Forums › Kitchen DIY Forum › Kitchen DIY Advice › Downdraft extractor fans
This topic has 2 voices, contains 4 replies.
| Author | Posts |
|---|---|
| Author | Posts |
| February 11, 2006 at 11:14 am #6226 | |
 clare |
I have some difficult siting problems for an extractor fan in my proposed new kitchen. Unless I have a island chimney extractor being ducted at an angle through a single storey flat roof above (at an angle to avoid the supporting beam that will sit directly above the hob), I cannot go for a ducted extractor. I have been considering these “downdraft extractors” that recirculate the air, sit on the countertop next to the hob (will be induction, not gas) and pop up and down. I know that gaggenau do them (and prob v. expensive). But AEG seem to do one now (also not that cheap), and I have seen it in operation at a kitchen showroom. THey don’t seem to have the power of a chimney extractor though. But then of course they will sit a damn sight closer to the hob than an island chimney extractor. Does anyone have any views good or bad on these things? SHould they “do the job” or are they a gimmick? I know that there are rules of thumb regarding appropriate power of an extractor fan depending on the size of your room, but (1) my kitchen will be HUGE (open plan kitchen/dining area/seating area); like, at least 6 or 7 metres by 7 or 8 metres; and (2) Im not sure that these rules will apply to a downdraft extractor because of its proximity to the hob. THanks for any info |
| February 12, 2006 at 10:54 am #6230 | |
 Install |
Hi Clare I have recently fitted an AEG downdraft next to an AEG induction hob and it works well. The one that I fitted was ducted (Island kitchen sat on a raised platform) and as far as I am aware didn’t have a facility for recirculating. recirculating option and although expensive it is good kit. subject to building regulations? extraction. Richard |
| February 12, 2006 at 6:21 pm #6231 | |
|
clare |
RIchard, Many thanks for your response. AEG does have a recirculating model also, because that was what was on display in the showroom. The fan sat in a cupboard beneath the worktop, so you lose a bit of cupboard space. THere were AEG reps there that day and they said that if, on the ducted model, the ducting is going to be over a certain length (I think they said maybe 3 metres) then they advise customers to opt for the recirculating model instead because it works out with better extraction rate than a 3 metre ducted. I’m doing the kitchen before the extension (there is already a single storey kitchen extension of a certain size), so the kitchen will be done before the building inspector comes in to approve the (further) add-on extension. Although having seen the level (or lack thereof) of investigation by building inspectors on my last building job, I’d be surprised if they started to get excited about ventilation – I was far more worried about things like adequate roof supports than he was. Thanks for the views anyway – at least some-one has seen one in operation in a home environment, Clare |
| February 12, 2006 at 7:07 pm #6232 | |
|
Install |
Hi Clare underneath, in this instance it was a 300mm wide unit and it pretty much filled the unit, even though the body of the extractor is only about 160mm wide it is very tall only leaving about 50mm underneath. If you have got your downdraft going into a wider unit you will not be able to have a shelf unless you put a bulkhead in to devide the unit. Another thing worth noting is that if your hob is for example going over a built under oven then you may have to slightly offset the hob and downdraft because of the carcase of the oven housing and adjacent unit.(hope this makes sense) Totally agree about building inspectors sometimes lack of investigation and/or knowledge but if you go down the recirculating route then it is worth keeping at the back of your mind just in case. We have come across a few just lately that have had recirc and the buliding inspector wanted additional extraction. p.s as a rule of thumb 3m is usually the recomended max duct run, in our case it was just over 2m to external wall so no problems. Richard |
| February 13, 2006 at 6:12 pm #6235 | |
|
clare |
Richard – Brilliant, thanks. You told me a couple of things more that I didnt know – I forgot to ask the AEG reps what the minimum size of cupboard would be to fit the extractor unit into (given that if, as you say, you are essentially losing an entire cabinet I wanted it to be as small as possible); I didnt realise that I could go down as far as a 300 base unit. I havent been a member to this forum for long, but I have been watching posts for a very long time, so I do hope to see more of your really helpful comments on the forum in future !! You ought to add a few more personal details in your email “handle” section about what you do and where you are based in case people want to see whether they can use you for jobs (if thats permissible on the site). Clare |
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
