Fujioh FX-900: Butting the Head

Related Posts
1 How to choose: Cooker Hood
2 Fujioh FX-900: Butting the Head
3 Review: Fujioh Hood FX-900
4 Fujioh FX-900: Update

I completed my renovation in 2008. So I was surprised that even now, 3 years later, I still get pm's from Renotalk forumers seeking advice or contact info, or product info, etc. For instance, my posts on the Rinnai hob model RB-2CG and Fujioh hood FX900 attracted many queries.

Fujioh FX-900: Butting the Head

A common query was - how to solve the "worktop-to-hood" issue of the Fujioh FX900 hood? Now, in order to save forumers the trouble of pm'ing me, and for me in replying, I thought it would be helpful to put up my post on the issue.

"Worktop-to-Hood" Problem
As background, my previous cooker hood was an expensive German make: Bauknet. But as mentioned in an earlier post, it fared poorly in keeping my kitchen oil-free. So when we moved house, we searched for a hood that would effectively remove oily vapors and "objectional" smell (e.g. from herbal brews or frying sambal belachan)

that may intrude as we often entertained guests at home. After some research, I found that the Fujioh hood FX900 was the only cooker hood with a high 82% oil-absorption rate, independently tested by SISIR. Other brands looked prettier, or advertised a suction rate higher than 82%. But Fujioh pointed out that buyers should be concerned not with suction power, but with oil absorption. That was how SISIR tested and rated the Fujioh FX900 - on oil absorption, not suction power. Oh-oh, so that's why my Bauknet hood sucked (pardon the pun) badly, I mused. I was sold! I placed an order for the FX900 from Hoe Kee.

Alas, by then renovation work had already started. When the hood was delivered, I found it was as wide as my counter top and had to be mounted at 80cm above the stove top. Problem was, kitchens were made to standard measurements despite the ID's insistence mine was custom-made. Sure, custom made to fit kitchen length, that was all! All the drawers, doors, cabinets, including the worktop, were produced to standard sizes. That created problems for me with the FX900. I didn't know my ID had assumed standard measurements when he made his renovation proposal. Well, that's another trick-of-the-trade used by IDs and contractors to fatten their profit. Another lesson learnt.

Fujioh FX900 has a depth of 59cm

After it was installed, the Fujioh FX-900 was as deep (i.e. wide) as our counter top. In fact, it protruded a bit more than I had expected. Because of that, I inadvertently butted my head against the hood when I bent closer to pore over a simmering wok or pan on the stove.

Short persons won't butt against the hood. But anyone 167cm or taller will knock his head against the hood if he bends a bit for a closer view of the stove. Well, why not mount the hood higher than 80cm? If I did that, I would end up with a hood that would not be as effective to absorb the oil vapors the way it was designed to.

So how to solve the head butting issue? Well, you could insist your ID / carpenter undertake 1 of 2 possible avenues:

Let's suppose the person doing the cooking in yr family is 177cm in height. We want the kitchen custom-made to suit her height as well as her cooking style. Or if both hubby and wife spend equal amount of time at the stove, I would use the taller height - so he could also avoid knocking his head if he bends closer to the stove. What if the cook is the maid, someone had asked. Well, I will not suggest you make the kitchen to suit her tongue.gif simply bcoz you're not sure how long the maid will serve your family, right?

1 - Make the worktop deeper i.e. instead of the standard 24-inches from the worktop front-to-the-wall, use a longer depth of 28-inches. That 28-inch depth suits me perfectly and I can avoid knocking the hood. In your case it may not be 28-inches but longer or shorter, depending on the family cook's height. Check with yr ID or carpenter on the correct depth to use. Once you have a deeper worktop you can position the stove farther away from the wall but still within the suction power or range of the Fujioh hood. That way the cook will avoid butting the Fujioh hood bcoz the deeper worktop makes him farther away from the hood.

2 - Alternatively, make the worktop higher than the standard 34-inch (equivalent to 86.4 cm) height from the floor, making allowance for the cement platform and acrylic worktop thickness in calculating the correct base cabinet height. How much higher? Well, using the 177 cm height of the cook in our post, the worktop has to be (177cm : cook's height) minus (80cm : stove-to-hood height) i.e. 177-80 = 97 cm, which is an add'l 97-86.4 = 10.6cm (approx 4.2 inches).

Look out for sputtering hot oil
With a higher worktop, the wok or frying pan is near the face. So watch out for sputtering hot oil when you cook. Actually, that isn't an issue for experienced cooks. My brother's maid, for instance, is quite short. She told me she simply moved farther away, cooking at arm's length, and adjusted her position to adapt to any stove she cooked on.

My mom too. When we moved to Toa Payoh in 1973, kitchen cabinets were already in vogue. But not built-in's like burner hob or oven. Like the neighbors, my dad bought a nice 2-burner gas stove. The stove is portable, and could be placed anywhere on the counter top. With the base studs, height of the stove and cast-iron trivets, the wok became raised about 7-inches from the counter top! Yet mom remained happy cooking in her spanking new kitchen. She said her old GE stand-alone cooking range - 3 electric coils with a hot plate atop a warming cabinet, followed by the electric oven, then the base warming cabinet - had stood much higher.

In any case, it always pays to be careful. Tell your cook to watch out for sputtering oil anyway. unsure.gif

Before You Accept Quotation
Kudos to you if you are reading this post for the first time, doing some due diligence to avoid potential mistakes, before you embark on your renovation.

So, whether or not you bought the FX900, check first whether the issue discussed herein apply to you. Discuss the issue with the ID before you accept

his quotation. Most IDs will "chop" you if you bring up this issue after you have accepted his quotation, citing "changes" to his costs. In my case, I became aware of the issue only after I took delivery of the Fujioh hood. By then my renovation work had already begun. *sigh*

Related Posts
1 How to choose: Cooker Hood
2 Fujioh FX-900: Butting the Head
3 Review: Fujioh Hood FX-900
4 Fujioh FX-900: Update

Review Series
1: Blanco Sink - 3 stars
2: Rinnai Gas Heater - Not Rated
3: Fujioh hood FX-900 - 5 stars
4: Rinnai Tumble Dryer RDT-600CG - 5 stars
5: Rinnai Oven RBO-7MSO - 3 stars
6: Bellari Liquid Dispenser - 1 star
7: Rinnai 2-Burner Hob RB-2CG - 5 stars
8: TOTO Omni Toilet Bowl- 5 stars
9: Asuka Acrylic Worktop - 2 stars
10: Premier laminated floor tiles