Kitchen exhaust fans are installed directly over the stovetop, usually inside the stove’s range hood. Exhaust fans pull indoor air out of the kitchen and draw in fresher outdoor air. They are used to decrease both strong cooking smells and the amount of moisture in the cooking area.
To begin installing a kitchen exhaust fan, turn off the power. Then, use a 3/8-spade bit to drill a hole through the ceiling into the attic in the location you would like to place the fan. In the attic, clear insulation from the area where you will create the vent hole, using the ceiling cutout you made earlier as a reference for the hole size.
Measure the vent fan’s intake port (the part that will be installed into the ceiling), and make a reference hole this size. Use this reference drill hole to draw the exact size of hole you will need to cut into the ceiling. Use a drywall saw, jigsaw or reciprocating saw to cut out this portion of the ceiling.
Installation
In the attic, attach a duct elbow (usually a 90-degree, 4-inch elbow works fine) to the exhaust fan’s outlet port, using duct tape to tape it securely in place. Be sure to use foil duct tape to protect against deterioration in the future.
Attach a cable connector to the fan’s housing side, insert the metal brackets that came with the fan into the sides, and put the vent fan into the ceiling hole. Make sure the metal brackets extend to contact the closest joists, then screw them into place. Put the electrical cable through the cable connector. Using a wall cap kit, tape a flexible duct to the elbow that you previously attached to the vent fan.
Completion
Metal outdoor exhaust vent
You’ll now need to make a duct hole for the exhaust fan to vent air outside of the house. Find a location on the attic wall that is close to the fan and between wall studs. On the outside of the house, identify where this location is, and cut a hole in the wall using a hole saw.
Back in the attic, use foil duct tape to connect a foot-long connector duct to the wall cap, then slide the cap into the hole in the wall. Secure with a rubber gasket and silicone adhesive, and screw it to the house’s siding. Attach the duct end of the flexible exhaust duct to the connector duct of the wall cap with foil duct tape.
Inside the kitchen, make the appropriate wire connections and attach the fan’s grille. Turn the power back on and test the fan.
While the look of your kitchen does matter when choosing a sink, you should also think about what your needs are. See our guide to the sizes and styles available.
With so many styles available, here’s what you need to know how to choose the right kitchen sink:
Ceramic
Ceramic sinks are chemical, stain and heat resistant, but can chip easily and should be dried after use to avoid limescale marks. Many come in the Belfast style (below).
Classic kitchen workstation, £445, Brass and Traditional Sinks
Stainless steel
Steel cleans well with ordinary detergent - but scratches easily, so avoid scourers and neat bleach. Buffing with a dry cloth after use will help maintain the finish and avoid limescale build-up. Comes in a variety of designs – from circular to square.
VQ40FN sink, £329, Smeg
Composite
Composite sinks are made from rock or quartz crystals and resin, and are resistant to scratches, stains, heat, chemicals and colour-fading. They are easy to clean with normal detergents and water, and come in a range of colours and designs.
Lausanne sink, £321, Astracast
Corian
Corian is a solid surface material that’s stain-resistant and durable. It can be formed into any shape so can be used to create a sink that joins seamlessly to the worktop. Available in over 70 colours, it’s easy to clean with soapy water.
Corian sink, £300 per linear m, Corian
Copper and wood
These are unusual options. Copper sinks develop their own patina with age, but you can seal them to maintain your chosen finish. Teak is the most popular choice for wood sinks as its natural oils repel water.
Etienne copper sink, £1,250, The Eclectica Partnership
If you thought buying a shower tray was simple, think again.
You’ll want as much showering space as is possible to squeeze into your bathroom, but the size and shape of a tray can impact the position and size of other fittings, and can vary in cost depending on what material it’s made from and what sort of screen is required.
Check out our top tips for buying the right shower tray.
SQUARE
This standard shape is a versatile option – sizes range from 76sq cm to a more luxurious 90sq cm – and it can be positioned in a corner, along a wall or even in the middle of the room.
Cast stone resin tray (W76cm x D76cm x H5.5cm), £39.98, B&Q
PENTAGONAL
This tray fits neatly into a corner and is designed to take up as little floor space as possible – the ideal choice if you want to squeeze a separate shower enclosure into a compact bathroom.
LA Genta low-profile pentagonal shower tray (W90cm x D90cm x H3.5cm), £120, Bathroom Heaven
QUADRANT
Thanks to the curved front of this design, there’s a little more showering space than the pentagonal tray but it needs a curved shower screen, which is more expensive than a flat screen.
Quadrant acrylic capped stone resin tray (W80cm x D80cm x H3.5cm), £109, Flight range, Mira Showers
RECTANGULAR
Got a large bathroom? Go for maximum showering space with a rectangular design. They start from around 120cm long, but you can get them the same length as a bath (170cm).
Superplan XXL steel enamel tray (W170cm x D75cm x H4.7cm), £523, Kaldewei
DRYING AREA
A tray with its own drying area allows you to towel off before stepping out of the shower so you don’t need to use a bath mat or duck board – handy if you’ve got the space for it.
Tefeli stone resin tray (W123.5cm x D88.5cm x H18cm), £275, Vogue Bathrooms
LOW-LEVEL
Usually available in square or rectangular shapes, low-level trays are recessed into the floor and are increasingly popular as they create the feel of a wet room without the expense and hassle of having to waterproof the entire floor area. Tile up to the edges for a smart finish.
Sculptures low-level tray (W120cm x D80cm), from £325, Roman
Check out our top tips for buying the right shower tray.
Which material?
Acrylic and plastic are common types of tray as they’re lightweight and affordable, but they can chip and crack. An increasingly popular option is stone resin, which is strong, luxurious-looking and easy to install. Corian is also an extremely durable material, but is more expensive than stone resin. Ceramic is hard wearing and resistant to even the most abrasive cleaners, but is heavy and difficult to install. If money’s no object, natural stone gives a spa-style finish, but is extremely heavy and may not be suitable for some floors.
Where can I put it?
Almost anywhere, although obviously it depends on the position of windows and doors. The direction the joists run will also affect where you can put the waste pipe – ask your plumber for advice.
What size tray?
As big as you have space for. Draw a scale plan of your room and try different tray shapes and sizes, not forgetting to factor in the added dimensions of false walls to house pipework for the shower and trajectory of the door.
What colour?
White is the most popular colour, but trays are also available in cream and a pinky colour called pergamon. Some stone resin trays can still be ordered in ‘discontinued’ colours such as champagne, avocado and turquoise – visit www.tubz.co.uk for details.
Are all trays suitable for all enclosures?
Not necessarily. To ensure your tray and enclosure fit well together, buy both from the same retailer.
Some safety factors to consider when building your fireplace. To be able to burn coal then you will need a fire grate and fireplace fret. This allows you to build the fire on a series of cast iron bars with gaps in-between. The gaps in the grate or firebasket allow air to get to the coal from underneath. Coal cannot burn unless it has a supply of air from underneath.
If you only want to burn wood, then a grate or fire basket is not strictly necessary as wood does not need a supply of air from beneath in order to burn well. Wood can be burnt in a fireplace straight on the hearth, if it is made of the correct material, but the more normal way is to use a firebasket. Wood burns very well on a bed of ash. Indeed, if you are only burning wood then letting the ash build up can help a fire burn slowly, if that is what you want.
However a grate and fret or fire basket also serves another purpose: they stop burning pieces of wood from rolling out of the fire into the room. This is an important consideration when creating your fireplace as you will periodically leave the fire unattended.
A grate and fret would be used in a ’standard’ fireplace - these are the most common type of fireplaces with a cast fireback often found in Victorian and other period houses.
A firebasket would generally be for use in a larger fireplace, such as the large inglenook fireplaces often found in older houses and pubs.
On a similar vein a fireplace screen stops sparks from flying out of the fireplace into the room. I’m sure we’ve all seen this happen in a fireplace when burning wood. Usually the spark goes out quickly on it’s own or someone gets it and puts it out or gets it back to the fire again, but what if there is no-one there? This is where the fireplace screen comes into it’s own, giving you peace of mind when you are not attending to the fire, and meaning that you don’t have to watch out for the sparks when you are in the room.
Stainless steel kitchen sinks are actually very easy to maintain. Like other household fixtures, sinks can attract dirt and dust if not maintained regularly. You just need to have some household materials and an ounce of patience to keep your sinks maintained for a long time.
There are some things to avoid when maintaining your stainless steel kitchen sink. Here are some examples:
• Do not allow soaps, detergents, or any other cleansing agent to dry on your kitchen sink.
• Do not leave anything that is wet on your sinks. Avoid putting dishpans, rubber mats, cleaning pads, cloth, or sponges that can leave water on your kitchen fixtures.
• A silver cleaner is NEVER used with a stainless steel.
• Always rinse the sink with running water every after use.
• Do not let bleach sit in your sink for a long time. Bleach can permanently damage your fixtures by leaving hard spots on it.
• Never use abrasive materials on your stainless steel kitchen sink. These things include steel wool, some types of powders, and anything that has a metallic element on it.
Daily maintenance is required by your kitchen fixtures. Every time you use the sink, you must ensure removal of soap after dishwashing. Drying the sink afterwards is also another priority. Be responsible to your kitchen fixtures and you’ll be sure to have a long-lasting sink in your homes.
One fact about security systems for homes and businesses is that they have always incorporated the most recent technology that was available but one problem has always been the expense of the systems that incorporated the higher level of security. This meant that a lot of people had to do with out the level of security that they would like to have had in their homes and only businesses tended to have the best security systems that were available.
Times have changed and now high tech security systems are available for homeowners everywhere and they are now more affordable than ever. Other factors that make them affordable is that homeowners insurance companies give discounts of as much as 20% to homeowners that have security systems installed in their homes. Because more and more people are having these high tech systems installed in their homes, home buyers are now expecting them to be there when they purchase a home, so having a security system installed in a home will directly impact positively on the value of the home.
The technology has advanced so far that a basic system now is what an advanced system was just ten years ago and the cost on that system is more affordable then ever before. There are a few required components that make up a basic home or business security system and they are what is needed to detect an intruder and ward them off unless it is a silent system that notifies local authorities or a monitoring agency.
The control panel is the central computer or the heart of the system and it is where all of the basic functions are handled from. One new form of technology that has recently been developed is voice recognition technology, that allows a business or homeowner to turn on or off a security system with one button and their voice command. A basic system will also have a key pad for operating the system and giving it its commands.
Motion detectors are also part of a basic system now and it wasn’t that long ago that they were too expensive for the average homeowner. Of course door contacts are also an important component of any basic home security system and they should go on any entrances to the building. Unless it is a silent system, it should also include an interior siren that will sound off when the system is tripped, which will startle and disorient any intruders and let them know that the police are on the way.
Signs and decals are something that have always been a basic component of an effective security system and they work to deter any would be intruders. It is important to remember that an effective security system should begin to deter intruders before they have entered the premises and that is the purpose of signs and decals. It is important to remember that these are components of a basic system and that the technology is readily available for far more elaborate security systems and that it is more affordable then it ever has been before.