When I survey a site, I often run into the same situation: the fan is plenty powerful, yet the area around the stove is still wreathed in smoke. The problem usually is not the airflow but that hood. One roast-meat shop, for instance, hung the hood way too high and only covered a small patch directly above the stove; the moment the flame flared up, the fume slipped away from the sides. The hood is the 'entrance' to the whole purification system, and if the entrance does not cover well, however strong the downstream equipment is, you get half the result for twice the effort.
For a Hood That Actually Covers, Start with Three Dimensions
The key to a hood that captures effectively lies in its geometry:
- Overhang: the hood should extend out beyond the edge of the cooking equipment on all sides. Hot fume spreads as it rises, and a hood opening that is too small cannot catch it.
- Mounting height: hung too high, the fume spreads and escapes before it reaches the hood opening; hung too low, it gets in the way of the cooks. So you have to strike a balance between safe operation and capture efficiency.
- Hood depth and side enclosure: setting it against a wall and adding side panels to form a partial enclosure blocks interference from cross-drafts and achieves the same capture with less airflow.
Baffle Filters and Grease Collection Decide the Life of Downstream Equipment
A good hood is more than a metal shell. The baffle filter on the inside is crucial: by forcing the airflow to change direction, it uses inertia to fling the large droplets down, stopping a big share of the grease up front so the downstream electrostatic precipitator or UV does not cake up quickly. The grease that is flung off then has to run down the guide surface into the grease trough and be emptied regularly; otherwise grease accumulates inside the hood, becoming both a source of odor and, worse, a fire hazard.
On top of that, the on-site airflow matters. An air-conditioning outlet, a main door, or an electric fan—anything blowing straight at the hood—will scatter the rising fume, and even the best hood cannot catch it. So hood design has to be considered together with the surrounding airflow, not just the hood itself. Getting this entrance stage solid is often cheaper and more effective than simply upsizing the fan.
TingHao is deeply rooted in Kaohsiung, Tainan, Pingtung, and across southern Taiwan, handling everything from on-site airflow measurement and capture hoods to purification-equipment selection and scheduled cleaning and maintenance. To find out which setup your kitchen needs, call 07-363-0802 or add us on LINE, and we will visit in person before making a recommendation.