Kitchen Chimney Vs Exhaust Fan? Which One is Better?

If you are confused about What’s the difference between a kitchen chimney and an exhaust fan? If you are looking for a useful guide so you can decide whether to buy a chimney or settle with an exhaust fan, then you are on the perfect blog.

Indian kitchens are generally very smoky, and it is almost impossible to cook without making a mess. The soot and the smell of smoke can be a little too overwhelming at times. This is where kitchen chimneys come in handy.

However, most people use exhaust fans to get rid of that smoke. So in this article, I will explain both things and I will guide you that what you should pick.

How does the kitchen chimney work?

A kitchen chimney also works on the principle of creating a low-pressure area.

But instead of blades, it uses a system of ducts and vents.

When you turn on the chimney, polluted air from inside your kitchen is sucked up into the chimney. This polluted air then passes through a series of ducts and vents.

Also Read: How To Choose The Right Kitchen Chimney Size?

As the air passes through these ducts and vents, the heat and smoke are dissipated. The clean air is then released back into your kitchen.

How does the exhaust fan work?

The working principle of an exhaust fan is pretty simple as compared to the chimney.

An exhaust fan consists of a motor and blades. Now when you turn on the fan it starts to rotate. The rotation of the blades causes a decrease in the pressure in the exhaust fan.

This, in turn, causes air to flow into the fan from outside through the windows and doors.

The air that enters the fan contains smoke, heat, and other gases.

As this polluted air passes through the exhaust fan it gets pushed out of the window or door.

Kitchen Chimney vs Exhaust Fan

Kitchen Chimney

• Kitchen chimneys are more efficient
• The ability to suck the smoke is better
• The noise of the chimney is lesser than exhaust fans
• Chimneys are also added decor to your kitchen
• The electricity consumption of chimney is high
• The price range is also high
• Chimneys required maintenance
• They took a large space

You may like this: 7 Best Auto-Clean Chimneys Under 10000 in India

Exhaust Fan

• The installation of any exhaust is very easy
• They also come at cheaper prices
• The maintenance is almost zero
• You don’t need to worry about installation space
• Noise is high as compared to chimney
• Low electricity consumption
• The ability to suck the smoke in a large kitchen is not so good
• Not so attractive

Which one is better? Kitchen Chimney or Exhaust Fan?

I have already explained all the points in the above table that will help you to decide whether you should choose the chimney or you’re a fan picker.

However, I am going to elaborate on it a bit further so you can get a clear idea.

Suction Capacity

This is a factor that is most important when you are going to get rid of smoke and oil fumes.

So when it comes to chimneys, they are more efficient in this case as they have a high suction capacity as compared to the fans.

The average suction capacity of the chimney is about 1200 m3/hr, and on the other hand, the average suction capacity of the fan is about 550 m3/hr.

Also, chimneys have some filters that can be replaced from time to time to make sure that the suction power is maintained, but in the case of a fan, you will have to clean it regularly.

Chimneys are a little more expensive than the fans, but they are a one-time investment, and you will not have to spend money on them every now and then.

Noise

This is again an important factor to consider because you do not want a machine in your kitchen that is going to create a lot of noise.

In this case, the exhaust fans are preferable as they do not make much noise as compared to the chimneys.

The average noise level of the chimney is about 58 dB, and on the other hand, the average noise level of the fan is about 50 dB.

So you can see that there is a significant difference between the noise levels of these two machines.

Ease of Installation

When it comes to installation, fans are much easier to install as compared to chimneys.

This is because chimneys need to be installed by professionals, and they take some time to install.

On the other hand, fans can be easily installed without taking help from any professional.

Maintenance

If we talk about maintenance, both of these machines need to be cleaned regularly to make sure that they are working properly.

However, chimneys need to be cleaned more often as compared to fans because of the oil and grease that gets accumulated in them.

So you will have to clean your chimney once a month, but you can clean your fan once in two weeks.