extractor fan in kitchen

Does anyone have any experience shopping for an extractor fan? The one we currently have is a small, old one located to the top right of the cooker. It is not directly over it.

I'm not sure how feasible it will be to install a hood/fan directly over the stove, but am very interested in replacing what we've now got. Do you think it would need to be installed directly over the cooker to eliminate grease smells?

Any advice? Where should I be looking/what should I be looking for?

Many thanks!

Sorry i cant help with this one.
I have an extractor in my kitchen, but in the 6 years we have lived here, I've never used it!
I tend to cook with the windows open instead.

Yes, but do you cook (broil/fry) a lot of meat?

As I've posted in another thread, this house stinks of greasy meat fat.  It really smells disgusting, and without an extractor fan I'm really concerned about the smell lingering around. I don't think that opening the windows will do the job. Especially since my husband likes to cook a lot of bacon/lamb, etc.

When we had our kitchen done we had originally ordered a big fancy schmancy Island extractor fan but the ceiling over the island had a false ceiling so that idea went out the window. SO anyway, we had our electritian buy us a fan that goes right into the wall, and its CRAP, you need to make sure that you buy a really powerful one that is going to ssssssssssssssssssssssssuck the air right out of that kitchen. I would do some more research on the internet and see what works and what doesn't....

I cook most of my meat outside on the BBQ (yes, I am the sucker out there in my PJ's with an umbrella) mainly because I can't stand the smell of meat through the house.

Good Luck!!

Yes, but do you cook (broil/fry) a lot of meat?

As I've posted in another thread, this house stinks of greasy meat fat.  It really smells disgusting, and without an extractor fan I'm really concerned about the smell lingering around. I don't think that opening the windows will do the job. Especially since my husband likes to cook a lot of bacon/lamb, etc.

it works for me.   
you've got to have the windows open while you're cooking, though, not after the fact.

Exhaust hoods mounted directly over the stovetop tend to be the most efficient at extracting fumes for any given size of fan.   Simple wall-mounted exhaust fans need to be more powerful to be as effective at generating a sufficiently strong updraft where it's needed.

Hoods which filter the fumes and then just recycle the air back into the room out of the top are the easiest to fit, since all you need is a power supply, but personally I wouldn't recommend them.  A fan which vents to the outside is vastly superior, although it involves more work to either knock a hole through the wall to the outside or install a vent pipe up through the ceiling.

Have a look at some of the typical types available in the U.K. here:
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Cooker_Hood_Index/index.html

There is also a volume calculator here:
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/DataSheets/Elica1/cooker-hood_calculator_1.htm

I would always err on high side when it comes to flow rate though.  It's easy to run the fan at a lower speed when you don't need the faster extraction rate, and have the extra in reserve.  If you fit an undersized unit and discover it's not enough, there's little you can do but rip it out and start again.