No extractor fan over hob.....Big mistake or no big deal?

3 years ago

Planning a full width extension and new kitchen. Where we want the large island with hob it will span across original kitchen flat ceiling, steel beam across back wall and new pitched roof extension. This means it will very tricky to accommodate any kind of extraction hood above the hob position on island.
We don't want any of the alternative extraction systems (on hob or in worktop) so are considering just going without.
Can anyone give me reassurance that in a large open plan room with opening skylight/velux above kitchen area this will be OK?
Thanks in advance, we've tried to rethink the whole design to allow an extractor but it is spoiling the overall vision of layout.

Featured Answer

Jonathan

3 years ago

The absence of an over hob extractor can be a problem if you cook very fragrant food or if your boil a lot. I think cooktop extractor are a great solution. Also steam ovens take a lot of work away from hobs as you can steam all your vegetables rather than boiling

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Comments (22)

Daisy England
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I have a large kitchen with an island in the middle which has an induction hob in it. I don’t have an extractor. I didn’t in my previous kitchen either. I’ve known people have fancy extractors and not use them.

Over my hob is a standard flat ceiling and then an RSJ so it wasn’t ideal for me either but I wasn’t bothered.

In the summer I have a window or the back door open, in the winter none. I don’t get steamed up windows but sometimes an odour if I’ve been cooking strong food.

I’ve never missed it.
PRO
Add Value Home
3 years ago
I personally dont like extracts so I think it is ok. I would just make sure that you can open the windows / doors even if it rains. I ve done this mistake that my 2x doors from the kitchen open outwards , so when it rains I cannot ventilate the kitchen.
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Ruth House
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks for this. I didn't want the ceilings to dictate the whole kitchen layout. I'm keen to get the hob placement exactly right as we love cooking and are hoping to create a gorgeous open plan sociable cooking space. so excited about the island design but it has to function correctly as well as look good.

thanks so much for your input. it's great to hear I'm not dreaming up crazy ideas.
tamp75
3 years ago
I would check buildings regs. When we had our extension built 5 years ago, I’m pretty sure we had to have an extractor as part of the building regs.
Ellie
3 years ago
We have a beam over island too. We also have open stairs up to bedrooms in the kitchen too so didn't want smells to travel. I also don't like the look of extractors and think they can ruin the look of a kitchen. We have installed a simple bathroom type extractor in the kitchen
Ruth House
Original Author
3 years ago
Ellie, that's a good idea about a normal in-wall ventilation system, I might look into that option.
Ruth House
Original Author
3 years ago
tamp75, thanks for the tip off.

I've had a very quick skim read on the planning portal and while it seems to say only if its a 'new' room (as in building a new internal wall) then you do have to have ventilation but it says that an opening window would be fine. However it says if you're renovating an existing room and it already has an extraction method then that must be maintained or replaced as you can't make a situation worse.

I'll have to dig a bit more I guess as we do have a cooker hood in existing kitchen but it appears to only be a recirculating one as isn't vented out anywhere and it doesn't have any effect whatsoever so I would argue an opening window in a larger room would have a better net effect.
janet_allen8
3 years ago
Like tamp75 says, I think you might have to have one ... a bathroom style vent on an external wall might be enough to satisfy building regs. On the practical side, we’ve got an overhead extractor fan in our kitchen but NEVER use it, as it’s terribly noisy and seems completely ineffective! ... as Daisy also said, we tend to open windows & doors. What I have noticed in the last year or so, is the build up of a layer of grease on all our cupboard fronts. We’ve been in the house for a long time and it wasn’t apparent in the earlier years ... but maybe I was more fastidious about cleaning than I am now! It takes quite a bit work to remove from our painted kitchen & from glass fronted cabinets.
Pauline Luxton
3 years ago
there are worktop level extractor fans eg

"D95DAP8N0B_BK | Neff Downdraft Cooker Hood | 90cm | ao.com" https://ao.com/product/d95dap8n0b-neff-n90-integrated-cooker-hood-black-56102-6.aspx?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1KiBBhCcARIsAPWqoSoqimC25vNnQCRETboUpuUaxMCuxVFrnWaHBpKpYSeFSSiS-3R9kB8aAs_BEALw_wcB&&WT.z_PT=MDA&WT.z_AT=cooker hood&WT.z_MT=Search&WT.z_MAT=NEFF&WT.z_FT=Built In&WT.z_PC=D95DAP8N0B_BK&WT.srch=1&WT.z_KW=D95DAP8N0B_BK&WT.z_DT=m&WT.z_RTM=PLA&ef_id=Cj0KCQiA1KiBBhCcARIsAPWqoSoqimC25vNnQCRETboUpuUaxMCuxVFrnWaHBpKpYSeFSSiS-3R9kB8aAs_BEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!8149!3!319877950485!!!g!293946777986!&gclsrc=aw.ds&&&WT.z_CN=MDA - Cooker Hoods - Showcase&WT.z_AG=MDA - Cooker Hoods - Showcase&utm_medium=shopping&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=mda - cooker hoods - showcase|mda - cooker hoods - showcase&utm_term=showcase|D95DAP8N0B_BK&utm_content=pla-293946777986,

they are quite expensive but I think that it would be worth it to satisfy building regs etc.
Lena
3 years ago
I think you need to read through the building regs very thoroughly, just to make sure it’s not a requirement. If the feeling against extractors is so strong, why fight it?

However, I am definitely having one in my kitchen because:
1. the existing one didn’t work properly, so we didn’t use it. Now, like someone mentioned above, top units of my old kitchen are covered in grease which is not coming off.
2. we cook a lot as well, and open window helps only to some degree.
Jonathan
3 years ago
Just to add balance to the conversation - most bathroom type extractors extract 60m2/hr and while they may be sufficient for building regs an over hob extractor can extract 16 times more.

The reason many people have found that previous extractors were poor is because most need a 150mm vent but most builders install a 120mm one.... and they have got better as time has gone by . Personally I would be worried about grease and smells in soft furnishings if you don’t have an extractor.
tamp75
3 years ago
I definitely agree about the grease that an extractor can remove. Although we don’t cook much in the way of greasy food, it’s surprising how much builds up in my extractor filters. We never used to have an extractor is our old kitchen but we were required to have one in our extension & I would now always choose to have one.
Ruth House
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks so much for the input and insights.

So it seems I would have to have one for building regs and general consensus is that I should have one for all the benefits of keeping the room in a good condition.

So are there any suggestions or pictures on how to accommodate a ceiling mounted extractor when the hob is directly below the beam on the threshold between flat ceiling and new higher pitched roof? I just can't imagine how that is going to work.

How does a worktop extractor work? doesnt that just recirculate? and I've heard they take a whole cupboard space below.
Ruth House
Original Author
3 years ago
Another idea I had is to have a flush ceiling mounted one in the centre of the kitchen (not directly above the hob). Do you think that is a fair compromise? providing the appropriate level of extraction for the room in general but allowing us to design the island and hob as we wish.
minipie
3 years ago
A ceiling extractor is in two parts - the flat plate that you see in the ceiling (hood), and the motor, which is the really bulky bit. The motor doesn’t have to sit directly above the hood, you can have hood, then a length of duct, then motor, then more duct to reach the outside. This solution could help if you have room for the motor in a different part of your ceiling ie in the extension and away from the steels. Then you only need to find room for the duct above the hood - and it can sit at one end of the hood to avoid any steels.

Do you have a plan which shows hob location and location of extension and steels?
minipie
3 years ago
See here for example, note you can use rectangular ducting which is 95mm high rather than 150cm round ducting, if that makes it easier to fit the duct in.

https://luxairhoods.com/Remote-Motor-Extractor-Fans
Shazia
3 years ago
you could consider a downdraft extractor fan - these push the air through filters, these filters then remove any cooking smells before the air is reintroduced back into your kitchen.
PRO
Lifestyle Kitchens
3 years ago
extraction comes under part F of building regs, so your architect should be detailing this in the plans for the extension. As i understand part F the important bit is

Part F When inserting or removing an internal wall, care should be taken not to make
ventilation worse. Any new kitchen, a toilet with no openable window; a bath/shower room
or utility room should be provided with a mechanical extract fan. The type of room will
determine how much ventilation is required.

Part F says that where a kitchen previously had only a recirculating fan this can be retained/replaced if it is made no worse. However, I would always recommend fitting an extractor to deal with condensation.
• Kitchen: 30l/s if over the hob and 60l/s if placed elsewhere

so you could have an expelair type extractor on an external wall that will comply with regs at a minimum.
PRO
Faber Hoods
2 years ago
Hello! We are Faber Cooker Hoods and we invented the domestic cooker hood! We would advise that you need a cooker hood in order to clear the cooking odours and smells in your kitchen that can linger and keep the air clean in your home. We offer a variety of designer island cooker hoods that can be installed over an island hob. Visit www.faberhoods.co.uk for more information on our styles and sizes available
siobhanmcgee90
2 years ago
We have an induction hob on our kitchen island and added an extractor. Not as effective as the traditional hood extractors but I notice grease and smells if it is not used. Would recommend you instal one whatever the regulations.
amanda_bright1
2 years ago
Always had extractors and only use the light function on a regular basis! Guess it depends what you cook and how often. For my lifestyle the extractor function would not be missed and is more aesthetic than anything else.

No extractor fan over hob.....Big mistake or no big deal?

Jonathan

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Daisy England

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