Kitchen Hood extractor not.. extracting?

kinger8938 · 10 Sep 2021 at 18:30

Hey guys.

Everytime we cook, the kitchen gets awfully steamy/humid to a point it even sets the hallway fire alarm off.

The extractor definitely isn't doing much. It functions, makes all the correct fan like noises but doesn't seem to really do anything.

I took off the aluminium mesh filters to get access to the motor etc. Sort of feels like it's blowing air rather than pulling it in?

It's never really seemed right but lately its worse

Any tips appreciated

^^this side blows air quite a bit

This side feels like it's still blowing air but much weaker than the left side.

I haven't a clue about these so any help appreciated

NoobCannon · 10 Sep 2021 at 18:55

It should be sucking air in and blowing outside unless you have a crappy recirculating one

can you feel it coming out the vent outside?

gpuerrilla · 10 Sep 2021 at 18:57

What noob said ^ , put it on full whack and get on some steps outside. Maybe the vent hole in the wall needs cleaned out.

gc123 · 10 Sep 2021 at 19:03

this is where you find out theres no hole

when the fil had his new house built the kitchen fitter didnt put a hole in the wall assuming the builder would was fun and games

Puzzled · 10 Sep 2021 at 19:29

Looks like a centrifugal fan so it should be blowing air out where its attached to the wall

DXP55 · 10 Sep 2021 at 19:31

That must be brand new - wish mine was like that -dripping of oil but still sucks air outside and moisture.

norm · 10 Sep 2021 at 19:34

Looks similar to mine. I had to completely reroute the ducting, by drilling a 6" hole in the correct place because the kitchen fitters had completely bodged it by using undersized 4" ducting and bending it at right angles to match up with the incorrectly drilled hole in the wall, so it barely functioned.

You'll probably find it's blowing air instead of sucking because the duct above it is restricted.

kinger8938 · 10 Sep 2021 at 19:57

We have this which I imagine is it? Basically where the hood is.

Bit dark out now but shall investigate

kinger8938 · 11 Sep 2021 at 17:29

Cooking now so popped out and put hand over the vent and it is blowing out warm air so something is happening

gc123 · 11 Sep 2021 at 17:29

DXP55 said:
That must be brand new - wish mine was like that -dripping of oil but still sucks air outside and moisture.

indeed very envious

Mr.Cookie · 11 Sep 2021 at 18:30

Do year hear a change in noise as you change level or does 3 sound the same as 1.
If they all sound same I would say either hose is restricted or more likely too small in diameter.

gpuerrilla · 11 Sep 2021 at 18:56

At least he has a duct/hole then @gc123 :cry:

kinger8938 · 11 Sep 2021 at 19:23

Mr.Cookie said:
Do year hear a change in noise as you change level or does 3 sound the same as 1.
If they all sound same I would say either hose is restricted or more likely too small in diameter.

I'm not sure how loud they should be but it seems a bit noisy to me. Yeah definite change in fan noise between settings 1 thru 3. From a small plane to a Boeing 747 I'd say.. ok not THAT bad but it's not subtle

Mr.Cookie · 11 Sep 2021 at 19:39

@kinger8938 yeah they are not quiet appliances

think yours is an electrolux group one from photos you posted most common things I see with hoods are usually install related or customer expectations.
Do you start it when you start cooking or to clear air during?
Also hold a pice of kitchen paper just under the mesh filter and see if it sucks it up.

gailjon · 12 Sep 2021 at 09:54

Main issue I have found with extractor fans is that the cheaper end of the market is full of noisy but totally ineffectual units. We moved into a house that had a flash looking Neff unit but it was rubbish. It got noisier but no better at actually extracting. Eventually I managed to find a Siemens Series 8 extractor hood for £350 used and it has been a revelation. The fan now sucks powerfully all the time and the kitchen is always clear. Unfortunately it would have been a £1800 unit when new which shows how you need to spend a lot of money to get a good unit. The outside may be flashy and stainless steel/glass, etc, but the heart of a fan is the motor and as these are out of sight they tend to be poor quality items that are not able to do the job.

Another issue I found was that many units perform at their best with an 8" hose but many houses are built with only a 6" hose. I am trying to work out how I can possibly change our hose from 6 to 8 inch now.

psd99 · 12 Sep 2021 at 10:09

i beleive you might need to actually open that vent up on the outside and see what you can find inside...
perhaps the exraction pipe has been damaged or never even installed correctly.

norm · 12 Sep 2021 at 14:41

gailjon said:
Another issue I found was that many units perform at their best with an 8" hose but many houses are built with only a 6" hose. I am trying to work out how I can possibly change our hose from 6 to 8 inch now.

I doubt many domestic extractors use larger than 6" ducting. For 8" ducting core drilling a 200mm hole in the wall would be pretty extreme. Plus the bigger then vent the more likelihood of a cold backdraught when not in use.

In your case it's better not to use a hose at all. Look at rigid ducting as this will reduce the internal resistance and make the fan perform better.

gc123 · 12 Sep 2021 at 19:29

Th0nt said:
At least he has a duct/hole then @gc123

we think

may be fake probably just a 10mm hole behind it

gpuerrilla · 12 Sep 2021 at 19:42

gc123 said:
we think may be fake probably just a 10mm hole behind it

Or a squirrel corpse and a blockage to tidy!

mid_gen · 12 Sep 2021 at 21:05

At least that one extracts....was wondering why the extractor in this place seemed crap when we moved in. Took it apart and realised it doesn't extract anywhere, just blows air around the room. Total waste of time!