Retractable Rangehood Buying Guide

When it comes to cooking, everyone needs/wants a clean kitchen. Frying with oil or other greasy products can lead to grease, fat residue, or grime to build up on walls, cupboards or even ceilings. This is where your rangehood is needed.

A ranghood is an exhaust system that lives above the cooking area in your kitchen and captures the grease, steam, smoke, heat and odours above your stove. This is done by an internal fan that pulls air up into a special filter. If you would like cleaner air, healthier living space and a grease free kitchen, then a rangehood is a necessity for your household.

Retractable Rangehood

Retractable Rangehoods are designed to be pulled out when in use. They can also be known as slide out rangehoods. If you have a smaller kitchen and trying to preserve room or have cabinets over your stove, these are the rangehoods you should be looking at.

Manufactures offer different installation options. These are either building the retractable rangehood into the interior of your cupboard so it can be hidden or can be fully motorised and remain hidden in the kitchen wall cavity when not in use.

This buying guide will help you find the perfect retractable rangehood to suite your cooking and kitchen requirements.

Size

Rangehoods come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from large units to discreet compact models. However, they all share a basic design which is a hood enclosed fan that extends across your cooktop area.

When looking for a canopy rangehood, a big consideration in the purchase decision depends on the size of your cooking area and the volume/frequency of your cooking. Before you begin to look for your canopy rangehood, measure the area above your cooking department so you know your limitations.

Features

When searching for your perfect canopy rangehood, features are one of the most important aspects to investigate. 

Rangehoods are offered in either ducted or recirculating models. This appliance is similar to an air conditioner because it requires a way to direct its exhaust.

Ducted rangehoods: These types of rangehoods vent contaminated air through a hole in your ceiling or wall. This is an extremely effective method but requires an electrician to install. It also involves knocking a hole in the ceiling or wall for the ducting pipe.

Recirculating rangehoods: These types of rangehoods recycle air through a carbon filter before releasing it back into the kitchen. To effectively use this rangehood you will need to replace the filter more regularly and it does not require an exhaust pipe through your ceiling or wall.

An important feature to focus on so your rangehood is effective is the extraction rate. This is its ability to draw in air. Models with higher extraction rates will vent a larger amount of air, which makes them more effective at their job. The extraction rate is measured in cubic metres per hour. If you have a larger sized kitchen, it is best to get a rangehood that has a higher extraction rate as it is powerful enough to stop smoke and smells moving throughout the house. If you do a lot of cooking on the stove, look for a rangehood with an extraction rate of around 700m3/h.

All rangehoods have filters. These need to be cleaned out regularly. When it comes to recirculating rangehoods, their carbon filters need to be periodically replaced. Make sure the filter can be easily removed from the rangehood.

Nobody wants to cook with little light. That's why most rangehoods come with built in lights to help brighten up your cooking area. The lighting is usually either halogen, fluorescent or incandescent in rangehoods. Generally two globes will better illuminate over the cooking area.

Noise is a feature in rangehoods that vary from model to model. If noise is a major concern for you, look for a rangehood that informs you on the measured decibels. If you are willing on spending a bit more money for a sound free motor, or even on a rangehood with minimum sounds then it is definitely worth it.

If you are looking for a rangehood with additional special features, some options are:

• Dimmable lights
• Multiple fan speeds
• Motorised canopies
• Timers
• Shutdown sensors
• Humidistats
• Filter indicators
• Electronic controls
• Touch displays

Please feel free to contact our customer service team for any queries on canopy rangehoods. Call us on 1300 000 500.