Downdraft hoods

Without any doubt the sector of the kitchen is the one that creates more incentives at the project level, a real gym for designers and architects, but also for manufacturers. It is the most lived space in the house, and this hackneyed phrase will certainly turn up your noses, but it is a fact ...

Consequently, it is here that the attention of all the major figures involved focuses, from engineers who design every piece, producers, designers, and finally to end customers who will buy the product.

In this context, the household appliances sector is certainly the one that more than any other must necessarily deal with aesthetics but also the technology. Each appliance must be, in fact, functional in all circumstances and work situation.

Among the most studied appliances, from this point of view, the hood is the most emblematic example, as the interest for the aesthetics and that for the technological qualities often are equivalent. Not everyone, in fact, love the hood integrated into cabinets and, indeed, often for this type of customer the hood must be not only beautiful, but has even become the protagonist of the composition.

Let us not forget, however, the functional aspect of this appliance, which must guarantee minimum benefits that fall within the regulatory parameters set up to assure a sufficient air, depending on the size of the kitchen and the habits of those who work on an ongoing basis .

Even the type of composition of the kitchen influences the choice of the hood, as well as the influence susceptibility of the kitchen in the plant compared to the rest of the dwelling or the position of the installations of release of smoke.

Another consideration to keep in mind is the increasingly common practice, for reasons of space, to have the kitchen as an integral part of the living space.

Extractable downdraft hood

It stands to reason that in these cases the appearance is important, but it must not be at the expense of the functional one: no one, I believe, likes chatting on the couch immersed in the smell of soffritto or of vegetables stew ...

Among the latest new born, the type of modern hoods that are really making a difference is that represented by the extractable downdraft hood, very comfortable in the case of islands or peninsulas of work in which you can not predict a hood suspended for structural reasons or simply aesthetic, or in those cases in which the work surface is smooth and covers, when not in use, the whole workbench.

Their characteristic is to be positioned within the working plane, where also the engine is hidden, close to the hood, in order to be extracted only when needed.

De Dietrich has a catalog of the series DHD1103X-DHD1102X-DHD1100X-DHD1101X, different in size, ranging from 52 cm to 116 cm, depending on whether elements mounted between or behind the domino hood standard, however, all characterized by the fact which are made by a thin layer of black glass set in steel, with a result of extreme elegance and refinement.

The engine is obviously hidden under the work surface while the aspirating panel is extractable with touch control according to different requirements, on intermediate positions from 18 cm above the stove, up to 30 cm. Below 18 cm the suction function stops automatically. The suction power ranges from 715 to 730 mc /h, with the sound level from a minimum of 30 dB (A) to a maximum of 57 dB (A).

The commands, as already said, are touch control with 4 speeds and the interruption is timed, so as to eliminate all traces of smoke and odors even after the end of the cooking, prolonging of 10 minutes, the operation of the hood according to the last speed set.

Further equipments are the filters saturation indicator, the active carbon filter and the grease filter cassette. This hood can be installed with gas hob, respecting the minimum distance of 5 cm.

Downdraft non-extractable

Still on the subject of downdraft hoods, we point out the hood Bora, distributed in Italy by Frigo 2000, which directly suction vapors at the very moment in which they are produced and with no need to be removed from the top.

Bora use a very simple physical principle such as that of fluid mechanics, for which it uses a transverse current higher than the upward speed of the cooking vapors, that is 1 meter per second.

The aspirator Bora acts at a speed of approximately 4 meters per second, and this increased power ensures that the vapors are extracted directly on the hob, without having time to spread.

Having clarified the technical aspect, think about the advantage of not having suspended hoods that restrict the view, or the friendly, relaxed atmosphere you get with such a solution, as the person who is in the kitchen is no longer isolated in his work but, on the contrary, the moment of cooking can involve all the diners.

Also with regard to the noise Bora solves the problem bringing it down drastically, thanks to the super quiet engines and to a perfect decoupling. In short, the advantages are numerous, both technical and aesthetical, with the result of a wide planning freedom, with the possibility of being able to fix the hob in center room or under a window, or under a roof pitch of an attic ...

But the benefits do not end here. In terms of energy savings, Bora allows you to avoid wasting resources unnecessarily. Compared to a traditional hood that arrives to suck up to and beyond 900 mc/ h of air (not only cooking vapors and odors, but also heat to warm environments produced by heating), Bora aspires less than half of the air .

In short, it acts on the speed of the flow, rather than on the volume aspirated, to the benefit of those who have chosen a sustainable lifestyle. The cleaning is extremely easy to manage, because the components are made of stainless steel, they can be removed by hand and they are dishwasher safe.

Bora exists in 3 versions Professional, Classic and Basic. In particular the latter is presented in a compact solution together with an induction hob, easily mountable on any kitchen composition, flush floor or countertop, with discharge outside or recirculated air, as in the other 2 versions.