Upgrading kitchen extractor hood

[Halo Jones]

We are renovating our house at the moment, opening up the kitchen and dining room etc. The one thing that concerns us with our plans is cooking smells pervading the house. We have a rangemaster toledo with classic extractor hood. Despite being about 14 years old now the cooker and ovens are still in great shape and are being kept but the extractor has become more and more useless over the years. Is there a way of de-greasing everything to get it working close to new again or is it worth replacing it like-for-like, or is there new-fangled super quiet and super efficient extractors out there now that we should consider? I should add that the cooker is sited on an external wall and the extractor vents directly outside.

H.

 

[AndyT]

No idea if yours is like this, but on ours you can lift out the two mesh grease filters and run them through the dishwasher.

 

[Racers]

Beware of replacing it, the new extractors only extract through the top, not the back/top like the old ones, so like my mother-in-law if you get a new one you might have lots of work to make it extract properly.

Pete

 

[sunnybob]

like this?
http://www.rangemaster.co.uk/products/h ... imney-hood

The panel(s) should lift out. The item is still for sale so i expect grease filters and /or carbon filters are available.

Does it actually vent through the wall? It amazes me how many I see that just recirculate into the room.
If it doesnt, then make a hole during the refurb. You wont be sorry.
Oh, and replace the lamps with LeD versions, the cost saving is significant and the light is much brighter.

 

[Halo Jones]

That's the one Sunnybob and when we moved into the house one of the first things we did was remove the carbon filter and extract it outside.

Pete- this one also extracts out the top but the false chimney allows you to put in a bend.

Andy - this does have cleanable metal filters and they go in the dishwasher once a week but if you look at the motor unit that holds the centrifugal fan it does look disgusting. I am wondering if all the years of cooking grease has gunged up the working parts and slowing everything down.

I was hoping the kitchen builders on the forum would have ideas - maybe when they have finished grafting for the day!

Thanks all.

 

[Farmer Giles]

What size is the vent to outside? I increased ours from 4" to 6" and it made a big difference to both sound level and performance.

 

[sunnybob]

Why remove the carbon filter?

It can be revitalised, and is the biggest and best method of removing cooking smells.

 

[Lons]

Hi H.

If the motor and internals are greasy then the filters aren't doing their job properly. If everything is still working though I'd strip the whole thing down and give it a thorough clean up first to see whether an improvement.

Grease build up inside the extractor isn't just bad for the mechanism it's also a fire hazzard.

Bob

PS I've removed and replaced some pretty disgusting extractors over the years and the customers have always been horrified when they saw the state of them.

 

[skipdiver]

I agree with Farmer Giles. It used to be standard practice to vent to outside with 4" pipe. 5" or 6" will be far better and as mentioned, a lot quieter.

 

[Halo Jones]

What size is the vent to outside?

It is only 4" so I could make it bigger and I do have a 6 in hole saw that would work

Why remove the carbon filter?

When we vented the extractor to the outside I found that the airflow was vastly improved with the carbon filter removed - and all the smells should have been getting taken straight outside. I thought the carbon filter was only really required if you were recirculating the air?

Lons - The filter grills are just the standard mesh ones that can go in the dishwasher but I should maybe see if I can supplement them with something that would catch more grease.

The motor already looks disgusting so maybe a good clean up is the first place to start. I hadn't considered any kind of fire risk :shock:

 

[sunnybob]

The carbon filter has two purposes. As well as trapping the smell, its a physical barrier for the grease in the air and stops it sticking to the fan blades.
Admittedly it reduces through flow, and if your outside vent is truly "outside" and the air does not blow back through windows or doors, it would be fine to leave the carbon out, but as you have found, the blades do crud up.

You can (with a bit of patience) remove the blade and scrape / soak the grease off.
Or, just buy new if your purse allows it.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Two stage cleaning:

I have to do our extractor in a week or two.

Stuff you need:
Two large cans of WD40,
Bottle of Meths,
bin bags,
old tarp or similar (job best done outside),
lots of kitchen paper towels or the blue stuff you find in garages,
surgical gloves, and probably something to protect specs (if you wear them).
Possibly some foam draught excluder to make new seals and new filter material.

Stage 1:
- Dismantle the extractor. Take phone photos of things like wiring routes and connectors just in case.
- Spray all the sticky bits liberally with WD40.
- Wait 10-20 mins. Wipe off with paper towelling.
- That won't shift all the grease in ours (it's really nasty right now), so repeat.
Stage 2:
- Remove WD40 with towelling soaked with meths and leave to thoroughly air dry.
- carefully reassemble.

Safety note: allow the meths to flash off (evaporate) from used rags or paper towels before disposal. It has never happend to me but spontaneous ignition is possible. Also you are best degreasing the switches merely mechanically - wipe them over. They are often grease-lubricated internally, and whilst WD40 won't hurt the plastics, it can dry (remove) the lubricant and cause the switch to jam or fail.

Dishwasher detergent is a powerful degreaser, but damages plastics, even on the lowest heat. It also encourages corrosion in aluminium. If everything is stainless, you might be OK using it in solution, or putting bits in the machine, but gloves are essential as it is very caustic.

HTH, E.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The best thing to do with papers, rags etc. that might catch fire is burn them They only burn once.

 

[Eric The Viking]

The best thing to do with papers, rags etc. that might catch fire is burn them They only burn once.

I quite agree in principle.

I use a heavy gauge metal can (Snowcem paint from 40 years ago) as the workshop bin, and I have occasionally burned rags, etc. in that, but you really need something like chicken wire to put over the top, otherwise burning bits get lifted in the up-draught. I've also tried the barbecue once - similar issues. I'm in suburbia with a tiny garden, so most incendiary ideas would annoy the neighbours. So usually the paper towelling or rags get left outside for a day or two (safely away from anything flammable) then binned when they stop smelling of solvent.

Can't wait to move (once we retire) to somewhere we'll choose for us, rather than the necessities of location and a young family (back then). Smaller house, bigger garden, workshop... I dream really well!

 

[Halo Jones]

Thanks Eric. I will give it a go. Sounds nice and messy - I will make sure SWMBO see how disgusting it is so I might get some extra brownie points!

 

[Eric The Viking]

We have our first grandchild due (in California!) in a few weeks, and the DC is going over to be helpful* for a bit. So I have a bunch of nasty jobs scheduled, that hopefully will be done+dusted by the time she gets back, of which this is one.

Anyway, she's seen the process before, so doesn't need reminding this time .

Cheers, E.

*She's delivered a few dozen babies herself and is qualified in Obs., so is a good person to have around in the event of any problems. DiL asked her to come over too, as her own mum is disabled and can't get there, so it's not the mother-in-law interference it sounds like. Hopefully a bit of good family bonding time. Wish I was going too, but funds won't stretch to it - Skype will have to suffice.

 

[Lons]

Can't wait to move (once we retire) to somewhere we'll choose for us, rather than the necessities of location and a young family (back then). Smaller house, bigger garden, workshop... I dream really well!

Need to get your priorities in the proper order Eric.

1. Large workshop
2. Manageable garden
3. Some kind of living accommodation ( even if it's a caravan ) :wink:

No.s 2 and 3 are optional! :lol:

 

[scholar]

+ 1 for keeping the outlet to 150mm if at all possible

+ 1 for doing a complete dismantling and rebuild

I have just rebuilt a built in Neff cooker hood - different design to yours, but the principles will be the same. I had to do this because the transformer for the lights had failed and before starting I got the parts diagram from Neff (this was helpful, but not really essential). Good advice already given to take a few pics of the wiring routes etc.

We have always kept the stainless steel filters clean, but I was shocked by the build up of grease inside the casing. I scraped the worst of it off, but none of the cleaners or solvents I had would clean it properly - I got 5l of heavy duty degreaser from Screwfix and used that, dispensing it from a 99p plant sprayer - magic stuff that made the cleaning job rather satisfying.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense- ... 5ltr/88668
https://www.screwfix.com/p/trigger-spra ... 00ml/36156

The grease seemed to have attacked the galvanising in some areas, so I spray painted the panels with a galvanising primer to smarten it all up. All as good as new.

I think the grease buildup will not be helped by the long reducing ducting route that I need to change and make 150mm throughout.

Now I know how it all goes together, it will be a simple job to do this regularly, say annually.


Cheers