Did you know that cooking smoke increases indoor air pollution? Indian kitchens are popular for the intense cooking style, which includes, deep-frying, tempering, grilling, etc. This ultimately results in smoke, aroma, moisture, irritation, and oil fumes. These substances settle on the tiles, walls, and surrounding of the stove, making them greasy over time. At times, it also makes it difficult to breathe while cooking because of the gases emitted during the process.
To keep your kitchen clean and hygienic, you need a chimney or an exhaust fan. These will help you get rid of the smoke, odor, or grease from the kitchen. Are you confused about what to choose for your kitchen? A chimney or an exhaust fan? Worry not! This article will help you decide which ventilation device best suits your kitchen to keep it cool and odor-free.
What is a Kitchen Chimney?
A kitchen chimney is an appliance to vent out or absorb smoke, moisture, fumes from the kitchen and keep it clean and smoke-free.
Why is a Chimney Necessary in the Kitchen?
Many people think if a chimney is really necessary for the kitchen. Yes, it is! This is because, chimney acts as a ventilation device to channel out indoor air pollution, and leaves the indoor air clean and refreshed.
How Does it Work?
The main function of a kitchen chimney is to extract smoke, hot exhaust gases, odor, or steam generated during cooking. And the mechanism behind it is very simple. Install the chimney right above your gas stove or cook-top. It has suction motors and filters equipped in it. When you turn on the chimney, it extracts the smoke, oil, or gases. The grease gets trapped in the filters. But the moisture and smoke get routed to the outside environment through the ducts.
Pros and Cons of Chimney
These days, the kitchen chimney has become one of the most essential and smart kitchen appliances. It benefits us in our daily life and plays a crucial role in cooking. Let us look at some of its advantages and disadvantages.
Pros:
- It keeps all your beautiful tiles and granites in your kitchen non-sticky and clean.
- It keeps all your walls and kitchen interiors spotless and clean.
- It sucks up the odor while cooking and keeps your kitchen odor-free.
- It extracts any strong aroma from cooking and helps you get rid of it. It relieves you of sneezing because of the same.
- Having a chimney in your kitchen increases the aesthetic appeal of it.
Cons:
- This kitchen appliance is a bit expensive, and not everyone can afford it.
- Whenever you switch on a chimney, it creates a loud noise, which can be irritating to a few.
- It requires frequent cleaning to get rid of the stickiness, grease, and dirt stuck in the filters.
- Requires high maintenance.
- It even results in consuming more electricity.
- There can be issues at the time of installation as you may have to modify the kitchen. This can sometimes be a costly affair.
What is an Exhaust Fan?
An exhaust fan is another ventilator device for the kitchen to reduce the build-up of chemical fumes. It helps in maintaining air quality and ideal temperature in the kitchen.
How Does it Work?
Exhaust fans work by pulling unwanted odors, moisture, and fumes in the kitchen. The fan blades vent these out through a small opening and allow fresh air to enter.
Pros and Cons of Exhaust Fan
Exhaust fans are an excellent way to ventilate humid areas like the kitchen, bathroom, laundry, etc. Below are some of the advantages and disadvantages of exhaust fans.
Pros:
- Effectively keeps moisture out of the kitchen.
- Eliminates smoke and harmful odors from the kitchen and replaces them with fresh air.
- They are very cost-effective.
- They require minimum space for installation.
- Consumes less electricity.
Cons:
- When not installed properly, there are chances that heat and moisture can escape into other areas.
- They can be noisy.
- These are effective only in smaller rooms.
- Despite having an exhaust fan, the walls and ceiling can become dirty and greasy.
- Requires regular maintenance and cleaning of the kitchen.
Exhaust Fan Vs Chimney
The comparison below will give you a clear idea of whether a chimney is the best or an exhaust fan.
1. Filtration
When it comes to the efficiency of filtration, the chimney does the job very well. It vents the smoke out of the kitchen after filtration, not giving any chance to spread inside the room.
On the other hand, the exhaust fan directly vents out to the atmosphere, further polluting the air.
2. Cooking Environment
A chimney keeps the cooking environment clean by expelling out the bad odor, smoke, and grease particles in the kitchen instantly.
Contrary to this, an exhaust fan takes a certain time to expel out the smoke, odor, and hot steam. This is because the placement of an exhaust fan is far away from the stove.
3. Expense
Kitchen chimneys are a bit expensive when compared to exhaust fans. The price range of an effective model starts from Rs 10,000.
Exhaust fans are inexpensive, and the price range usually starts from Rs 1000.
4. Cleaning
Auto-clean chimnies are available that require less effort to clean or maintain.
The oily or greasy particles stick to the blades of the fan. Hence, the exhaust fan requires frequent cleaning, at least once a month.
5. Maintenance
The maintenance of the chimney is very important to maintain and ensure its working conditions. An unclean chimney may create more noise and even performs badly.
The exhaust fan requires low maintenance when compared to a chimney.
6. Electricity Consumption
A chimney consumes approximately about 230 watts of electricity.
An exhaust fan consumes less electricity than a chimney, which is approximately about 65 watts.
Conclusion
If you consider the benefits that chimney has over exhaust fans, the chimney is the obvious solution for Indian kitchens. While exhaust fans are less expensive and consume less electricity, they do have certain limitations. Chimney provides you with more comfort while cooking. It reduces the effort of kitchen cleaning and keeps the kitchen free from smoke and grease.
