Why does my rangehood produce water droplets that fall onto my cooktop?

In cases of induction hobs, it is normal that the condensation from steam turns into droplets. This phenomenon does not occur usually on gas cooktops, as the gas heats the pot and the surrounding air. With the subsequent heating of the hood, the vapour rises and evaporates when getting in contact with a hot object. The induction hob heats the saucepan but not the surrounding air and as a result, the rising vapours get in contact with a cold object (i.e. the rangehood filters) and turns it into droplets that later can fall on the hob.

It’s influenced by:

• The ambient temperature of the room (the colder the room, the more likely for it to occur);
• Installation height of rangehood above the induction cooktop (the lower the rangehood, the more the likely);
• Size and type of cookware used;

Ways to minimise the phenomenon:

• Use rangehoods with the largest filter area possible;
• Install rangehood at a minimum of 750mm above an induction cooktop;
• Use the rangehood on a lower extraction speed when boiling water;
• Start the rangehood prior to beginning cooking (i.e. 5-10 minutes) to get some temperature into the rangehood filters.

 The Australian standard states that a minimum distance of 600mm is required for an electric cooktop (including induction) and for gas cooktops a minimum distance of 650mm is required from the top of a trivet to the underside of the rangehood. However our recommendation for Induction cooktops is a minimum distance of 750mm is maintained.