Ducted or ductless chimney: which suits a tricity flat

The choice is usually made for you by the building, not the brochure. Here is how to tell which you can have and which you should want.

Ducted

Pulls smoke through the filters and pushes it outside through a pipe. It removes heat, steam and smell, not just grease. It needs an external wall or an existing shaft, and a duct run without too many bends — every bend costs suction.

Ductless

Pulls smoke through a grease filter and then a charcoal filter, and blows the air back into the kitchen. No pipe, no hole in the wall. It catches grease well and smell reasonably, but heat and steam stay in the room, and the charcoal filter is a running cost.

Which for you

• External wall behind or near the hob, no society objection to a vent: ducted, every time
• Internal kitchen with no route out: ductless is the only option
• Heavy frying household: push for ducted even if the duct run is awkward
• Rented flat where you cannot make a hole: ductless, and budget for charcoal filters

Many tricity societies allow a vent through the external wall but not through the shaft. Ask the RWA before buying — a ducted chimney with nowhere to duct becomes an expensive ductless one.

One more thing

Some chimneys can be run either way with a conversion kit. If you are unsure whether you will move, that flexibility is worth asking about.