Kitchen Chimney v/s Exhaust Fan: What’s the difference?
Choosing between a kitchen chimney and an exhaust fan has always been a dilemma. Both these appliances have their unique features and pros. However, it is a known fact that exhaust fans cannot get rid of grease and oil particles like a chimney. It can only remove bad odor, and smoke from your kitchen, whereas chimney can get rid of smoke, bad smell, grease, oil particles completely.
Let’s discuss this in detail to solve this dilemma once and for all. We will look into the differences and analyze which one works more efficiently to meet the requirements.
An exhaust fan vents out the smoke produced. It circulates fresh air from outside and allows it to enter your kitchen, making it odor and smoke-free. The volume of air an exhaust fan can replace in a minute is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). The rate will vary according to the size of your kitchen.
Based on the installation, the kitchen chimney can be of two types – ducted and ductless. A ducted chimney performs the function of 15 exhaust fans, and a ductless chimney is equivalent to 8 exhaust fans. A kitchen chimney will remove the polluted air, smoke, grease, oil particles from your kitchen.
Sometimes it purifies the polluted air and releases it back. While cooking spicy food, the oil particles, grease produced settles on the shelves or cabinets of the kitchen. Over time it becomes filthy, and the color starts fading. Having a chimney will not allow those grease or oil particles to settle indoors.
Kitchen Chimney v/s Exhaust Fan
| Kitchen chimney | Exhaust fan |
| It purifies the smoke and bad odor produced while cooking. Also, it sucks the grease, tiny oil particles present in the kitchen. | It pushes out the lousy odor, carbon, and smoke from your kitchen. It replaces the smoke with fresh air taken from outside. |
| Chimneys are expensive, and you will have to make some permanent changes in your wall if you wish to install a chimney in your kitchen — the starting price of a chimney ranges from 10000 – 15000 rupees. | Exhaust fans are comparatively less expensive than kitchen chimneys — the starting price of an exhaust fan ranges from 1000 – 2000 rupees only. |
| Cleaning a kitchen chimney is more convenient than an exhaust fan. All you need to is just wash the filters after taking them out. | Cleaning an exhaust fan is more complicated than kitchen chimneys. You need to take the whole fan down from its place and then wash it with a suitable cleaning agent. Check for manual book instructions for detailed steps. |
| Kitchen chimneys make cleaning your kitchen more accessible than ever. It reduces your effort. | Having an exhaust fan will not reduce your effort in cleaning the kitchen. You will need to clean it frequently. |
| Kitchen chimneys consume more electricity. It consumes about 200 – 250 watts of power. | An exhaust fan will save you from hefty electricity bills. It consumes approx 50 – 60 watts of electricity. |
| You require more space in your kitchen if you wish to install a kitchen chimney. | An exhaust fan requires minimum space for installation. |
Conclusion
Apart from variation in price, it is obvious that a kitchen chimney is more useful than an exhaust fan. One reduces the effort of cleaning your kitchen, whereas the other one is inexpensive and consumes less electricity. There are some benefits and drawbacks to both of the appliances. In the end, the kitchen chimney is the appliance you should aim for.
