Cooker Hoods

No, most cooker hoods are intechangable and have the option to recirculate the air without the need for an external vent or to vent outside through an exterior wall.

The extraction rate your kitchen needs all depends on its size. The faster the extraction rate the faster the air will be cleaned, although the noise level may go up, so faster isn’t always better. Take a look at how to work out your extraction rate above.

The cooker hood needs to be positioned directly above your hob with an electricity supply nearby. If you’re planning to extract air rather than recirculating it, it’ll need to be placed on an exterior wall.

When fitting a cooker hood above an electric hob you should have a minimum gap of 65cm. And for a gas hob the minimum gap between the two should be 75cm. Your cooker hood manual will have more information on this.

Whether you’re extracting or recirculating air, both need a grease filter. This traps any grease particles in the air. You’ll only need a carbon filter if you’re recirculating air, as this will remove any smoke and odour, so the air that is recirculated back in to the room is nice and clean.

If the surface is greasy, use a clean cloth, warm water and washing up liquid. It’s best to clean in the direction of the polish lines. Rinse with clear water and wipe dry. For regular cleaning a good method is to use a microfiber cloth and water. Never use solvents or aggressive cleaners as you could damage the finish.

You should aim to clean the grease filters once a month, depending on the amount of usage. The more grease you generate when cooking the more often you’ll need to clean them. Frying and cooking with a wok tend to generate more grease.

These are removable and can generally be placed in the dishwasher. Check your user manual first though. Alternatively they can be cleaned in warm soapy water.

This depends on how much you use your cooker hood. Generally you should look to replace grease filters once a year.

It’s common to replace carbon filters every six month. However this depends on how regularly the cooker hood is used and the types of food you’re cooking. Check your user manual for more details.

Each cooker hood is different, so it’s best to check your user manual as to how you change the light bulbs. Your manual will also let you know what type of bulb to use. Remember to switch off the power supply!