A cooker hood is used to clean the air collected above the stove from dust particles and grease, processed gas, and soot. And the height of the hood above the gas stove and other types of cooking surfaces affects the quality of the device and its effectiveness.
How to calculate the height between the hood and the stove? What affects the height? Are there any standards? And what will happen if they are not respected? We will consider all these issues in detail in our article, focusing on the types of hoods for the kitchen and the rules for calculating and measuring.
Types of cooker hoods
Hoods are used for forced intake of combustion products, various impurities (nitric oxide, carbon dioxide, various carcinogens) and unpleasant odors that appear in the air during cooking. Such a system operates on the principle of a vacuum cleaner.
A standard hood consists of the following elements: housing, electric motor, air intake, ventilation system, grease (sometimes coal) filters.
The island hood is the ideal solution for large kitchens, as well as wide stoves and hobs. In this situation, it is important to consider the growth of the cook
By the method of removing recycled air, there are devices circulating and flowing. In the first case, the air after purification and filtration again enters the room, and in the second it is displayed on the street. Circulating ones are suitable if there is no ventilation in the house.
Not so long ago, hoods began to appear, combining these two technologies of working with air.
There are several types of hoods according to the installation method. Islandthey are mounted on the ceiling. Corner fixed in the corner of the kitchen. Such models are suitable for small kitchens.
As for the installation, then built in hood model is easy to hide in a hanging cabinet. Dome fixed on the wall. They perfectly complement the interior, but often are large.
Built-in hood suitable for any size kitchen. It is mounted in a special cabinet. Furniture for this is made to order or remodel existing ones.
General recommendations for safe installation
But for any hood model to work efficiently and fulfill its functions, it must be correctly installed. This task is best entrusted to professionals.
So, the following factors influence the height of the hood position:
- standard recommendations;
- type of stove or hob;
- the presence or absence of ventilation, as well as its power;
- device performance;
- hood dimensions;
- user growth.
Since the main task of the device is to clean the air above the hob, it is worthwhile to be based on calculating the height, first of all, on the type and dimensions of the stove itself.
Cookers are: gas, electric, induction and halogen. A feature of the latter are considered Hi-light burners.
For efficient operation, the hood should completely cover the cooking surface. Due to this, all contaminated air will be recycled. If the stove is wider, then harmful impurities and odors will remain in the kitchen.
For fire safety reasons, standard height parameters have been developed between the hood and the burners.
When compiling them, the type of plate and the design of the lower part of the hood are taken into account. It can be straight or inclined.
For gas stoves, the height from the burners to the direct exhaust is from 75 to 85 cm, and to the inclined one - 55-65 cm.
For electric, induction and halogen surfaces, the height from the burners to the direct exhaust is from 65 to 75 cm, and to the inclined - from 35 to 45 cm.
This difference in height is due to the absence or presence of open flame and the risk of ignition of grease and soot particles on the filters
Often the manufacturer himself prescribes the required height. This is dictated by the characteristics of the materials from which the filters and the device itself are made. The material may be particularly resistant to flame and / or have some peculiarities.
You can deviate from the established standards by a maximum of 5-10 centimeters. The distance can only be increased, but reduced only if the power allows and the cook requires growth. In any case, before the final decision is to consult with a specialist.
A professional installation will allow the device to perform its functions better and more efficiently (to extract all unnecessary and clean the air), as well as save electricity, since you do not have to turn on the hood at maximum power.
In addition, the performance between the hood itself affects the height between the hood and the hob. Sometimes this indicator is called power and is measured in cubic meters. m / hour. Before buying hoods, it is worth calculating at least an approximate value.
The quality of air purification directly depends on performance. Also, if the device has sufficient power, then you can adjust the height of the hood above the hob.
It is worth noting that the presence or absence of ventilation, the number of smoking family members also affects the power. Additional creases and right angles of the duct can only reduce productivity and increase the noise of the hood
No. 1 - installation of a hood over a gas stove
The devices that are installed above the gas stove put forward a lot of requirements. First, you need to accurately measure the distance from the bottom of the device to the hob. As already mentioned above, it should be within 75-85 cm.
This distance is slightly larger than when installing the appliance above the electric model because open flames can ignite exhaust filters, especially if they are very dirty.
Also, one should not forget that in the case of gas stoves, natural ventilation must necessarily work. Therefore, during installation it is impossible to completely block the ventilation hole in the kitchen.
To avoid this, you can purchase special grilles for air ducts, divided into two parts: one for connecting the hood, and the other for natural ventilation.
A very important parameter is the power of the hood. Before purchasing the unit, it is necessary to accurately calculate it. A little below will be written on how to do it right.
After making the necessary calculations and measurements, it is worth remembering that you can not buy a device of less power than that obtained in the calculations. Otherwise, it will be just wasted money, such a device will not cope with its task
Do you want to install a hood on your own over a gas stove? In this case, we recommend that you see the step-by-step installation instructions.
No. 2 - distance to the electric stove
For electric models put forward more loyal requirements. First of all, this concerns the installation height of the hood above the device - it can be slightly reduced, since these models are considered safer to operate than gas units.
If the kitchen is small, then the best option would be to choose a built-in or flat model hood. In addition to convenience, prices for such devices are affordable for most citizens.
Another important factor that needs to be considered when placing the device above the hob is the dimensions of the stove. So, the width and length of the hood should not be less than the same parameters of the plate. Otherwise, fat and soot will accumulate on the furniture.
Detailed instructions for installing a kitchen hood on our own we have given in this article.
The hood over the electric stove can be placed slightly lower than over the gas stove, since the former are a little safer to use
Carrying out measurements and calculations
As you can see, it is quite difficult to take into account all the factors and make an accurate calculation. But you need to try not to regret the purchase of a device that does not cope with the tasks assigned to it.
There are criteria developed by manufacturers:
- The device with a capacity of 200 to 300 cubic meters. m / h is suitable for those who cook a little or a small kitchen. That is, 1-2 burners are constantly used.
- Hood with a capacity of 300 to 400 cubic meters. m / h is recommended for families of 3-4 people, or for a medium-sized kitchen, as well as where 2-3 burners are used daily.
- The device with a capacity of 500-600 cubic meters. m / h will clean the air in a large kitchen, cover the needs of a large family. Such a hood will be indispensable if the stove is actively used daily and all burners are turned on (there may be 5-6).
For indicative indicators, you can use special tables or data from manufacturers.
For a quick calculation of productivity, two values are used, the area of the kitchen and the height of the ceilings. This approximate data can be multiplied by the slab coefficient.
If the kitchen has non-standard sizes or its area does not exceed 40 cubic meters. m, then calculate this value for a particular room simply by multiplying the length of the kitchen by its width and by the height of the ceilings. The result should be multiplied by 10 or 12
The numbers 10 or 12 are constant coefficients based on sanitary standards. They mean that the air should be cleaned every 5 minutes, that is, 10-12 times per hour. Therefore, productivity exceeds the volume of the kitchen at least 10-12 times.
Sometimes this coefficient increases due to the switching frequency and the features of the plate used. For example, for a gas stove with large burners that turn on every day, this number can reach 20. For an electric stove, you can take a factor of 15.
If the stove is non-standard and cooked daily, then for the calculation of productivity it is worth using additional factors for the number of storeys, for the stove, for smokers. But you should not purchase a device with a large margin of power
For example, the length and width of the kitchen are 2 and 3 m, respectively, and the height of the ceilings is 2.5 m.
Therefore, the estimated performance will be: 2 * 3 * 2.5 * 10 = 150 cc m / hour.
This indicator can be multiplied by a number of floors coefficient of 1.3. It complies with sanitary standards.
If someone smokes in the kitchen, then another 15% of each smoker of the total is added to productivity.
The data obtained is correct for enclosed spaces. If the kitchen is not closed by a door, but is separated from other rooms by a passage, then another 30% of the received power should be added.
On our site there are detailed instructions for calculating the hood for the kitchen.
The next indicator is considered cook growth. It is very important that the hood does not hurt your head and does not interfere with reaching the distant burners or putting large pans.
Therefore, before buying and installing, take measurements and simulate the process of working behind the stove. To avoid errors during the measurements, remember that the inclined hood should be measured from the lowest point to the burners.
All direct hoods (domed or built-in) should be measured from filters to the surface of the stove.
Specialists recommend choosing inclined hoods for electronic, halogen and induction cookers. They do not require a lot of space and do a great job with air purification
You should also consider hood length. Determine how much it will protrude forward above the hob, how convenient it will be to cook and replace charcoal and grease filters, as well as to wash the stove and reach for distant burners.
All described factors affecting the distance must be consistent. Otherwise, there is a risk that the hood will not cope with its tasks. Even the most powerful device, set too high, will not cope with all the impurities in the air. Or, soot deposited on the bottom of a hood that is too low may catch fire.
Proper selection of installation height will extend the life of the hood, allow the device to work at full strength with minimal cost. In the worst case, the device may not be able to cope with its functions or simply burn out.
What else to consider during installation?
Before installing, you should consider the features of connecting the device to the network.
Any hood is connected to the mains. Therefore, the outlet should be installed at a height of 2 -2.5 meters from the floor and 15-25 cm above the wall cabinets.
Such an outlet must be grounded so that the hood does not burn out due to power surges. Never mount the outlet in line with the air duct. Be guided somewhere on 15-20 cm from it.
Also during measurements it is worth considering the distance to the side cabinets. Focus on 5-10 cm in both directions.
The layout of outlets in the kitchen and the subtleties of their installation with our own hands we have given in the following material.
During the calculations it is very important to consider all furniture and wiring in the kitchen and draw a layout of each item
For example, consider a specific situation. A hood hood must be installed above a 5-burner gas stove in a 31 cubic meter kitchen. m, ceiling height 2.8 m. On the stove cook daily, the kitchen closes with a door.
First, we find out the estimated power. The coefficient is 20 due to the number of burners and the frequency of use of the stove: 31 * 2,8 * 20 = 1736.
Thus, an extractor hood with a capacity of at least 1800 cubic meters is needed for this kitchen. m / hour.
A person will use the stove with a height of 170 cm, the height of the stove is 75 cm, and the height of the hood is 60 cm. Therefore, we compare all the data and get an approximate range of 77-80 cm for the height of the hood.
It is important to carry out such calculations in order to prevent errors during installation. But best of all, if there is an opportunity to check the conditional arrangement of equipment in the kitchen and the convenience of its use.
From the video you can find out at what height it is worth mounting the hood and why it is important to adhere to such standards:
It is important for each case to calculate the required drawing height above the plate surface. Use the tips given in the article, make calculations and then your kitchen will always have fresh and clean air.
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