New Home missing Extractor fan

W

Wiggles

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I have just completed my first snag in my new Duplex (There are a LOT of problems!!) One thing that is really bothering me is that there is no vent for an extractor fan over where the oven will go in the kitchen!

Has anyone experienced this before????
 
Extractor fans can usually work in two modes - extracting mode and circulating mode. Maybe the design of your kitched is such that the latter is the mode that is intended to be used? Is there any ventilation at all in the kitchen (and other rooms)? In our house there was just the normal wall vent in the kitchen as in other rooms so I had to cut part of it away in order to route an extensible extractor fan vent across the top of the adjoining cupboards to the outside world. Would that be an option in your situation?
 
There are two vents in the kitchen. A window and the vent for the water heater. There is a space to put an extractor fan above the oven but as in your situation a pipe would have to be run along the top and perhaps connect into the same vent for the water heater.

All a bit strange and I was surpirsed that this was the case in a new house.

P.S. Apologies for posting in the wrong forum!
 
We're planning a kitchen upgrade, and the sales guys have my wife convinced that 'circulating' is just as effective as 'extracting', mainly because the design of kitchen we're close to finalising isn't conducive to connecting the trunking to the extractor. I can't believe that circulating is just as effective - particularly for getting steam & heat out of the kitchen. We will have other ventilation, but I'm afraid we're stepping backwards by losing the extraction facility - Comments welcome....
 
Hi Wiggles/Rainyday,

This previous AAM thread Extractor fan in the kitchen might be helpful to you both especially PMU's link http://www.environ.ie/ventilation (www.environ.ie/ventilation)

You will see from the thread that I had a cooker hood many moons ago which had a charcoal filter which I understand mainly takes the smell from the kitchen. It was useless and we eventually got a new one which was vented out and there is no comparison.
 
As already said there are extraction fans and recirculating fans. Extraction is by far the best option as this will remove moisture laden air (steam) from the cooking area and discharge it externally. The recirculating fan with charcoal filter is fine where cooking is a novelty! The filters need to be cleaned/ replaced on a regular basis esp. if a lot of frying is done. In apartments where the developer would be fitting out the kitchen with built in units it is normal practice to supply the extract fan/ hood and duct it appropriately. However in many new houses, where allowances are included for kitchens, tiling etc (as opposed to the builder actually supplying them as part of the contract) it is normal for a vent only to be left in the external wall for the provision of a fan later by the purchaser. In some small one bed apartments there may not be sufficient room on the external wall (with window opes, other vents, flue terminals and drainage pipework) to site a dedicated vent for a mechanical extract hood. In this instance the purchaser will be reliant on a recirculating hood.
 
We took the allowance for the kichen and had it done ourselves instead of from the builders....as a consequence no vent was drilled for us. Its a bit messy but you can hire a kango in tool hire and get a 4 inch circular bit to cut the hole...
 
I wonder if I would be able to connect the extractor to the pipe that runs to the outside ventilation for the water heater. There are right beside each other??
 
You'd obviously need to make sure that any heat from the water heater vent doesn't melt the extractor fan duct which is usually made of that collapsible plastic tubing.
 
I wouldn't recommend you do this. The "other vent" you refer to is probably the only permanent background ventilation in the room. Permanent background ventilation is required in all habitable rooms and is important in allowing a minute trickle of fresh air into the room, even when windows are closed. You can learn more about ventilation and building regulations by checking out http://www.environ.ie (www.environ.ie) .Ventilation is covered under Part F of the Technical Guidance Documents, this can be downloaded as a PDF file and is relatively easy reading. This will answer all your queries regarding ventilation and the statutory requirements applicable.
 
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