Kitchen Oven Extractor Hood

I was hoping to get recommendations for someone who can assist with the below issue. Based in Dublin.

We have an Elicia Extractor hood that was put in place about 11-12 years ago. It was capable of recycling the fumes so we didn't get it attached to an external vent. It never really worked very well that way. Due to the location of the oven the only way to vent out would be through the celing.
We were getting some work done on the roof and as part of that we had them put in a vent but they never connected it through to the extractor itself. In fact the kitchen ceiling was never touched.

As far as i can tell looking at the manual for the extractor (have attached to this post) it can be put into ducting mode. I was afraid it would only work in recycling mode.

So we are in a situation were i need to either get the existing extractor hood connected to the existing vent in the ceiling. This would likely involve creating a hole in the ceiling and connecting to the existing vent with some ducting or replace the extractor hood if the existing hood cant be used to vent.

To add to the complexity the ceiling in the kitchen is very low so any replacement hood (if required) would need to have the flue cut to size. I have also included pictures of the existing hood and vent in the ceiling.

We are due to have the warmer homes scheme completed on our house soon (at least soon after the lockdown ends) and if there is no vent in the kitchen they have said they will need to put one in the wall instead which i want to avoid.

If you are anyway 'handy' you could easily do it yourself with a short length of venting hose.
That is assuming that the outer vent is actually in line with the hood.

The difference between recirculating and extracting outside is like night & day! And most Elica extractors are excellent at extracting. If you can get an electrician (not sure at the moment) that's an hour or so job to sort out ducting to the outside, or seeing as most things are in place, someone who is handy should be able to do it. You'll probably need 100mm or 150mm ducting to run from the extractor to outside vent.

This is a very complicated topic. I am not a massive fan of extractive hoods because they reduce a homes energy efficiency. Id rather run mechanical heating in purge mode or open the window. I guess your kitchen has no ventilation as it is. Cutting vents in the wall is a form of butchery. You cant use some kind of decentralised ventilation?

RobFer said:

You cant use some kind of decentralised ventilation?

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You mean centralised? These aren't a good idea for cooking fumes.

Leo said:

You mean centralised? These aren't a good idea for cooking fumes.

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Decentralised heat recovery mechanical ventilation. I wouldn't plug a cooker into a MHRV unit (although some do) but when combined with a recirculating hood they do help a lot keep smells at bay.

RobFer said:

Decentralised heat recovery mechanical ventilation. I wouldn't plug a cooker into a MHRV unit (although some do) but when combined with a recirculating hood they do help a lot keep smells at bay.

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Ah, OK, are they common here? I presume they'd only really be considered for retrofits.

Yes, I think so. I think some developers installing them in new developments. I suspect this is to reduce the cost of installing ductwork. I have never lived in a house with them though. Would be worth finding someone who has.

Rather than butchering the wall, would a window with top trickle vent suffice, can be closed off as required...

fidelcastro said:

Rather than butchering the wall, would a window with top trickle vent suffice, can be closed off as required...

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No need to.............
All explained in the OP.

RobFer said:

I suspect this is to reduce the cost of installing ductwork. I have never lived in a house with them though. Would be worth finding someone who has.

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Duct work is cheaper in a new builds, I'd have thought they'd only be used to avoid the disruption of retrofitting ducts in existing properties. They'd require more holes in the wall as well, which would mean more potential problems meeting air-tightness requirements.

Thanks for all the replies. I wouldn't be happy cutting a hole in ceiling myself for fear of making a silly mistake. Is there any handyman around the Dublin area that people could recommend that would look at something like this?

Leo said:

Duct work is cheaper in a new builds, I'd have thought they'd only be used to avoid the disruption of retrofitting ducts in existing properties. They'd require more holes in the wall as well, which would mean more potential problems meeting air-tightness requirements.

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It seems like a false economy for a developer to omit duct work for me.

RobFer said:

It seems like a false economy for a developer to omit duct work for me.

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Sorry, getting confused now... are you saying centralised or decentralised for new builds?

It would certainly be cheaper and less obtrusive for a developer to run ducts rather than install MHRV units in all habitable rooms. Is there a scenario where that approach would make more sense?

Leo said:

Sorry, getting confused now... are you saying centralised or decentralised for new builds?

It would certainly be cheaper and less obtrusive for a developer to run ducts rather than install MHRV units in all habitable rooms. Is there a scenario where that approach would make more sense?

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I have seen both in new developments.

As far as I know these decentralised heat recovery units are designed for this purpose. They are smaller and built into walls. [broken link removed] I don't know what brands developers use. I guess demand-controlled ventilation systems are common too.