of a non-standard option of fixing the equipment - if it is installed in the corner of the room, on the ceiling, it is located in the center on top of the island-type plate. The height is especially important in the case of domed variants, which are usually equipped with a duct of considerable length.
Before deciding on a suitable hood, it is also important to understand what the optimal height of the appliance should be. This parameter directly depends on the ceiling height, since both the manufacturers of such devices and safety precautions recommend that the distance between the plate surface and the cleaning equipment be 65-70 cm. Reducing this distance can lead to damage to the hood, while an increase significantly reduces the efficiency of the device.
Thus, there are many nuances of the choice of kitchen cleaning equipment. But the most important is the size of this type of household appliances, on which its performance depends significantly.
Therefore, before shopping, it is important to determine what is required of your future hood - the usual trapping of fumes, grease and the like, providing high-quality air purification, a design element of the kitchen interior, or all of the above.
It is also very important to know exactly the surface dimensions of the stove in your kitchen, the area of the room itself, as well as the necessary dimensions of the equipment. When determining such important parameters, you should follow a simple rule - the depth and width of the hood should not be less than the same parameters of the stove, otherwise the use of this technique in the kitchen will be meaningless.
Once the required dimensions of the kitchen appliances are determined, you can go to the store, where the consultants will help you choose the other parameters of the hood - the level of its performance, supported operating modes, installation option, and others.
