The Complete Chimney Buying Guide

A kitchen chimney is an electrical appliance that is designed to help you eliminate smoke and harmful fumes that are produced while cooking. It also absorbs oil particles that are released into the air while cooking, thus keeping your kitchen clean. Modern kitchen chimneys also improve the kitchen decor. Use this guide to decide which chimney is ideal for your kitchen.

Types of Mount

Choose a chimney based on the structure of your kitchen and the available space above the stove.

Wall-mounted Chimney

Ceiling-mounted Chimney

Filter Type

Baffle Filter

Best suited for Indian kitchens due to increased use of oil and spices while cooking.
Uses overlapping layers of steel/aluminium to change direction of airflow in order to separate grease and spice particles from the air.
Suction power is not affected even if oil is collected in the first layer.
Needs to be cleaned on a regular basis for optimal performance.

Cassette Filter

Made up of multiple layers of aluminium mesh which have tiny holes to trap particles and purify air.
Oil and other particles cling to the mesh as the air passes through it, boosting the purification process.
Must be washed with detergent on a bi-weekly basis to keep filter functional or it may get clogged.

Charcoal Filter

Features a layer with charcoal granules which effectively eliminates odor.
Mostly optional, this filter is used together with either baffle or cassette filters.
Needs to be replaced every 3 to 6 months depending on intensity of cooking.

Air Suction Capacity

This denotes the ability of the kitchen chimney to absorb smoke, oil and odor. It is measured in cubic meter per hour (m³/hr). Choose a chimney based on the size of your kitchen. Ideally the chimney should be able to recycle the air at least 10 times in an hour to be effective. Chimneys with a wide hose are much more effective at extracting air quickly.

To calculate the effective suction power based on the room size, use the following formula. Width x Length x Height x Number of times the air must be recycled in an hour.

For example: If the kitchen has dimensions of 4 m x 4 m x 2.5 m , then the volume is 40 m³. Multiply that by 10 and you get 400 m³/hr, which is the minimum required suction power for that kitchen.

Duct/Ductless Chimneys

Size of Chimney

Most kitchen chimneys are available in standard sizes of 60 cm and 90 cm. Choose the size of the chimney depending on the size of the stove and the size of the kitchen. The chimney size should be slightly larger than the size of the stove, in order to absorb the smoke much more effectively.