Extraction Appliance Jargon Explained

Ducted Hood

A ducted hood removes steam & odours from your kitchen by directing them outside. It also traps the fats from your cooking through grease filters. If you’re having a ducted hood, it’s best to have it as close to an outside wall as possible.

Recirculating Hood

This type of extraction recycles the air in your kitchen, after trapping fats in a grease filter and any odours through a charcoal filter. A recirculating hood doesn’t need to be near an outside wall however filters do need to be replaced regularly.

Air Venting Hob

An air-venting hob combines a hood and hob in one. With most models you can choose whether you want a ducted or recirculating model. An air-venting hob saves you space and is a very handy appliance to have. 

Chimney Hood

Designed to be mounted on the wall above your cooker or hob, a chimney hood is the most popular form of extraction. They can come in standard pyramid shapes, contemporary flat designs or stylish angled models.

Canopy Hood

A canopy hood is discreet, designed to fit into a chimney breast, decorative canopy or wall unit. They have powerful extraction, but they save on space too, which is useful in a compact kitchen.

Ceiling Hood

A ceiling hood sits flush with your ceiling, providing non-intrusive yet strong extraction. This allows for contemporary kitchen designs without having to worry about a bulky extractor.

Downdraft Hood

Downdraft extractors are built into an island or a peninsular behind your hob. They rise electronically from the work surface and then extracts odour and steam as a normal hood would.

Island Hood

This type of extractor is designed to hang from the ceiling above your hob. They are great for kitchen islands, making a strong statement whilst maintaining good extraction.

Telescopic Hood

A telescopic hood slides out when you need extraction in the kitchen. They can be fitted discreetly into a unit above your hob or cooker, ideal for smaller kitchens where space is limited.

Integrated Hood

Designed to be installed between cupboards to provide seamless extraction integration. Controls and lights are on the underside, whilst the cupboard goes around the rest of the extractor.  

Conventional Hood

A conventional hood is fitted to the underside of a cupboard unit. The front of the extractor often juts out slightly from the rest of the cupboards, giving you some of the benefits of an integrated hood, with a bit more style.

Downlight

A downlight is a recessed light bulb in a metal cylinder that is used to illuminate your cooking below. The light travels in a downward direction. 

Extraction Rate

This determines how quickly the air gets cleaned in your kitchen. The larger the kitchen, the higher the extraction rate you’ll need. Measure your kitchen’s height, depth and width together. Multiply that by 10 and you’ll have the extraction rate needed for your kitchen. 

Charcoal (or carbon) Filter

A charcoal filter is used in an extractor to remove unwanted odours such as smoke and bad cooking odours. Charcoal is carbon, which is great at absorbing impurities and organic chemicals.

Noise Level

Similar to dishwashers, hood noise levels are measured by decibels. Average cooker hoods are around 60 – 70 dB. If you don’t like a noisy kitchen, avoid ones over 70dB. The design of your hood ducting will also affect the noise level.

What is an extraction appliance?

An extractor is an appliance that is used to remove steam and lingering cooking odours from your kitchen. Usually positioned above your hob or cooker, there are two different ways to extract the air in your kitchen – using either a ducted or recirculating hood. A ducted hood directs the air outside your home, meaning it needs to be close to an external wall. A recirculating hood uses charcoal filters which absorb the grease and odours in the air, and then recirculates clean air back into the room.

Extractors come in a variety of shapes and styles, meaning there’s plenty of choice to suit your taste and budget. A chimney hood is the most common type of extraction appliance, these are mounted on the wall above your cooker and come in a range of shapes and colours. An island hood is designed to hang from the ceiling above an island unit and can create a stunning focal point in your kitchen. There are also lots of subtle extractor styles including ceiling hoods and integrated hoods that blend into your kitchen seamlessly.

Things to consider when purchasing an extraction appliance include the noise level. The likelihood is the more powerful the extractor, the noisier the appliance will be. You will also want to work out what extraction rate you need by measuring your kitchens height, depth and width and multiplying this by ten. Check out the available space surrounding the hob to determine the type of extractor that best suits your requirements. For more help and advice on choosing your perfect kitchen extraction appliance, please feel free to call our highly experienced sales team on 0115 965 1937.

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