I have a secret - I have the hardest time remembering this word, Coanda. Here's usually what goes through my head - "Ok, I can remember this - I know I can. I know it's not anaconda - animal, I know it's not gorgonzola - cheese, hmmmm. Crap, where's William - he always knows how to say it!" Well, I have pretty much driven William crazy at this point. But, I promise, I am trying my best to commit this word to memory because it's the name of something so cool that I don't want to distract from it by having a verbal breakdown. Hmmm...am I doing the same thing right now by typing my mental breakdown when it comes to this word? I hope not!!! EEEk!
Ok, so the COANDA effect is generally an aviation term named after Henri Coanda, a Romanian aerodynamics pioneer. Technically speaking, the term is known today as the "Deviation of a plan jet of a fluid that penetrates another fluid in the vicinity of a convex well." Lost? Yea - me too. As it was described to me - actually by a client in fact - in aviation the term describes the thin membrane of air that follows the curves of an aircraft's wings and reduces pressure which assists in creating aerodynamic lift.
So, what in the WORLD does this have to do with kitchens - well the answer is a little more obvious than you would think, ventilation - moving contaminated air out of your kitchen as efficiently as possible.
Leave it up to the industrial designers at Gaggenau to recognize the obvious relationship and inherent benefits that this aviation technique could have in our industry and use it to solve a whole slew of problems related to proper kitchen ventilation. Among Gaggenau's line-up of creative vent systems, you will find two beautifully designed hoods, for wall and island applications, that are easily mistaken for just another beautiful hood. But they, in fact, use the very same Coanda Effect to increase efficiency, reduce noise, and allow greater installation flexibility. Each of these hoods has an additional fan on the front (front & back for island hoods) that generates a stream of air that is directed towards the rear over a cylinder. This effect causes any cooking fumes that would normally escape to the front or back of the hood to be more effectively conducted into the primary vent area.
Why is this important? Well, you don't need a super powerful, toupee hungry blower to have efficient vent for your kitchen. You don't need to worry about internal, external, or in-line blower placement because the internal blower isn't as loud as a wind tunnel. You also don't need duct pipes that are nearly as large and hard to conceal as many typical hoods. The Coanda hoods specify a 6" duct when most other professional hoods require anywhere from 8"-10". This increases flexibility of placement (particularly when it comes to renovations) and reduces the need to eat up valuable square footage inside your home with large utility chases.
If you're interested in more information please don't hesitate to let us know. Even if we can't say the name correctly all of the time, we can certainly help with any other questions you may have. Very soon we will even be able to demonstrate it for you in person here in our showroom!
