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Rangehood/Chimney Buying Guide
Rangehood Buying Guide
A rangehood may not be the first item on your list when looking to update your kitchen, but they are an important part of keeping your cooking areas smoke free.
1. Why do I need a rangehood?
While you may want your kitchen to be filled with the delicious aromas of the foods you are cooking, you will still be producing lots of heat, moisture, grease and smoke.Not only will this damage your cabinets and walls over time, it’s not great for your health. Rangehoods provide ventilation and remove bad odours, replacing fumes with fresh air.
2. Types of rangehoods
Deciding on how to choose a rangehood will depend on how your kitchen is set up. Here are several of the product types available.
Canopy Rangehood
Canopy rangehoods are becoming more and more popular in the home due to their power and the large air collection area it covers over the stove.
SHOP CANOPY RANGEHOOD
Fixed Rangehood
Fixed rangehoods work better than slideout ranghoods as they cover a large air collection area. Fixed ranghoods generally have less power and smaller air collection area than a canopy rangehood but are not as expensive.
SHOP FIXED RANGEHOOD
Slideout Rangehood
Slideout rangehoods have a fan that turns on as you slideout the rangehood. They are generally less efficient at collecting steam than a canopy or fixed rangehood as their collection area is smaller, but can be pushed out of site once you finish cooking.
SHOP SLIDEOUT RANGEHOOD
Undermount Rangehood
Undermount rangehoods are integrated into your kitchen cupboard. They are a popular choice as they are hidden away from sight and aesthetically pleasing but as their air collection area is limited they may not be as efficient as a canopy rangehood at collecting steam.
SHOP UNDERMOUNT RANGEHOOD
3. Rangehood Style
Rangehoods have become increasingly stylish over the years, with many offering a modern touch to contemporary kitchens.
Many are stainless steel for an aesthetically pleasing finish, but if you feel like this isn’t the right material for you, there are plenty of other options available.
The rangehood you choose will impact upon the style of your kitchen, either working with or against the overall kitchen look you’re trying to achieve: modern, industrial, country or Scandinavian.
Modern Rangehood
A rangehood that’s completely concealed within your cabinetry or slides out when you’re cooking means you can extract cooking odours and vapours and keep your kitchen lines clean, or you can make a statement with a designer canopy rangehood.
Industrial Rangehood
A large, freestanding cooker is popular in industrial kitchens, and a canopy rangehood powerfully extracts all the cooking odours and vapours from above whilst adding more industrial style.
Scandinavian Rangehood
Having the rangehood hidden away from view by choosing an undermount, slideout or fixed design creates uncluttered, Scandinavian-style simplicity in your kitchen.
Country Rangehood
A canopy rangehood over a freestanding cooker makes a stylish statement in a country kitchen, or the rangehood can be concealed within the country-style cabinetry to keep the focus on the cooker.
4. Aluminium or Charcoal Filters
Ducted and ductless rangehoods come with aluminium and charcoal filters respectively.
Aluminium filters will need to be washed every couple of months, while charcoal ones need replacing entirely just as regularly – even more frequently if you cook a lot of foods high in grease.
5. Lighting Options
Many rangehoods come with lighting fixtures and options include:
Incandescent
Fluorescent
Halogen
LED
6. Speed and Control
Rangehoods will often have between three and six fan speeds, with some models offering an automatic variation of speeds.
Most households shouldn’t find more than three speeds necessary, using high speeds while actually cooking and lower ones when finishing up a meal.
