How kitchen hoods work without a duct

To prevent unpleasant odors from accumulating in the kitchen, you need to put a hood on it. But restrictions may appear that are imposed by the design features of the room. In particular, it is not always possible to place a classic hood, because far from everywhere there is an air duct or it can be easily equipped. But this is not a problem - the solution is a hood for a kitchen without an air duct. Let’s figure out what it is, how to choose it correctly and what kind of devices of this type are.

Principle of operation

Hoods that use the duct in their work are flowing. Their essence lies in the fact that they draw air from the room - and throw it into a common ventilation duct. Air renewal occurs through loosely closed windows facing the street. This is a fairly effective option for cleaning the room, since the polluted air is completely removed from the room, replaced by a new one. But the limitation is the presence of the duct - the ventilation system of the house as a whole or a separate outlet.

How does a hood work without a duct? Such electrical equipment is usually arranged on the principle of recirculation systems. In other words, the devices draw contaminated air into a special tank. There it is thoroughly cleaned, passes through special filters, after which, in its pure form, it again enters the room.

Circulation hoods for a kitchen without an air duct filter the air in two stages. On the first, sufficiently large particles of soot and soot are screened out. In the second, a more serious cleaning is carried out, in which smaller particles are removed, which are responsible for the appearance of unpleasant odors in the room. There are combined models that can work in both modes.

More about filters

In total, up to 4 filter elements are usually found in the hood. The first level filter is grease absorbing. It can be made of metal (usually aluminum, due to its lightness and low cost), acrylic canvas or paper (less often - non-woven and sintepon). The first two options are designed for reusable use, the last - disposable, they should be changed when a special indicator completely ceases to be visible due to accumulated pollution.

Tip

Replace or rinse the filter should not only for reasons of air cleanliness, but also according to fire safety rules. The abundant accumulation of fats and soot on its surface in case of accidental contact with a spark or strong heating can ignite.

Second-level filters that cleanse air of unpleasant odors contain activated carbon with various additives. Their service life depends on the model, the intensity of use and other factors, but on average they are changed no more often 3-4 times a year (a little less often than water filters).

Benefits

A kitchen hood without a duct has the following advantages:

• does not interfere with the natural air exchange of the room;
• easy installation - there is no need to connect to the duct, just connect to the mains and fix it in furniture or on the wall;
• ease of construction;
• compactness, which is especially valuable in conditions, as a rule, of small kitchens in Russian homes;
• easy care;
• suitable for kitchens of any size and configuration;
• independent work (for example, there will not be a problem with a clogged ventilation duct);
• low price of both the device itself and its installation.

But not without flaws:

• Frequent replacement of filters is required (and their costs, respectively);
• a smaller selection of models (refers not so much to the technical diversity of the devices as to the options for their design);
• slightly worse degree of air purification;
• the absence of any effect on indoor humidity.

Execution options

The most common types of cooker hoods without a duct are as follows.

• Flat hood. It is based on a case panel, filters and a fan that draws in air. It is possible to distinguish both vertical and horizontal hoods of a flat type.
• Built-in range hood. Its design is similar, but it closes with a wall cabinet or panel so as not to attract attention.
• Telescopic hood. A kind of built-in, the difference is that if there is a need for it, you need not to open the panel, but to extend the hood itself.

Also, kitchen hoods without a duct may differ in what material their body is made of. Usually used glass or chrome aluminum.

As for the functionality, simple models are equipped with mechanical control and a minimum of possible settings. The more expensive ones are equipped with convenient touch screens and remote controls, and the capabilities of the equipment are much wider: clocks, timers, temperature and humidity sensors, setting up periodic automatic on and off, filter pollution indicators, different air purification intensities, etc.

Principles of selection

To choose the right hood for the kitchen, you need to pay attention to a number of factors:

1. Design. It is important because the hood must be combined with the interior. The choice of models without an air duct is small, so there are not many design solutions on the market. In an extreme case, you can always give preference to a minimalistic laconic design, which will be neutral enough to be combined with any interior.
2. The size. First, the hood model should fit in the kitchen and not interfere with other pieces of furniture. Secondly, it should be understood that the larger the working surface of the equipment, the more effective the cleaning will be. The length and width of this surface are determined by the dimensions of the stove and the dimensions of the kitchen, but the height relative to the stove should be at least 65 cm for electric and 75 for gas.
3. Noise level (This indicator directly depends on the power and dimensions of the device, so you should not buy a too productive and huge unit in a small kitchenette). It is considered normal if the hood is noisier than 40-45 dB.
4. Performance. For an optimal level of cleaning, the entire volume of air in the kitchen should go through the hood 6-12 times per hour. It is easy to calculate the minimum required power - the volume of the room (the product of height, width and length) is multiplied by 6. For example, for a room with a volume of 25 cubic meters, an hood with a capacity of at least 150 m will be required³/ 60 minutes.

• Range of settings, which directly depends on the simplicity and usability of the device.
• Availability and price of supplies (once you save on technology, you can then overpay for expensive or rarely found replacement filters on sale).
• Cost (for simple devices, it starts from 3-4 thousand rubles; for a sufficiently powerful, productive and flexibly customizable hood for a kitchen without an air duct, the price is already in the range of 10-20 thousand rubles).

Having picked up several optimal models from different manufacturers, it does not hurt to read reviews about them - this will help to make a decision and avoid problems with low-quality goods.

Hood Care

The most important component of exhaust equipment care is the timely replacement of the filter. A number of models are equipped with indicators indicating the need to change the filter elements. If they are not, it is time to change the filters, reminiscent of the deteriorated quality of air purification in the room.

If the hood to the kitchen without an air duct is equipped with a paper or non-woven coarse filter, it is simply replaced with a new one, since it is intended for single use. Acrylic or metal filters can be cleaned of dirt by washing in a dishwasher or manually in soapy water, dried and reused. Coal odor absorbers also need to be replaced; they cannot be used in the second round.

Tip

Do not wash the filter in the dishwasher with dirty dishes - particles of dirt and grease from it can clog the filter holes, thereby spoiling it.

The case of the device itself should be regularly cleaned of accumulated contaminants using suitable detergents for the material on its surface. That, in fact, is all - subject to these simple rules, the hood will serve in the kitchen for many years.

To summarize

Air-exhaust hoods operating on the recirculation principle are a convenient and practical solution for almost any kitchen, whether it is huge and luxuriously decorated, or very tiny and having a minimalistic and extremely practical design. With the timely replacement of filter elements and the correct selection of performance, such a technique in full provides air purification in the room, is simple both in installation and in subsequent care. If you still have any doubts, you should pay attention to the universal combined devices that can operate in recirculation mode or air exhaust to the ventilation system.