A Kitchen Chimney is a device that is installed above your stove. You can easily operate it at the touch of a button. Once you turn on the chimney, it sucks in all the oil, smoke and fumes while you cook. It catches the oil in a separate compartment and discharges all the fumes, smoke and dust out of your kitchen through a duct. This keeps your kitchen clean and smoke-free, even after you’ve cooked your favorite dishes.
If you are fed up with traces of oil and grease in your kitchen, installing a kitchen chimney may be a good decision for you. You need to consider many factors, including different types of kitchens, size, filters, extraction, future maintenance, controls and many other features. Most hoods are installed according to the kitchen layout. Traditional Indian kitchens are wall mounted, while modern kitchens have options like a ceiling mounted hood.
Types of Kitchen Chimney
The decision of what type of kitchen fireplace to buy depends on the structure and construction of the kitchen where it is going to be adapted and the location of the cooking platform, the plate, the stove. According to the capacities where it fits, the kitchen fireplace is divided into 3 or 4 categories.
Wall Mounted chimney
Kitchen chimney on the wall and hob; hob also on the wall. As the name suggests, this type of product can be mounted on the wall. For mounting this model requires a cooking table near the wall. This is one of the most common and popular types in apartments and houses.
They are available not only in different designs, but also in different shapes and sizes. They come in both 90 cm and 60 cm. In addition, the wall-mounted models add elegance to your room.
Island chimney
The hob is located in the center of the kitchen, away from the wall. The kitchen chimney hangs from the ceiling above the cooking surface, the hob. If you are not sure what kind of chimney is best suited for a kitchen with a cooking table in the middle, you can choose the island models. These products are suspended from the ceiling and can be placed anywhere in the room.
They are ideal for a modular kitchen with ample space. They add a lot to the aesthetics of your room and are available in various stylish designs. However, you must have enough space to hang the product from the ceiling so that it is not too close to the hob.
Built-in chimney
Built-in chimneys are integrated into the kitchen furniture and mounted on the wall. If you are thinking about how to choose the best kitchen chimney, you need to know in detail the different types. Here we discuss the built-in type, which is quite common in modular cooking spaces.
They are also mounted on the wall, but they are built into the cabinet or wooden furniture above the cooktop. Also, they are installed so that the additional parts of the model are not visible.
Corner Chimney
Corner Chimney is installed in the corner of the kitchen, where the hot plates and hob are located in the corner on the wall. As the name suggests, these models are installed in the corner. If you have a small room and a corner cooking table, you can use these models. They are available in different types of filters and sizes.
Apart from making your cooking area look beautiful, these products fit in easily due to their compact design. Moreover, they come in different designs. If you have a large kitchen, you can also use them with a corner cooktop.
Straight-Line Chimney
This straight kitchen chimney is the first choice for homeowners with small kitchens. It is designed to only rise halfway above the stove, leaving plenty of space above the stove to store other essentials. It perfectly matches the white granite floors, oak wall cabinets with glass doors, and also features LED lighting.
The aluminum filters and push-button mechanism work with a powerful three-speed extraction mechanism that sucks heat and grease from all corners of the kitchen. This means only two things – higher performance and longer durability.
Types of kitchen chimney filter
Depending on the structure, material and filtering process, the types of chimney filters are classified into 3 categories.
Cassette filter
The cassette filter is made of aluminum mesh that are stacked against each other. The space between the mesh allows air to pass through. Oil and grease particles in the air hit the aluminum strand of this mesh.
Slowly, these grease and oil particles clog the screen and affect the suction power of the chimney. This is why cassette filters should be backwashed and cleaned once a week for best performance. To clean the chimney, soak the cassette filter in a bucket of detergent water for a while, wash it with cleaner water. If necessary, you can also scrub.
Baffle filter
The baffle is a flow control panel. The baffle filter is made in a multi-curve structure. When the cooking air passes through these curves it changes the direction of the smoke air. During this process, heavy grease and smoke particles are drawn down into the baffle filter. Although the baffle filter is completely filled with grease, the oil hardly affects the suction power of the chimney.
Baffle filter chimneys are best for Indian food with Masala food. It is very easy to find deflector chimney, look for the product description and search for deflector. For example, the Faber 60 cm hood Primus Plus fireplace is one of those good kitchen fireplaces with a deflector filter. The baffle filter requires very little maintenance. You need to wash the baffle filter once every 3 months. These filters have the ability to function for several years without replacement.
Carbon filter
Carbon filter, also known as carbon filter because it is made of black carbon. Carbon filter mainly used to absorb odours. Carbon filter is optional. In case of recycling/ductless, flue carbon filter is used together with baffle filter or cassette filter.
Oil, smoke particles clog the inside of the carbon filter and reduce the suction power of the chimney, so they need to be replaced once every six months depending on the intensity of cooking.
Benefits of kitchen chimney
When we fry or cook vegetables or masalas in the kitchen, the chemicals spread in the kitchen if we do not have a chimney. Such chemicals can harm our kitchen and pollute the air in the kitchen. The pollution in the kitchen is more harmful than the pollution outside.
Keeps our kitchen clean and healthy
Our health is the most important thing for us. When we cook or fry, the contaminated chemicals spread in vegetables and masalas. They are so harmful that they can lead to dangerous diseases and unhealthy environment. A chimney prevents harmful chemicals from spreading in the kitchen.
Protects our furniture
In a study it was proved that if we use fireplaces in the kitchen, the life of the furniture doubles. When we cook or fry something in the kitchen, the oil is spread on the kitchen furniture. Therefore, to make our furniture durable, you should install a beautiful chimney.
keeps us healthy
In a study it was found that the air pollution in the kitchen is more harmful than the outside environment. Kitchen chimney cleans the air by directing it out of the house. Therefore, kitchen chimneys keep us healthy.
Maintains the temperature of kitchen
Every kitchen is hot and the cooks have to work at high temperatures. Therefore, it is important to maintain the temperature in the kitchen. The chimney maintains the temperature in the kitchen. Therefore, it does not let the kitchen overheat.
No unwanted smell
Indian food is very spicy and oily and therefore smells very bad. Therefore, it is important that our kitchen remains odor-free. Some modern kitchen chimneys also have odor elimination technology. Therefore, the kitchen chimney helps to keep our kitchen odor free.
Things to Consider Before Buying A Chimney
Size of your chimney
Taking into account the size of the chimney is very important. It has to be according to the size of your kitchen. If your kitchen is small, but you’re buying a bigger one, it can make your space look stuffy, making it difficult for you to stand up inside the kitchen. Therefore, it should always be according to the size and design of your kitchen.
Ducting Type
Whether you choose a ducted or ductless chimney is ultimately your decision, but for Indian households where a lot of cooking is done with oil, ducted hoods are better. They can absorb smoke, heat and moisture better. The only drawback is that a ducted chimney must be installed in an area from which the exhaust pipe can be routed out of the kitchen. A ductless chimney, on the other hand, does not require external piping and is more elegant.
Suction Power
The suction power is the capacity of the motor to suck up oil particles and odors. It is measured in cubic meters per hour (m3 per hour). For Indian kitchens, a kitchen chimney with higher air intake capacity is ideal. For frequent cooking, it should be between 400 m3/hour and 1000 m3/hour, depending on the size of your kitchen. The chimneys with a long hose generally have a higher suction capacity.
Design of chimney
Kitchen chimney design is also an important thing before buying a chimney. Kitchen chimney design is mainly divided into 4 main types.
- Curved glass
As the name suggests, this chimney has a curved glass that will enhance the beauty of your kitchen. This is often used in India.
- Pyramid
Pyramid chimneys are fireplaces that consist of impact filters and consume less energy.
- Box type
These chimneys are mounted on the ceiling and are made of high quality steel and glass.
- straight line
Straight fireplaces are very useful in a kitchen that has little space. They are very efficient.
Speed Options
Since there are so many chimneys on the market, try to choose the ones where you can control the speed. With a chimney that has speed options, you can run it at slow, medium or high speed depending on your needs.
Mounting style
Depending on the design of your kitchen and the available space, you can choose between three mounting methods: Wall-mounted, island-mounted and recessed. As the name implies, wall-mounted chimneys are installed on the wall and are ideal for kitchens where the stove is located against a wall.
An island chimney is ideal for more modern homes where the stove is located in the middle of the kitchen. A built-in chimney is ideal for a small kitchen. It is compact and is mounted on the wall and integrated into the wood paneling of the kitchen, so it does not take up extra space.
Motor/Blower
The motor should be sealed to prevent dust and dirt from entering it. Non-stick aluminum fan and motor will save you the trouble of regular maintenance of the internal parts.
Filterless Technology
Nowadays there are chimneys with filterless technologies. A chimney without filters requires much less cleaning. They are often equipped with oil separators and automatic cleaning technology. They may be a little more expensive than regular chimneys, but the maintenance costs make up for the difference. Filterless technology is not suitable for people who use a lot of oil in their cooking. You can learn more about this in our post on baffle filters vs. filterless chimneys.
Maintenance and after-sales service
Be sure to purchase a kitchen chimney from a reputable brand that offers free installation and prompt customer service. Since chimneys are subjected to a lot of wear and tear, they need regular maintenance to ensure optimal performance. Also, check if the brand you want to buy has a good network in your area to avoid delays in response.
Noise
The Noise of the kitchen chimney is another thing that you need to worry about. You should choose a chimney that makes little or no noise. If the chimney is noisy, it may bother you after some time and you will be forced to turn it off, so it will no longer serve its purpose. On the other hand, a chimney that makes no or little noise will let you cook in peace.
Conclusion
Modern kitchen fireplaces will add style and decor to your modular kitchen. After reading this buying guide, you can easily make a final decision. Whatever online kitchen fireplace you are going to buy, it must fit your kitchen, suction power, fireplace filter types is comfortable with your cooking habits. We are providing some of the tips must consider before buying fireplace online.
