Need to buy the best Kitchen Chimney? Here’s how to pick one

While cooking, smokes and fumes are generated that gets deposited on the kitchen walls and furniture. Over time, this forms a thick layer of dirty grease. On top of that, prolonged exposure to such smoke can cause health problems. To solve this problem, people used to install an exhaust fan in their kitchen in the earlier days.

But an exhaust fan is not enough to suck out all the smoke from the kitchen. This is because of the large space between the cooktop and the fan itself. The only solution to it can be the installation of a kitchen chimney. The distance of it should be 24 inches to 30 inches from the cooktop face.

There are literally hundreds of brands that manufacture kitchen chimneys. But how to choose the right chimney among them?

In this article, I am listing the 10 most important factors that one should consider to select a good quality kitchen chimney according to the specific needs.

10 Things to Check to Select the Best Kitchen Chimney

1. Type of Chimney

The kitchen chimneys can be categorized into two types according to the ducting system – Ducted and Ductless. As the name implies, the ducted chimneys are installed with a duct connected to the wall vent. It sucks the smoke from the top of the oven and releases it from the exhaust port. Sometimes the dirty air is allowed to pass over a series of filters.

On the other hand, ductless chimneys recirculate the same air in the kitchen by purifying it from smoke particles. Most of the ducted chimneys are better than ductless ones in terms of efficiency and cleanliness.

2. Mounting of the Chimney

While selecting a chimney, the mounting plays a key role. This is important because the appliance you select must match the kitchen space. In terms of mounting, there are mainly 3 types of chimneys available- Wall-mounted, Island and Built-in chimneys.

The wall-mounted chimneys are the most common and economical. On contrary, the island chimneys are expensive but they serve an elegant look to the kitchen. It is suitable only for large cooking space where the cooktop is placed away from the walls. Built-in chimneys are even better as they are very compact and takes a little space. But these chimneys are costlier too.

3. Size of Kitchen Chimney

With an increase in the area of cooking, the number of burners also increases. So, you may need a bigger size of the kitchen chimney. There are two sizes available for a chimney- 60 cm and 90 cm. The 60 cm chimneys are suitable for 2 to 4 burner stoves whereas the 90 cm models are suitable for 3 to 5 burner stoves. Therefore, choose the right chimney size according to the cooking requirements.

4. Design of the Chimney

At the time of the selection of a chimney, the design of it is a very important factor to consider. It must match the interior design and color of the wall. Otherwise, it won’t look good. Here are a few types of designs that one can get from the stores.

1. Curved glass chimneys
2. Straight glass chimneys
3. Pyramid-shaped chimneys
4. Box-shaped chimneys
5. Angular chimneys
6. Straight-line chimneys

Among all of them, the curved glass kitchen chimneys are most popular because of their beautiful appearance and suitability. These are also economical and priced reasonably. I would also like to mention angular chimneys. These are more recent innovations that take up much less space compared to the other models.

5. Suction Capacity

This is a very important factor to select a chimney as it defines how good it is good at suction. Different suction power is needed for different sizes of the kitchen. The following chart specifies the recommended minimum suction capacities with respect to the kitchen area.

Upto 199 sq ft - 1000 cubic meter/ hour

200- 299 sq ft - 1200 cubic meter/ hour

299 sq ft or more - 1400 cubic meter/ hour

6. Filtration System

Most of the kitchen chimneys come equipped with a set of filters. One can see these filters most in ductless chimneys as good filtration is very crucial for them to work. In the present day, some brands are replacing the filtration system with a heat autocleaning system. In such a process, the residual oil vaporizes by application of heat and then vented out of the kitchen.

There are mainly three types of filters available for a chimney- Mesh/ Cassette, Charcoal and Baffle filter. The latter is the most popular among the users. The charcoal filters absorb any bad smell before releasing the air to the atmosphere.

7. Noise and Vibration

While operating any electrical appliances, it is expected to create less noise and vibration. The condition is no different for a chimney. While cooking if someone is exposed to heavy noise for days, it might create health problems. Most of the brands keep the maximum noise level of the products under 58 dB. Sometimes, blockage of filters can create high noise and vibration. So, it is essential to clean them before such a thing happens.

8. Cleaning and Maintenance

With upgraded technology, good kitchen chimneys are now equipped with an autocleaning system. Most of the manufacturers include an oil collector that collects the residual oil from the inner wall of the chimney. The user just needs to clear up the collector tank once it gets full.

Apart from that, the filter of the chimney needs periodic maintenance to keep functioning. For the outer wall, use a rag soaked with dishwashing liquid or paint thinner to mop the surface of it. Make sure to turn the chimney off as paint thinner is highly inflammable.

9. Operation Control System

Along with other qualities, the operating interface of the chimney is also an important point to consider. There are three types of control systems are available with kitchen chimneys- Button Control, Touch Control and Gesture Control.

The Button-controlled systems are old and almost obsolete in the present days. For this reason, most companies include touch-controlled systems in their models. Gesture-controlled chimneys are more advanced. These are user-friendly and easily learnable.

10. Reputation of the Brand

A company sustains only when they care about their customers. A good brand always has transparent terms and conditions, responsive customer care service. This is why we trust good brands. Companies like Elica and Faber are highly reputed for kitchen chimneys.

Conclusion

To choose the right chimney, one needs to pick select the type, mounting and size of it at first. Then find a good design that matches the interior. After that, check detailed specifications like- suction capacity, filtration system and noise level. Next, look for any other options like an autocleaning system that drastically reduces maintenance frequency. The selection of suitable operating control is also important. Always try to choose a product from a good brand that you can trust.