FIT A KITCHEN EXTRACTOR

Custom-designed extractor was 3D-printed to house three 50mm radial fans and a charcoal filter

ALL VANS HAVE compromises built in – whether it’s a smaller washroom than you might like, or a light switch in the wrong place, nothing is ever perfect.

But one of the best things about owning a leisure vehicle is being able to mitigate the compromises to some extent, by adding some kit – think solar panels, satellite TV, or even air conditioning.

Adding useful extras

I’ve been doing precisely that recently – I’ve installed an additional solar panel and an inverter, which provides for an enhanced off-grid lifestyle.

Smaller, but no less useful, additions have been 3D-printed mug holders, 3D-printed clips, a roof-mounted 4/5G antenna to provide mobile internet access, and a thermostatically controlled fan for the Alde heating system in the lounge area.

My most recent ‘compromise adjustment’ was installing a new extractor over the kitchen. In an ideal world, this would vent to the outside, to remove moisture and cut down on condensation, as well as removing odours, but that wasn’t possible as a retrofit, because the microwave has been fitted above the hob.

A low-cost solution

The next best thing would be a unit using activated charcoal filtering to remove odours and control airborne grease particles. However, I struggled to find anything that will fit the space and not cost a small fortune

– so I turned to my 3D printer.

The resulting unit fits neatly underneath the microwave and has three 50mm radial fans to draw air through an activated charcoal filter pad and blow cleaned air out to the lounge.

Admittedly, those fans won’t generate hurricane-force winds, but so long as they can draw the cooking smells through the filter, it will be a good, cheap solution. So far so good, and I’ll report on long-term performance in future! Dave Newell