At A F Thomas Electricals we want to give you the same experience that you would get if you were in one of our stores so here are the key facts that you need to know when deciding on which Cooker Hood to buy.

When looking to buy a new cooker hood you need to consider the following:

Hood Type

• Chimney hoods, these fix directly to the wall and have a very big visual impact on your kitchen and are available in many different widths and colours.
• Integrated hoods, this type is fitted within an existing cupboard space or even a ceiling, ideal if you have a small amount of space or you don't want to see the hood.
• Visor hoods, these will fit either to your wall or beneath an existing bridging cupboard.
• Island hoods, these are ideal if you have a cooking island in your kitchen and you want the hood to suspend above your hob or cooker and you have no wall to attach it to.
• Designer Hoods, from angled designs, to hoods that rise up from your worktop, we can help you find the ideal hood for your needs

Extraction type

• External extraction, if you have the suitable hole in your wall, you can extract all the nasty smells straight outside, this eliminates the need for a charcoal filter. All hood types will use a grease filter that captures the grease as the air passes through the hood. The grease filter will need cleaning or replacing periodically to maintain efficiency.
• Internal extraction, if you don't have the suitable hole then you will need to consider a hood that has a charcoal filter fitted, this will filter the air as it passes through, capture the smells and then push back out clean air. This filter will need replacing periodically and we can supply this for you.

Extraction rates

• This is the rate at which the hood pushes the air through your hood, the higher the extraction rate, the better the hood will be. A good tip here is to start the hood working 5 minutes before you intend to start cooking, this gets a good flow of air circulation going before you start.

Features and Benefits

Other features to look for that will get you the best product suited to you are:

• LED lighting, some models will have LED lighting that gives you a much better nd brighter light illuminating your food better.
• Noise levels, cooker hoods can be very noisy especilly when on full, look out for lower dB levels to cut down on noise pollution.
• Speed options, most cooker hoods will have 1-3 different speed settings, you will need the higher speed levels when cooking bigger meals.