How to choose a hood for a gas stove?

How to choose a hood for a gas stove? Any resident of an apartment or private house who decides to equip a new or remodel an old kitchen faces this problem. Let's try to help deal with this difficult question.

What you need to know about a cooker hood

A cooker hood for a gas stove is not just a beautiful accessory designed to decorate a kitchen. This device has many important functions that should not be neglected:

1. Removal of harmful impurities from the air.
2. Elimination of unpleasant odors.
3. Ensuring safety in the kitchen where a gas stove is used.
4. Improving comfort in the stove area.

Each of these items should be dealt with separately.

Removal of harmful impurities from the air

When ordinary household gas is burned, substances are released, many of which are colorless and odorless. Despite the fact that it is neither possible to see nor feel them, they cause serious harm to human health. In the highest concentration in the combustion process, the kitchen air is saturated:

1. Nitrogen oxides. Once in the body, this substance causes irritation of the respiratory tract, pulmonary edema, and in significant doses leads to death.
2. Carbon dioxide. When its percentage in the air exceeds the permissible, it not only leads to shortness of breath and the development of various diseases, but also becomes deadly.
3. Various carcinogens. These substances are one of the causes of human cancer.

One of the main tasks of the hood for a gas stove is to remove or neutralize these impurities harmful to human health.

Eliminate odors

The art of cooking is not easy for everyone. In the process of cooking, food can burn out or simply emit odors, which are far from pleasing to every person. To get rid of these smells before they have time to spread throughout all rooms, a well-selected and correctly installed hood helps.

Security

Natural gas burned in stove burners is odorless in itself. To be able to detect its leak by smell, a special substance is added to the mixture - methyl mercaptan. But even such a measure cannot guarantee that an extinct burner will be immediately noticed in the aroma-rich atmosphere of the kitchen. Only effective exhaust ventilation can protect the inhabitants of the apartment or house from the accumulation of gas in a dangerous concentration, which can lead to a fire or explosion.

Comfort increase

From hot air, saturated with various substances formed during cooking, a person may experience breathing problems and watery eyes. Through the clubs of steam rising above pots and pans, it is impossible to see what is happening. An efficient range hood helps eliminate all of these problems. Equipped with a lighting system, it allows you to illuminate the work area, making the cooking process simple and convenient.

Criterias of choice

What hood is better for a gas stove - the question is far from idle. The final choice depends on many parameters. The key ones are:

1. Sizes.
2. Type of shell.
3. Principle of operation.
4. Exhaust power.
5. Control device.
6. The quality of the lighting.
7. Acoustic comfort.
8. Materials used for manufacturing.

All these characteristics are important.To understand how to choose the right hood for a gas stove, you should dwell on each of the parameters separately.

Dimensions

It is the sizes that have to be paid attention in the first place. Do not install too bulky design. It will create inconvenience, especially in a room with a limited area. But to get involved in excessive compactness is unacceptable. For normal operation, the dimensions of the exhaust zone should be slightly larger than the working zone of the stove, ensuring reliable removal of gases accumulating above it.

Type of shell

Modern industry produces hoods with various types of housings. All of them have both advantages and disadvantages.

1. Outboard. With their small size, they are easily mounted in a limited space, but have low performance. Most often, such devices are autonomous and are not designed to be connected to ventilation systems.
2. Dome with wall mount. A common option that is easy to install and has high performance. But organically fit into the design of the room such a design can be problematic.
3. Island. Used in kitchen concepts, where a stove is installed in the center of the room for easy access. It requires a rather complicated mounting system and connection to the ventilation duct.
4. Recessed. In this case, all the main elements of the hood are located inside the walls or furniture sets. Organically fit into any interior. Difficult for installation.
5. Dominoes This type appeared relatively recently, but is gradually gaining popularity. The suction element cuts into the countertop behind the hob of the stove and moves out of it during operation. Combined with various design styles, these hoods are structurally complex and require constant care.

Only after the type of case is selected, it makes sense to proceed to the determination of other parameters.

Principle of operation

In principle, all hoods are divided into two main types:

1. Discharge. In this case, regardless of the type of enclosure, the device is connected to a system of ventilation ducts through which air is discharged outside the premises. This embodiment has maximum performance.
2. Recirculating. Inside such devices, air is cleaned as it passes through a filter system. The performance of this equipment is relatively low. But in situations where there is no possibility of connecting to ventilation, it is necessary to use it. When choosing such a device, you should make sure the reliability and simplicity of the filter replacement mechanism.

Exhaust hoods, as well as recirculation hoods, can be equipped with additional filtering elements.

Exhaust power

This parameter depends on several characteristics of the device:

1. The power of the fan motor.
2. Fan impeller performance.
3. Air duct capacity.
4. Filter bandwidth.

Do not get carried away with one parameter to the detriment of the rest. They should be combined harmoniously. With an improperly selected impeller, a powerful electric motor will not be able to realize its capabilities. The air flow created by the fan will lose its speed when the air ducts and filters do not have the necessary throughput. We must not forget that the performance of the hood for a gas stove will decrease if the ventilation to which it is connected does not work well.

Control device

Here the scope for the imagination of manufacturers is not limited by anything. There are sensory, pseudosensory, push-button, remote control systems. Choose the one that is more convenient for you. But remember that the main requirement for such control systems is good protection from dirt and moisture. Otherwise, their service life will be short.

Lighting quality

The cook must see well what is happening in his pots and pans. And therefore, the ventilation device is equipped with a good lighting system that creates a uniform light flux in the working area. For this purpose, halogen or LED lamps are best suited. Particular attention should be paid to the arrangement of shades, their availability and how easily they are cleaned of contaminants.

Acoustic comfort

No one needs outside noise in the apartment. They annoy and tire its inhabitants. Extractor elements for a gas stove should be well fixed, not rattle and resonate when the device is operating. Make sure that the fan is quiet and that no hum or whistle occurs in the air ducts. Noise value should not exceed 45 dB. The lower this indicator is, the better.

Production material

Cheap plastic products look attractive, but it is better to bypass them. Under the influence of temperature and chemical compounds present in the working area above the stove, plastics quickly lose their properties. In addition, when they are heated, they often release harmful substances into the air. It is recommended to choose from the following options:

1. Enamelled metal. Having the necessary hygienic qualities, this material is quite durable and easy to care for. Dirt is removed from it without any problems. An important advantage, according to many buyers, is the low cost of enameled structures. But their aesthetic qualities are not too high.
2. Stainless steel. The cost of a structure made of such material is quite high. But the good mechanical properties of stainless steel make it possible to manufacture devices of complex shape that go well with various design styles.
3. Non-ferrous metals. Copper sheets, brass or bronze look attractive. A hood made from them can become a highlight of the kitchen interior. The main problem is the high cost of such equipment.
4. Strained glass. Colorless or tinted, it is usually used in combination with sheet metal. Its advantages include excellent environmental and hygienic qualities, good aesthetics. The main disadvantage is the significant price.

The brand

Of course, if the brand is important to you, you can spend extra money by acquiring a hood for a gas stove, on which the logo of a well-known company flaunts.

But when deciding which model to choose, remember that the main advantages of the product are its functionality and reliability. The big name of the manufacturer is secondary.