Checklist

If you're thinking about buying a rangehood, here's what you should consider.

Ducted or recirculating

When you install a rangehood, it can be either ducted to the outside or set up to recirculate the air within the kitchen. It is now illegal to duct into the ceiling cavity, because the build-up of grease can be a fire hazard and moisture can cause condensation and rot. With the recirculation option, most of the grease and smells should be trapped by a special carbon filter. Moist air will still contribute to condensation problems and some smells may escape.

However, with external ducting, the process of removing a lot of hot air quickly does mean the room gets a little cooler. If you're used to having the oven help heat your kitchen or kitchen/living area, you may need to think about an extra heating source.

If you're in an apartment, recirculating the air may be the only option, but it should only be considered if you can't duct to the outside.

Tip: When installing a rangehood it’s best to use rigid ducting. Flexible ducting has ridges which can trap air and impede performance.

Size

With 2 pots on your cooktop, most hoods will cope pretty well, and won't let steam escape at the sides. However, most models won't cope very well with 4 pots of simmering water, particularly if they're only 600mm wide. Fixed hoods often fail to cover the front hobs.

The bigger the rangehood, the more effective it will be at removing steam and odours. If you have the space, consider fitting a 900mm-wide range hood over a 600mm cooktop. The extra width on each side will catch more steam. Our Test results are for 900mm-wide models.

Filters

All rangehoods have a filter to trap oil and grease. Reusable metal filters can be put in the dishwasher. The carbon filters for recirculating mode need to be replaced regularly and are an ongoing cost – check that they’re readily available, too.

Fans

Efficiency is not necessarily related to the number of fans. Some single-fan models can out-perform two-fan models.

Noise

Fans can be quite noisy on full speed, and there's a tendency for noise to increase with performance. A range of fan speeds is therefore useful: you don't need the thing whooshing away if you're just scrambling some eggs. Noise levels can get up to 60 or even 66 decibels (dBA).

Lighting

A good rangehood will provide enough light over the cooktop for you to see into the pots. Many models use only a single 40 watt bulb, which many cooks won't find adequate. Others use 2 bulbs, sometimes suffusing them with a perspex strip. Many of the more expensive rangehoods provide much better light with halogen lamps or suffused fluorescent bulbs. Check that the bulbs are easy to replace.

Exterior

The rangehood should be easy to clean and have no nooks or crevices where dirt and grease can build up. Fixed rangehoods with a smooth underside are generally easier to clean than retractable ones.

Maintenance

Rangehoods are not maintenance-free. You need to remove and wash the filter, clean the body of the hood and occasionally change a light bulb. You should be able to perform most of these tasks easily – if there's a problem, contact your distributor.

Controls

It's pretty standard for hoods to have their controls in an easy-access position on the front. However, some models have sliding switches that are a little tricky to set in the right position. Touch controls are easier to use.