Kitchen Appliances
Guides to the appliances that go into a kitchen extension: cooker hoods, boiling water taps, waste disposal units, water softeners, and the installation requirements for each.
Kitchen appliances are specified during the design phase but installed at second fix, with plumbing and electrical provisions made at first fix. Getting the sequencing right, and briefing the right trades at the right time, is the difference between a clean installation and a retrofitting job after the kitchen is fitted.
The appliances in this section are the ones that need something from more than one trade: a duct route, a cold feed, a waste connection, a dedicated fused supply, or a cabinet built around them. Each guide explains what to decide at specification, what to tell the plumber and electrician before first fix closes up, and what to budget.
Where to start
Read the cooker hood guide before the kitchen layout is finalised. The duct route, its diameter and the hole through the wall are all set at first fix, and a duct that is too narrow or too long costs airflow for the life of the kitchen. If you want a boiling water tap, read that next: it needs plumbing, electrical and joinery provisions, and it is the appliance most often ordered too late.
The guides, grouped by job
Extraction. The cooker hood guide compares chimney, canopy, island, downdraft and recirculating hoods and covers extraction rates and duct routing.
At the sink. The boiling water tap needs a cold feed, a waste path and its own fused spur in the right cabinet. A waste disposal unit connects into the sink waste and needs a switched supply, and it is not suited to every drainage setup, so check yours first.
Water treatment. A water softener sits on the incoming main with a bypass valve and needs an unsoftened drinking water tap at the kitchen sink to meet Part G.
Where these fit in the build
Choose models at appliance selection, and settle the hood and its duct route at extractor and ventilation. The supplies, feeds and wastes go in at kitchen electrical provisions and kitchen plumbing provisions, and everything is connected at kitchen installation. The appliance budget calculator helps you size the spend across the whole appliance list.
Boiling Water Taps for Kitchen Extensions: Quooker, Zip HydroTap and What to Know Before You Buy
A UK homeowner's guide to boiling water taps: 3-in-1 vs 4-in-1, under-counter tank sizing, the three-trade installation coordination problem, Part G water regs, and what to budget.
Cooker Hoods for Kitchen Extensions: Chimney, Canopy, Downdraft and Recirculating Compared
A UK guide to choosing and specifying a cooker hood: extraction rates under Part F, duct routing, recirculating options, chimney vs canopy vs downdraft, and what to buy from budget to pro.
Waste Disposal Units for UK Kitchens: What to Check Before You Buy One
A UK homeowner's guide to in-sink waste disposal units: continuous feed vs batch feed, the septic tank problem, the sink flange requirement, electrical provisions at first fix, and what to budget.
Water Softeners for Kitchen Extensions: Ion Exchange, Installation Position and UK Hard-Water Zones
A UK guide to water softeners: how ion exchange works, where to install relative to the mains, bypass valve requirements, Part G water regs for unsoftened drinking water, and what to budget.