The cooker hood is a very popular household appliance these days. For many, the need for a hood in the kitchen is absolutely obvious. Indeed, when cooking, a large amount of fat, smoke and the smallest food particles fly into the air, which not only pollute the room, but also harm health. As a rule, an air purifier in the form of a hood is installed in the kitchen during the renovation. Unfortunately, even if it is used as carefully as possible, it will inevitably fail over time. And then the owner has to solve the problem in one of two possible ways: he turns to a service center that repairs kitchen hoods or does everything with his own hands.
How does the hood work?
The scheme of a standard kitchen hood is very simple - it is the most common exhaust type fan that is installed directly above the stove and has an electric motor. Additional filters are also installed in this device to trap harmful vapors coming from the stove during cooking. Hoods are of filtering and exhaust type.
- A filtering, also coal, household kitchen hood is the simplest device, so its cost is much cheaper. how install a kitchen hood, and you can always repair it yourself. It works according to the principle of recirculation, i.e. dirty air after cleaning in the hood is thrown back into the room. The cleaning element is carbon filters.
- Exhaust extracts are connected to ventilation shafts to completely remove contaminated air from the kitchen. A similar device is more perfect in comparison with a filter, and a grease trap is installed in it. Exhaust hoods require a good ventilation system, but you can also repair them yourself. If there is a ventilation shaft, then air is thrown into it. If there is no channel, then during the installation of the hood, specialists install a pipe that goes directly to the street.
Modern models work in 2 modes. Most of them have a multi-speed electric motor, which is small in power, but their speed can be adjusted. Try choose a cooker hood with a decent power reserve. Indeed, over time, as a result of filter contamination, the efficiency of the hood decreases noticeably, it can be compensated only by increasing the power.
You should also regularly inspect the grease trap and, as it gets dirty, change it in a timely manner, this is done easily, with your own hands. If you ignore this rule, the work of the hood can be canceled out. The average frequency of grease catcher replacement is 3-4 months. But if the shutter speed is used very intensively, it should be done more often. In filtering hoods, the service life of carbon filters reaches one and a half to two years. The device can break down for a variety of reasons, respectively, and the repair of a kitchen hood can differ significantly. Let's consider the main breakdowns and algorithms of actions.
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The hood does not pull and removes odors poorly
This can happen if the device is not properly operated. In order for the hood to effectively cope with odors, it must be turned on well in advance, before cooking, and turned off 15 minutes after the stove is turned off, and not immediately. By observing this elementary rule, you will be able to permanently get rid of unpleasant odors in the kitchen. A fairly common reason for such a "breakdown" is a belated filter change. Also, charcoal filters may simply not work effectively. To repair the hood, the filter must be disassembled, having previously removed, and the carbon granules must be replaced with new ones.
To change the grease catcher with your own hands, you need to remove the grill and put it face down, after which you can remove the old dirty filter. The wire rack should be thoroughly washed with detergent and a new grease catcher should be attached to it. Disposable grease traps differ from reusable ones in that they have an inscription, it is perfectly visible even through the grill. When the filter becomes so dirty that it is time to change it, the inscription is no longer visible. Fiber filters are reusable, after washing and drying, they can be returned to their place, and this can be done repeatedly. Each time you carry out this procedure, you need to thoroughly rinse the grate.
Advice:
Read also: DIY hob repair
The hood does not turn on
- Stove lighting does not work. If there is no lighting, and the fan is running, then most likely the light bulb has just burned out. But if changing the light bulb does not solve the problem, then the light switch is faulty.
- The hood does not turn on at all. There may be several reasons: for example, the device is disconnected from the mains or there is no current in the outlet.
- Exhaust switch defective. You can check this with a tester, and in case of breakdown, replace it.
- There is no electric current. You need to check the electrical panel. Maybe a breaker tripped automatically or fuses blown.
- Defective power plug. The plug fuse may have blown. You can replace it yourself.
- Breakage in the internal wiring. The examination should be carried out using a tester, pulling loose contacts along the way and tightening the tips with pliers.
- The electric motor is broken. In this case, it is useless to undertake repairs, the engine for the hood just needs to be completely replaced. Trying to repair it in most cases is economically unprofitable. Buying a new exhaust motor will be cheaper, more efficient and much more reasonable.
Conclusion
This article has listed the main breakdowns of modern kitchen range hoods. You have already seen that most of the malfunctions are simple and do not require specialist intervention. A completely inexperienced person can usually fix a breakdown of a kitchen hood with his own hands, even if you need to change the engine. Therefore, there is no point in contacting a service center and paying decent money for mere trifles. In addition, kitchen hoods of well-known, proven brands do not really break down during normal operation and regular filter changes, they serve regularly for many years. A little attention and hood care make it much easier for you to take care of the kitchen and the whole house, make the microclimate in your home much healthier.
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