Do I need an extractor fan over the oven/microwave (open plan kitchen)

[dave2612]

Hi,

We have started out kitchen/diner extension which is approx a 60m2 space with no windows just sliding doors at the other side of where the kitchen will be installed. We will be installing an externally venting hob but was wondering what people do for ovens and microwaves that are built into units? Our oven will be against a wall while our hob is on an island. Do I need to bother?  Is it good to put one in anyway?

thanks!

Dave

[JohnMo]

28 minutes ago, dave2612 said:

We will be installing an externally venting hob but was wondering what people do for ovens and microwaves that are built into units? Our oven will be against a wall while our hob is on an island. Do I need to bother?  Is it good to put one in anyway

What is your overall ventilation strategy for the whole house?

[dave2612]

we don't have one!  Its an old 1930's property.

[JohnMo]

So ventilation strategy is where to start.

 

Do you have any mould or damp issues?

Have you improved insulation or drafts by doing your changes to the house?

Do you have fire places are these all blocked off?

Any bathroom fans?

 

All the above helps answer your original question 

[dave2612]

2 hours ago, JohnMo said:

So ventilation strategy is where to start.

 

Do you have any mould or damp issues?

Have you improved insulation or drafts by doing your changes to the house?

Do you have fire places are these all blocked off?

Any bathroom fans?

 

All the above helps answer your original question 

Thanks John,

 

The rest of the house is prone to getting a small amount of mould on the windows in winter.

Not improved insulation

All fireplaces are blocked off

All bathrooms have fans.

 

Just FYI the 60m2 is one room, all open planned.

 

thanks,

Dave

[JohnMo]

I would be tempted to swop out any intermittent fans for dMEV. You can easily do this one at a time, do high use rooms first, like the main bathroom.  These run at very low flow rates, all the time and provide a good amount of background ventilation, cost between £2 and £4 a year to run each. Ideally you would have trickle vents in the bedrooms and living room (not generally needed in wet rooms), then you would get a good cross ventilation effect across the whole house. But with the extractor in the kitchen (when off) the dMEV will draw air in via that hole in the wall and if ventilated to the inside, any chimneys etc.

 

Ideally you would have one dMEV fan in each wet room and kitchen. Greenwood CV2GIP are very quite (almost silent), have automated smart boost so they only boost to the reaction of increasing humidity over a short period (showering for example). They come up on eBay for very reasonable prices quite often.

 

4 hours ago, dave2612 said:

Hi,

We have started out kitchen/diner extension which is approx a 60m2 space with no windows just sliding doors at the other side of where the kitchen will be installed. We will be installing an externally venting hob but was wondering what people do for ovens and microwaves that are built into units? Our oven will be against a wall while our hob is on an island. Do I need to bother?  Is it good to put one in anyway?

thanks!

Dave

So to answer your question - I would add a fan to the kitchen, but only the dMEV type, most the time it would replace the need to have the noisy main extract fan on, reserve that for smelly foods only.