3 Cooker Hood Problems

A cooker hood is one of the simpler appliances in a home as compared to most other appliances that we use with their complex circuitry and hundreds of small and large moving parts. Cooker hoods may vary considerably in their outward appearance but when you look behind the facade you will find that they all are pretty basic with very few parts that are well hidden behind the covers.

This is great news really. The fewer the parts, the easier it is likely to be to identify the fault and fix it. But first, you need to know a little bit about the different cooker hood parts.

A sneak peak at what lies behind the cooker hood

While there may be a few small differences, almost all brands of cooker hoods will have the same basic structure with only a few parts. These are the important parts that you will find in all cooker hoods.

• The Motor: This is the main component of the appliance. The motor does the job of pulling in odours and releasing it outside. The smells in the air from the kitchen are drawn in and extracted through the vent away from the kitchen

• The Light Bulb Holder & Light Bulb: Different brands use different coloured bulbs and these are fixed into a light bulb holder.

• Control Switch: Also known as the PCB, the control switch helps to regulate the lights and the motor speed. Some of the more advanced models come with a remote control instead of the traditional control switch.

If there is a problem with your cooker hood, usually you will find that it will be in one of these four components. So let’s take a look at what could go wrong with these parts.

1 The light won’t come on

It’s a fairly simple problem and is probably the most common complaint when it comes to cooker hoods although it is more often seen in the cheaper cooker hoods than the more expensive ones. Many people leave their cooker hood lights on all the time - something you should not do - and this is one of the main reasons for the lights failing.

When the lights are left on, it could heat up the surrounding plastic parts such as the lamp holders and the electronic modules and cause a lot of associated damage. This problem is really easy to fix. Remember to switch off the cooker hood lights when not in use!

2 The cooker hood is not releasing the kitchen air as efficiently as it should

This is a common complaint when the cooker hood has just been installed but the good news is this problem does not persist. You will find that it works just fine after a couple of days.

However, if the problem occurs a few weeks or months after you’ve started using the cooker hood, it could mean that the filters have not been cleaned well or there is a problem in the vent that extracts the air and sends it outside.

Cleaning both of these components at regular intervals should resolve this issue.

3 The electronic control module fails

This is usually very rare because cooker hood motors are built to last. However, relays and contacts could blow, giving rise to this problem. More often than not, the problem will lie with the main control board so do a thorough check of your main control board first to see if there are any problems. If you do not find any fault, call a professional. Do not try and fix the electronic control module yourself.

Hood insurance is your trusted partner in appliance insurance, providing comprehensive coverage for your valuable home appliances.