Kitchen Appliances · Buying Guide
Ducted or Recirculating Extraction: Which Your Kitchen Can Actually Take
A cooker hood can work one of two ways, and which one your kitchen can take is often decided by the building, not by preference. Ducted extraction sends cooking air outside; recirculating extraction filters it and returns it to the room. They perform differently, and crucially, not every kitchen can be ducted. Knowing which your kitchen can actually take, before you buy a hood, saves choosing one that cannot be installed the way you assumed.
A ducted cooker hood carries cooking steam, grease and odours out of the building through ducting to an external vent, while a recirculating hood passes the air through filters, including a charcoal filter for odours, and returns it to the kitchen. Ducted extraction generally performs better because it removes moisture and odours completely, but it needs a viable route for ducting to an outside wall or roof, which not every kitchen has, particularly island or internal layouts. Recirculating extraction can go almost anywhere because it needs no duct, but it does not remove moisture and relies on filters that need replacing. Which you can have depends first on whether ducting is possible.
This guide explains the difference between ducted and recirculating extraction, how they compare, and how to work out which your kitchen layout will allow, so the hood you buy is the hood you can fit.
What ducted extraction does
A ducted, or extracted, cooker hood captures the steam, grease and smells from cooking and pushes them out of the building through ducting that runs to an external vent on a wall or roof. Because it removes the air completely, it deals with moisture as well as odours, which matters, since cooking is one of the biggest sources of humidity in a home. This is generally the better-performing option: the cooking air, and the moisture in it, actually leaves the house rather than being recycled.
The catch is that it needs somewhere to duct to. There has to be a practical route for the ducting from the hood to an outside wall or roof, ideally as short and straight as possible, because long or convoluted duct runs reduce performance.
What recirculating extraction does
A recirculating hood does not send air outside. Instead it draws the cooking air through filters, a grease filter and a charcoal (carbon) filter that absorbs odours, and returns the cleaned air to the kitchen. Its great advantage is that it needs no ducting, so it can be fitted almost anywhere, including in kitchens where ducting to an outside wall simply is not possible. The trade-offs are that it does not remove moisture from the room, and the charcoal filters have to be replaced periodically to keep it working, which is an ongoing cost and task.
How ducted extraction works
Steam, grease and smells are pushed out through ducting to an external vent on a wall or roof, so moisture leaves the house as well as odours. It needs a practical duct route, ideally short and straight.
How recirculating extraction works
Air is drawn through a grease filter and a charcoal (carbon) filter, then returned to the kitchen. It needs no ducting, but it does not remove moisture and the charcoal filters need replacing periodically.
How they compare
- Performance: ducted generally performs better, removing moisture and odours from the home; recirculating filters odours but returns the air, and does not remove moisture.
- Installation: ducted needs a viable duct route to outside; recirculating needs none and can go anywhere.
- Moisture: only ducted extraction actually removes cooking humidity from the room.
- Ongoing upkeep: recirculating relies on charcoal filters that need regular replacement; ducted does not.
- Flexibility: recirculating suits island units and internal kitchens where ducting is impractical.
Which can your kitchen actually take?
The deciding question is usually whether ducting is possible, so start there:
- Is the hob and hood on or near an outside wall?If so, a short duct run outside is often straightforward, and ducted extraction is usually the better choice.
- Is the hood on an island or an internal wall, far from outside?Ducting may be long, awkward or impossible, which points towards recirculating, or a more involved ducting solution.
- Is there a route through units, ceiling or roof for a duct?A viable, reasonably short and straight route is what makes ducted extraction perform.
- Is the kitchen prone to condensation or heavy cooking?If moisture is a concern, ducted extraction has a real advantage, so it is worth trying to make ducting work.
Decide the method before you choose the hood. Many cooker hoods can be set up as ducted or recirculating, but some are designed mainly for one. Work out what your kitchen can take, ducted if a good route exists, recirculating if not, before you fall for a particular hood, so you choose a model that suits the extraction method your kitchen actually allows.
Choosing the right hood
Once you know whether your kitchen can be ducted, choosing the hood is much easier, and you avoid the disappointment of buying for an installation your kitchen cannot support. Brennan's Electrical stocks cooker hoods, built-in gas hobs, built-in ovens and cooking appliances from the brands we carry, and our Arklow team can help you match a hood to your kitchen and your extraction method. Browse our cooking appliances, and call the store on 0402 32870 to talk it through.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a ducted and recirculating cooker hood?
Is a ducted or recirculating hood better?
Can any kitchen have a ducted cooker hood?
Do recirculating hoods need filters replaced?
Choosing a cooker hood?
Brennan's Electrical can match a hood to your kitchen and your extraction method. Browse our cooking appliances or call the Arklow store on 0402 32870. For the ventilation standards behind kitchen extraction, see gov.ie on building regulations and ventilation.