Franke Hood Installation in Warsaw: Ducted or Recirculating

Franke makes wall-mounted, island and built-in cabinet hoods. The type decides what gets fixed to the wall, the ceiling or the cabinet carcass, so give the exact model when you book.

Duct, vent grille or carbon filter

A hood with a motor can be ducted into a ventilation shaft or run in recirculation mode with a carbon filter. In many Polish blocks the shaft above the kitchen is passive ventilation shared by several flats. Building managers often forbid connecting a fan to it, and it can weaken the draw for the neighbours. Ask the housing cooperative or residents’ association before deciding.

Recirculation is simpler to fit: no duct, no chasing walls. The carbon filters do need replacing, though, and smells clear a little less well than with ducting outside. If the hood goes into its own duct, keep the pipe short with as few bends as possible.

Rather hand the job over? More here: kitchen unit assembly in Warsaw.

Fixing, height and power

Franke gives the mounting height above the hob in its installation manual, separately for gas and induction. Too low and the hood gets in the way and runs hot; too high and it barely catches the steam.

Walls in older buildings vary: brick, hollow block, sometimes board. Plugs are chosen for what is under the plaster, not for whatever is in the toolbox. Power comes from an earthed socket above the cabinets or inside the chimney cover. The breaker goes off before anyone touches the wiring.

What ruins a hood install

• Hood tied into the shared vent grille without the building’s consent.
• A long duct with three bends: loud motor, weak pull.
• Hung by eye, height never checked against the manual.
• No carbon filter fitted in recirculation mode, so the hood just stirs the air around.

Before the visit

• Check with the cooperative whether connecting to the shaft is allowed.
• If you chose recirculation, make sure carbon filters came in the box.
• Clear the cabinets above the hob.
• Take photos of the wall over the hob, the grille and the nearest socket.

Finding someone to fit it

In the app, name the Franke model, say how the hood will run and add the photos. Tradespeople send bids with their own price. You weigh price, rating and reviews, choose one, and only then are contact details shared. You pay the tradesperson directly and he issues the invoice.

Plugs and small fixings are normally included. Duct, grille, filters and taking the old hood away are charged separately. If the hood starts to tilt after fitting, the tradesperson redoes his own fixing; a crumbling wall or an old shaft is not on him.