With the kitchen increasingly becoming the focal point of family life, the ambiance is extremely important. The quality of the air in your kitchen is influenced by many things, including humidity, grease particles, dust, smells, smoke and waste heat. It is advisable therefore to ensure that "used" air is regularly cleaned and or replaced.

Of course, relying on natural air movement (warm air rises and fresher air enters via windows, doors and cracks) is one option, but this is dependant on the air temperatures - in the summer months this process does not work; in the winter the air exchange leads to loss of heat in the home, not to mention possible problems with condensation and a failure to adequately ventilate less accessible corners of the room.

By installing an extractor fan you can actively ventilate your kitchen, achieving appropriate ventilation whatever the weather or size and shape of the room.

The most efficient way to extract is through ducted extraction. We advise that you use the largest ducting size possible so the largest volume of air is extracted. Maximum ducting length should be 5 metres, allowing 1.2 metres for every 90º bend. You also need to consider that fresh air needs to flow back into the kitchen.

Recirculation which passes the air through a series of filters and back into the room.

Before choosing the hood for your kitchen, you should work out the following calculation:

Volume of kitchen (length x width x height) x 10 changes of air per hour = minimum extraction rate.

You should always observe the minimum recommended height of the hood from the hob.

The best way to remove steam and odours is to extract the air out of the room through ducting. Unfortunately, if you live in a flat or your hood's too far away from an outside wall, this may not be possible. In this case, the only alternative is to recirculate the air. Stale air is sucked through a grease filter and then a charcoal filter for purification, and then pumped back in to the kitchen via an opening in the hood. The higher the extraction or circulation rate, the more efficient the hood.

You need ducting with a wall outlet box and non return valve, which will stop the air returning. The larger the ducting, the less noise there'll be and the better the rate of extraction. We recommend at least 120mm diameter ducting (see accessories for ducting kits).

Try switching on the extractor hood a few minutes before you start cooking. This starts to circulate air in the kitchen which will help remove the odours.

They should be removed frequently for cleaning, and can be washed in the dishwasher. New grease and charcoal filters can be bought from a Neff dealer or our spares and accessories department - some hoods have an indicator to tell you when they need cleaning or replacing.

The extractor hood continues running at low speed for 10/15 minutes before turning itself off altogether.

Will ventilate the kitchen at hourly intervals on the lowest fan setting for 24 hours a day.

An ultrasound sensor controls the hood. It detects the amount of steam and will automatically set the most effective setting for you to extract the unwanted steam and odours.

The intensive setting boosts the extraction rate to the maximum level and is intended to cope with particularly demanding cooking conditions. Intensive is normally only required for short periods of time therefore the hood will automatically revert back to power level 2 after approximately 10 minutes.

Neff extractor hoods are exceptionally quiet. Our model D99T7 has a maximum extraction rate of 650m³/h and a noise level of just 54 decibels. By comparison a normal conversation is about 60 decibels. The amount of noise you hear will also be determined by the length and type of ducting and the surroundings it is fitted in. If you are sensitive to noise you should consider this when you plan and install your extractor hood.

Additional noise insulation is achieved by insulating the inside of the hood with special sound absorbing surfaces.