One of the main units in the kitchen is a hood, it removes unpleasant odors, grease and fumes from the environment that are released during cooking. The comfort and well-being of residents, the condition and cleanliness of surrounding objects depend on its proper operation. But what if the equipment fails? First of all, try to find out the cause of the malfunction.
Why the hood in the kitchen does not draw air
Any household appliance may malfunction, but even at home, it is possible to find and eliminate a factor affecting the operation of the equipment.
Types of malfunctions and suggested solutions to the problem:
- Incorrect operation of the device. According to the instructions, it is necessary to turn off the hood only after cooling the burners to prevent damage by hot air. The package should include filters and grease traps, which must be replaced and cleaned in a timely manner, and the metal plates should be regularly rinsed from grease. Flammable fats can create a fire hazard in the home.
Greasy filter
- Weak traction. Most often, air leaves poorly as a result of clogging of the common house duct. It is possible to detect the movement of air by attaching a sheet of paper to the grill of the ventilation duct or by holding a burning match. It is not possible to remove the blockage in the chimney on your own, you can only remove the grate and remove the garbage with a vacuum cleaner. There is a chance to correct the situation in your apartment using forced ventilation or air conditioning. It happens that the appliance whistles, this happens when the duct is installed incorrectly: the difference in the diameter of the pipe and the ventilation hole creates the effect of a whistle.
- Reverse thrust. If the hood began to blow in the opposite direction immediately after installation, there is a violation in the design and construction of the house. But sometimes such an effect appears after some time of normal operation, then we can assume a malfunction in the fan or system. The lack of air mass in the apartment due to the tightness of the plastic windows sometimes also leads to the phenomenon of reverse traction.
- Engine noise. For a working electrical appliance, vibration and buzz are perfectly normal within the allowable range of sound frequencies. In some cases, the owner of household appliances eliminates adverse noise by adjusting its position on the wall so that there are no gaps. In the future, the hood no longer creaks or buzzes. But more often the buzz is due to poor-quality assembly of the product. If the engine is noisy and the air is not drawn out, most likely you need to replace the fuse. The feasibility of repairing the motor exists in the first three years of service, otherwise it is easier to purchase a new unit.
- Accumulation of condensate. An unpleasant phenomenon when condensation drips from the ventilation equipment is caused by the temperature difference in the room and the air duct, mainly in the cold season. To correct the situation in a private house is easy enough by wrapping the pipe with insulation. Thus, the dew point will be moved outside the ventilation system.In a multi-apartment building, you won’t be able to cope on your own, you can only adjust the humidity in the apartment by installing an exhaust fan on the window leaf or in the outer wall. Excess moisture in the room adversely affects people's health, destroys furniture, leads to mold and mildew.
How to repair a cooker hood with your own hands
If the hood has been functioning for several years without a glitch and suddenly breaks down, you shouldn’t worry much, but if you haven’t even served a year, it’s too early to raise a panic. Many problems can be completely corrected at home, without calling a specialist or referral to a service. The following types of faults exist:
Lighting does not work
- Light bulb burned out. It is very simple to exchange for a new one, which any housewife can handle.
- The backlight ON key has deteriorated. Checking the contacts of the switch will help.
Hood with backlight on
The hood has stopped working, does not turn on
- Lack of electricity in the network. The cable, plug or socket may be damaged. It is necessary to verify the presence of voltage at the outlet, the integrity of the supply circuit and the control panel. If the matter is in the cable, it will be immediately clear from the mechanical damage and smell.
- Defective switch. The way out is to “ring” it with a multimeter and, if necessary, replace it.
- Blown fuse. With voltage drops, these elements often burn out, destroying the entire structure.
- The motor broke down. One of the main reasons is often overheating of the device. As a rule, such a breakdown cannot be fixed on its own. We'll have to hand over the equipment to the service or buy a new one.
- To prevent overheating, pay enough attention to the cleanliness of the grease plates, clean them in a timely manner and change the filters.
Defective motor
Insufficiency of traction with a working hood
- The first step is to clean or change the filters, as the draft may disappear due to contamination with grease. The efficiency of the device with a clogged filter is negligible.
- Disassemble the duct pipe and make sure there is no debris or fat deposits.
- Check the movement of air in the communal ventilation duct with a sheet of paper or fire.
- Probably, the reason lies in an unusable fan, in which there is a kink of the blades. The way out is to replace the part.
Air draft check
Control panel malfunction
If the buttons are deformed or partially fell out, the contact is burned out, you can try re-soldering the circuit or completely replacing the entire button block.
Inability to change gears
- The simplest reason is the loss of a button or slide switch due to frequent mechanical stress. You can disassemble and clean the contacts, but the most effective will be to put a new part.
- Touch controls have fairly expensive models of hoods, but with all its external attractiveness, the sensor is very difficult to repair.
- In addition, you need to pay attention to the starting capacitor and the track on the control board. But for this type of work, at least minimal knowledge in the field of electrics is necessary.
Push button speed switch
Preventive measures for the long-term performance of the hood
In order for the design for air filtration to serve as long as possible and without major breakdowns, it is necessary, first of all, to observe the operating instructions, treat home appliances with care and take care of its components.
- Do not allow the heating of an empty stove under the hood, especially an open flame, these experiments can end sadly.
- The system should be mounted above the gas stove at a height of 70-80 cm, and above the electric stove at 60-70 cm. If installed below, deformation of the elements is possible, and when suspended above this range, the efficiency will be poor.
- Turn on the appliance in advance before heating the burner in a few minutes and turn it off a quarter of an hour after cooking, then eliminating odors and fumes will be especially good.
- Clean and rinse the metal grease trap every 3-4 weeks. Change disposable filters once every six months or more, depending on the intensity of use of the hood. Failure to comply with this condition will cause oil particles to penetrate into the engine and settle on the structural elements, leading to overheating and failure of the motor.
Mesh Filter Cleaning
- Start the speed mode from the first step, gradually increasing. Use maximum speed to a minimum to prevent premature engine wear.
- Provide additional protection against voltage drops in the electrical network. Of course, the design of the hood provides for a fuse, but it can not always cope with the instability of the network. An additional relay will help solve this problem, which will turn off the power during voltage surges.
Voltage relay
As you can see, a cooker hood is not the most difficult electrical appliance, and minor repairs can be done at home, having an initial knowledge of electrical engineering and the necessary tools. Most of the problems do not require serious intervention, but if the cause of the malfunction could not be determined on the spot and the hood cannot be repaired independently, then you should resort to the service of masters and service centers.
