A cooker hood is a must have item for any kitchen. It helps rid the room of accumulated odors, freshen the air and create a favorable atmosphere. For its functioning, a charcoal filter is needed for the hood, what kind of devices these are, how to make the right choice when buying will be discussed in the article.
The principle of operation of the device
There are two modes of operation of the devices: discharge into the ventilation duct and air recirculation. The first is standard when the exhaust from the kitchen directs air to the ventilation, and then to the street. To ensure its operation, it is necessary that the kitchen has a ventilation duct located not far from the hood. And surely the influx of air must come from outside. Otherwise, the pressure in the room will drop significantly and air will flow from all possible places.
The second mode mentioned is recycling, it filters the air in the kitchen and returns it back. In such devices, in addition to the usual one used in all grease devices, a carbon filter is used. For hoods, this means better work, so all the fumes and odors that are in the kitchen when cooking is being filtered.
Advantages and disadvantages
In addition to quality work, such exhaust filters have their drawbacks, which include the need for frequent changes. They are designed for one hundred and twenty hours of work. These numbers may vary depending on the power of the device, how often it is used in the kitchen, and indoor air pollution. But, as a rule, carbon filters need to be changed regularly (after three to six months of operation). You can not wash it. The second disadvantage of their use is that in an extract that passes air through a dense filter, power decreases by an average of twenty to thirty percent.
The advantages that hoods with a carbon filter have are the absence of the need to connect the device to the ventilation duct. No need to provide additional airflow into the room. And the process of replacing the filter is quite simple, for which there is no need to call the wizard.
The first option remains the best option - air exhaust from the kitchen to the street. But in this case, there are also disadvantages. For example, the length of the duct affects the performance of the hood, each extra meter will reduce the efficiency of the device by ten percent. When installing the device, the air duct of the diameter, which does not correspond to the hood, and not a smooth, but a corrugated pipe are often installed. Because of it, the operation of the device is more noisy. The motor wears out quickly. The air recirculation mode in the kitchen should be considered as an alternative and not without its advantages. They resort to it if there is no ventilation duct. Design models of such devices operate in recirculation mode and only in it.
Since the charcoal filter for drawing helps to finer clean the air in the room, does not require additional installation when installing the device, it is more accessible in operation, consumers are turning to it more and more often. In addition, when installing the hood, which operates in recirculation mode, ventilation remains free, which contributes to a better supply of air to the room. Depending on the models of devices, filters for them are also available, which can be round or rectangular.
When purchasing a device for air filtration - a carbon filter for hoods, you should buy it in several copies at once, so as not to make a mistake with the model for further purchases. In order to find out whether it is time to change the filter, manufacturers install a special indicator on the device. Timely replacement of the filter is a necessary process that can protect the health of the apartment owners and their households.