Cooker Hood - and Noise

[polygonum]

One of the absolute worst things about cooker hoods, in my view, is the noise they make. Have been looking around and seen, for example, some Bosch ones are claimed to be super-quiet.

What I have been wondering is whether this is classic marketing - sure you can cut the noise, you turn the fan down so low it is useless. And at the other end, I suspect all of them are noisy at full speed.

I also like the idea that some don't end up with sharp corner, foreheads for the gouging of. And if they are going to have lights, LEDs with decent colour rendering.

Suggestions of how to choose a decent, quiet cooker hood - without completely busting the bank - including specific makes and models.

[tabbypurr]

Whatever you get, do the usual thing & mount motor, fan assy and whole hood on rubber tap washers. Add damping material onto the sheet metal.

NT

[David]

One thing to note - if you do a lot of frying then oil/fat will go through the filter and into the extractor fan and ducting. At least, that is what happens with out metal mesh "washable" filter.

If the fan and ducting (or at least the ducting) are, for example, over a kitchen unit away from the hood then the fats tend to stay in the ducting. [This does, of course, potentially store up problems in the long term.]

If not, they tend to accumulate directly above the extractor, and after a while start to drip back down onto the filter, run through the filter, then drip back onto the hob (or whatever is currently on it).

Temporary measure is to add some kind of disposable filter above the mesh (such as a J cloth). Keep forgetting to change it, though :-(

So orientation of the fan and ducting can be important, and the filter type as well.

In my limited experience metal mesh filters which you can stick in the dish washer do have a long life but are not really that effective at cleaning the extracted air.

Cheers

Dave R

[harry]

You can get traffic noise comes in via the duct too.

[polygonum]

There will be effectively no traffic noise in this location.

[polygonum]

Not big on frying - though I do some so it is important.

It will be directly above the hob and vented straight out through the wall.

Very largely it is because the house is so well sealed compared with our present location, I expect general cooking smells, oil, steam, etc. to hang about a bit more.

[spuorgelgoog]

If the house is really well sealed you may need to install a vent to provide make-up air to replace that being extracted.

Owain

[polygonum]

It seems to be pretty good but not totally air-tight. And there will be, for example, an extractor fan in the utility, off the kitchen, through which air can come - as well as the possibility (shock!) or opening a window or door.

[spuorgelgoog]

Unless that fan is also running, in which case your house will implode :-)

If it's direct through the wall just use a 12" wall fan. A bit noisy while running but will clear the air in a typical kitchen in about 2 minutes.

Owain

[polygonum]

What we really want is something very quiet that keeps the levels of steam, smell, oil/grease, and so on nice and low over longer periods.

Two minutes of jet engine ain't going to cut the mustard - even if it can cut the fug.

[sm_jamieson]

Sorry for late post, I don't get much time at the moment.

I have a Bosch Exxcel DWB09E752B Chimney Hood. It is pretty quiet, certainly on the lowest setting, which is powerful enough for 3 pans boiling away merrily.

Mine currently makes an interesting noise before the 2 gravity back-draught flaps pop open - I think there's a bit of grease in there. ! So it seems to be able to generate a bit of pressure. I've also mounted it quite high so I don't bang my head on it.

I've seen some horrendous hoods rattling away about 2 feet above the stove where you can't even see into the rear pans. Eventual project is to replace the halogens spotlights with LEDS.

Now where are those nappies ...

Simon.

[polygonum]

Thanks - that is helpful. I'll obviously choose LED in a new unit!

[TimW]

I once looked at the noise issue, just by going through specs and brochures. It was a few years ago. My conclusion was that noise was proportional to wattage, regardless of cost or quality. You could however with some models mount the motor elsewhere, like on the outside wall, and then you got a lot less noise.

TW

[ElBelle]

replying to harry, ElBelle wrote: What can be done to reduce / get rid of traffic noise through the duct? As we have this issue at the moment!! Thanks

[tabbypurr]

An airpath with some 90 degree turns can greatly reduce noise. The more such turns the better. The baffles used to contruct need to be stiff or damping enough to not transmit the noise straight through them.

NT

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

Or you need a foam filter like you get in some vacuums, and a higher pressure fan to keep the air moving, but his does then make it essential that the is easy to remove and clean. Brian

[tabbypurr]

and some fairies & pixies too.