Why You Need a Chimney Hood (Part 1: Health)

A chimney hood, also known as a range hood, cooker hood or kitchen extractor, is a kitchen appliance installed directly above a cooktop in the kitchen. Its primary purpose is to extract and filter the airborne pollutants generated while cooking, like smoke, grease and odours. Within its chassis, every chimney hood is typically equipped with a set of illumination lamps, control panel, filter, valve, air chamber and electrical components. When the chimney hood is switched on, the contaminated air is extracted by the blower and filtered through aluminium and/or charcoal filters before being led through the air chamber and valve. 

Ideally, the chimney hood should be run in the ducted mode, which allows the contaminated air to be sent outside through a duct installed in the kitchen walls. However, if the appliance is running on recirculating mode, the partially cleaned air will be recirculated back to the kitchen. In this mode, a dip in performance is to be expected. For more information on this, please read our article on ducted vs. recirculating mode.