Kitchen making and extraction hood height

[Avery]

Hello kitchen builders and a fitters.
As a cabinet maker itchens were a small part of my business.
I've made a few kitchens but I've never been responsible for the extractor hood and never had one in my own kitchen at home.
Now I've finally got around to building myself a kitchen at 51 years old. I have a fan hood for the firys time and I can't decide which height to put it at. Industry seems to sayb700 to 700mm from the counter but photos of quality kitchens seem to show it higher which was my instinct.
I have rows of tiles and splash backs at to consider as well. I guess it's a choice of having it below eyeline 680mm and looking down on it which works ,or having it at 830mm where you kind of stand under and in it which feels a little more comfortable but i really can't tell. And veing in my own I can't hold it up and look. Holes in my new tiles I did myself in the wrong place will annoy me so I've got to get it right first time.
I've built a lot of my house myself and a few things I wish I'd done differently I don't want this to be one of them.
What's your experiences?

 

[Fitzroy]

The front edge of mine is at my eye line, so I guess about 170-175cm from the floor, when I’m cooking it feels out the way, wouldn’t want it lower.

 

[ian8555]

I believe we go for 1850mm from finished floor, normally 900mm worktop height. Though to be fair ceiling height in some properties is more than your average 2 up 2 down.

 

[Sideways]

Bottom edge of mine is right at the bridge of my nose, and I still sometimes head butt it leaning forward looking down into the pans.
It's just below my eye line so I don't see the built in lights, but my wife is 6" shorter ....

 

[Doug71]

I had a similar dilemma a few weeks ago when replacing the extractor in my rental property.

I thought the existing one seemed low so checked the regs for minimum heights and found it should be at least 650mm above electric hobs and 750mm above gas hobs. The old one was about 700mm above the electric hob so for ease I put the new one in the same place, I did feel like I would bang my head on it but the tenant is quite small and it wasn't a problem for them.

When I got home I measured mine and it's 900mm above the hob, it is a big canopy and the ceilings are high so it looks right and I can't bang my head on it unless I jump!

 

[Avery]

Bottom edge of mine is right at the bridge of my nose, and I still sometimes head butt it leaning forward looking down into the pans.
It's just below my eye line so I don't see the built in lights, but my wife is 6" shorter ....

These are all exactly the answers I needed.im about to decide . It's all about eyeline because I'm building it for myself. So sideways? Did you intentionally put it at eyeline? Because that was my first train of thought but then as you say you head but it.
Or higher? Then you stand under it as such and are slightly blinded by the lights and are very aware of the ugliness.

 

[Avery]

Ian8555, so that's 950 above the counter? A much higher hood, as in the quality photos I see in the Taunton book collections of super expensive American kitchens. So you put them above peoples heads as such? I think I might try that. It does seem visually quite high. But functionally more sensible.
So much easier when you can just ask the client and then get annoyed at them when they can't decide...no right or wrong answers here . I suppose you might want to check the burning rice on the back burner and if you didn't whack the bridge of your nose that might be handy...hmm

 

[Avery]

The front edge of mine is at my eye line, so I guess about 170-175cm from the floor, when I’m cooking it feels out the way, wouldn’t want it lower.

 

[Inspector]

Builder put mine at just under 800mm above the gas stove, eye level to me and I bang my noggin too often, especially the corners. I'm 6' 2" tall and I wish it were at least 150mm higher. The top of my glasses line up with the hood when I look down at the pans and I don't see it. They should be installed high enough for the expected user to never get a dented head.

Pete

 

[ian8555]

Ian8555, so that's 950 above the counter? A much higher hood, as in the quality photos I see in the Taunton book collections of super expensive American kitchens. So you put them above peoples heads as such? I think I might try that. It does seem visually quite high. But functionally more sensible.
So much easier when you can just ask the client and then get annoyed at them when they can't decide...no right or wrong answers here . I suppose you might want to check the burning rice on the back burner and if you didn't whack the bridge of your nose that might be handy...hmm

Yes that's it.

 

[Sideways]

These are all exactly the answers I needed.im about to decide . It's all about eyeline because I'm building it for myself. So sideways? Did you intentionally put it at eyeline? Because that was my first train of thought but then as you say you head but it.
Or higher? Then you stand under it as such and are slightly blinded by the lights and are very aware of the ugliness.

Kitchen fitters put it in. I probably had some input when they did. It's an inch above my wife's head. 735mm above the worktop, 710mm above the burners of the gas hob.
Both the hob and the hood are by Smeg and still going strong after 30 something years.

Given our different heights I'd put it back in the same place. I think hoods catch more the nearer they are to the pans.

 

[Ollie78]

Due to awkward height issues in the last kitchen I fitted we decided to go for the ones which angle up at a 45 degrees.
No problem for banging your head or getting in front of your view etc. it worked well.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

The height probably needs to have some regard for the size and power of the cooker hood - a large powerful hood could be installed much higher than a smaller one and have similar extractive performance.

Ideally when cooking the cooker hood should be at a height at which the cook is unaware - does not block the view of what's cooking nor a bead butting risk. The compromise - short people cannot reach the controls an a high cooker hood.

At a guess 175cm would be reasonable

 

[TRITON]

What about this type, Its called a downdraft extractor.

Sits at the back of the hob.
https://cookology.com/product-categ...oker-hoods-by-fitting/downdraft-cooker-hoods/

 

[mark w]

Hello kitchen builders and a fitters.
As a cabinet maker itchens were a small part of my business.
I've made a few kitchens but I've never been responsible for the extractor hood and never had one in my own kitchen at home.
Now I've finally got around to building myself a kitchen at 51 years old. I have a fan hood for the firys time and I can't decide which height to put it at. Industry seems to sayb700 to 700mm from the counter but photos of quality kitchens seem to show it higher which was my instinct.
I have rows of tiles and splash backs at to consider as well. I guess it's a choice of having it below eyeline 680mm and looking down on it which works ,or having it at 830mm where you kind of stand under and in it which feels a little more comfortable but i really can't tell. And veing in my own I can't hold it up and look. Holes in my new tiles I did myself in the wrong place will annoy me so I've got to get it right first time.
I've built a lot of my house myself and a few things I wish I'd done differently I don't want this to be one of them.
What's your experiences?

A maximum of 800mm from the top of the worktop seems to work well in my 39 years of experience, any higher and the extractor loses its draw.

 

[MikeJhn]

As Ollie78 said above the 45deg angled hoods work well: https://www.myappliances.co.uk/angled-glass-cooker-hoods.

 

[XTiffy]

Difficult to get this right but like Inspector, I'm a six footer (Wife is much shorter) and often catch my head on the corner of the hood, which is b-painful.
I should have gone for the 45 degree type but too late now! Trouble is they are so much more expensive, not that I can see why.

 

[ChaiLatte]

The height probably needs to have some regard for the size and power of the cooker hood...

...and also the type of cooking you are doing.

Steam from boiling your spuds is a different kettle of fish to a kettle of fish.

Perhaps the cook's position on the pyromania scale should also be taken into account.

 

[Distinterior]

As Doug71 said, there are minimum heights for cooker hoods according to the regulations, but no maximum.
The manufacturers instructions take priority over the regulations.

In theory, you can put it up as high as you want, but as has already been mentioned, the efficiency will suffer.
Some models are available with either twin motors or much more powerful single motors......Worth bearing in mind if you want to put one in much higher up.

The large ceiling mounted extractor hoods are a long way away from the cooking surface, but they tend to have much more powerful motors to allow for that extra distance & 150mm dia ducting.......And are obviously remote controlled or programmable & connected via Bluetooth to the Hob and turn on at a matching speed to suit the type of cooking being done.

 

[AJB Temple]

Most domestic hoods are fitted much too low, for aesthetic reasons, and are not anywhere near powerful enough. Kitchen "designers" are rarely cooks. In a good kitchen the hood is high up so that you don't have to stoop to see up into it. You want this so that you can clean it easily and properly. They are designed to extract steam and grease so ease of cleaning is fundamental. It needs to pull the fumes up really strongly when searing steak or fish. If it can't do that, it is basically an ornament.