Noise standards for kitchen hoods

Hoods have long become an indispensable kitchen attribute in every apartment. She copes with the problem of air purification during cooking. But at the same time it has an unpleasant property - during operation the device is often seriously noisy. Why it happens? Does it affect health? How to reduce the volume of work?

What should be the noise level of the hood

On average, a working hood produces noise of the order of 60-65 dB. To make this value clearer, it can be compared with other possible volume levels:

  • 20-40 dB - this norm is characteristic of a quiet conversation (at least in a whisper, at most - a quiet conversation at close range);
  • 60 dB - sound background in a filled supermarket;
  • 80 dB - included vacuum cleaner;
  • 110 dB - music in a disco or in a night club.

It turns out that the volume produced by a conventional kitchen hood does not go beyond the norm, but is quite noticeable to the hearing organs.

Given that a person begins to feel pain at 120-140 dB, it can be concluded that the noise is relatively safe from the noise of the device. In addition, it does not work constantly, but only at those intervals when cooking is done.

To answer this question, you need to understand how the kitchen unit is arranged and by what principle it works.

At the moment, there are two ventilation systems of the room: flowing and recirculating. The first provides the absorption of polluted air for its further removal from the room. The second serves as a cleaner thanks to the built-in filters.

Mandatory internal components of the device are a fan that provides air intake, and an engine that controls its operation. Just these elements affect the noise produced.

IMPORTANT! When buying a hood, you need to ask about its performance and power. These values ​​are directly related not only to the efficiency of the device, but also to the volume level. The size of the kitchen is also taken into account.

Using a special formula, you can calculate a value that will not make a mistake with the choice of hoods for a particular room:

ceiling height × room area × 12 = performance.

The resulting value determines how much air the system can process in 1 hour. And if you multiply it by a factor of 1.3, it will also take into account the standard length of the duct, the number of storeys of the building, the general pollution of the environment, etc.

At the same time, it is worth buying a device whose performance is slightly more than calculated. Thus, it does not have to be turned on at high speeds, which will save you from unnecessary noise. But do not forget that the more powerful the hood, the louder it works. The same applies to the cross-sectional area of ​​the pipe: the smaller it is, the greater the noise.

First of all, when installing the device, the owner must take care of the reliability of its fastening, structural strength, its integrity and tightness to the wall. If there are gaps in the system or the duct is not installed securely, then the noise of the work will increase, to which unquenchable vibration will be added. You can eliminate the backlash using foam rubber or polyurethane.

It is also worth considering the material of which the vent pipe is made. The so-called corrugation, due to its ribbed metal surface, increases noise, but ordinary smooth plastic does not produce it. To reduce the volume, sound absorbing material (such as isolon) can be attached to the duct.

ATTENTION! Sound is amplified if you do not regularly clean the device. Contaminated filters and the pipe form an obstacle to the movement of air, thereby providing greater noise.

It’s worth immediately debunking the myth - there are no completely silent hoods at the moment, although the developers have already achieved tremendous success in noise reduction.

The most advanced option is now considered the NRS system, developed by Italian designers. It has serious advantages compared to peers:

  • all possible details that can serve as an obstacle to the movement of air are taken into account so that there are no unnecessary resistance;
  • the case itself is made of sound-absorbing materials and has rather thick walls;
  • inside the duct there are special V-shaped traps made of anti-acoustic material, which, according to the developers, allows the system to literally suppress sounds;
  • the fan is located at the maximum distance from the air intake.

All this provides a noise reduction of almost 85% and makes the hood operation noticeable only in the penultimate power mode.

So, now you know almost everything about the noise of the exhaust devices, the ways to extinguish it and without difficulty you can choose a device that meets the requirements of your kitchen.

Watch the video: Falmec Silence Collection EN Tech Version (March 2024).

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