What To Do When Your Range Hood Isn’t Working

You depend on your range hood to help keep your kitchen air clean and odor-free. The range hood also provides lighting for your cooktop. When your range hood stops working, you’ll want to fix it fast.

You may be able to fix the range hood yourself by following these DIY troubleshooting tips.

Why Won’t My Range Hood Won’t Power Up?

Follow these initial troubleshooting steps when the range hood is completely dead:

1. Check the outlet cord to make sure it’s plugged into the electrical outlet.
2. If the range hood is plugged in but won’t power up, check the electrical outlet for power by unplugging the range hood and plugging in a small appliance or night light into the outlet. If the outlet works, then you know that the range hood is getting power from the electrical outlet.
3. If the electrical outlet is dead, check the house circuit breaker for the range hood outlet. Reset the circuit breaker by shutting it off then turning it back on. Check the electrical outlet for power after resetting the breaker. If the outlet works and the range hood powers up, then your issue is likely resolved. If the breaker continues to trip, then an electrical short in the range hood may need to be repaired or you may need to have an electrician replace the circuit breaker if the breaker is defective.

If the range hood won’t power up or work even though the electrical outlet works and range hood is plugged in properly, then you’ll likely need to have a Sears Technician diagnose and repair the range hood.

Why Doesn’t My Range Hood’s Fan Work?

Fan Doesn’t Turn On

When the blower fan doesn’t even turn on but the lights work, a failed electronic control board, faulty user interface, bad fan switch, wiring failure or failed fan motor can keep a range hood fan from running.

If you’re confident that you can troubleshoot the problem yourself, follow these steps:

1. Unplug the range hood and check the wire harness connections between the control and the fan motor. Reconnect any loose wires and repair any damaged wires. With the range hood still unplugged, check the electronic control board for burn marks that indicate a control board failure and replace the control board if you find burn marks on the circuit board.
2. If your range hood uses a user interface control to start the fan, you may need to replace the user interface if it isn’t sending signals to the electronic control board when you press the fan button. A user interface control is a keypad and display panel that sends signals to the electronic control board through a ribbon wire cable when you press its selection buttons. DIY testing of the user interface control isn’t available for most range hoods. If the electronic control board doesn’t activate the fan when you press the fan button on the user interface control, you’ll likely need to replace the electronic control board. If the fan still doesn’t work after replacing the electronic control board, you’ll likely need to replace the user interface control.
3. If your range hood uses a switch to activate the fan motor, test the fan switch for continuity using a multimeter (with the range hood still unplugged) to see if the switch allows current to flow to the fan when you turn the switch on. Replace the fan switch if you measure no continuity through the switch with the switch turned on. If the switch or the electronic control board sends current to the fan motor but the fan motor doesn’t run, you’ll likely need to replace the fan motor (if the wires between the switch and the fan are good).

Here’s a video that shows how to check continuity using a multimeter:

If you get to a point where you need to have a professional diagnose and repair the range hood, schedule a service call through Sears Home Services.

Fan Doesn’t Pull Much Air

When your range hood fan runs but it isn’t pulling much air, clogged air filters, air duct problems, a fan motor failure or a broken fan blade could be causing poor air suction.

Follow these DIY troubleshooting steps to resolve an air suction problem with your range hood:

1. If your range hood exhausts some air to the outside of your home, check the condition of the grease filters. Wash or replace the grease filters if dirty.
2. Check the air damper on the vent duct cap attached to the outside of your house. That air damper keeps outside air from flowing into your home when the range hood fan isn’t running. Repair or replace the air damper if it doesn’t open to allow range hood exhaust air to flow out of the exhaust duct.
3. Examine the damper above the fan in the range hood to make sure that damper opens properly to allow air to flow out through the exhaust duct system. You can use the installation instructions for your range hood to access and check that damper.
4. Check the fan blade for damage because a damaged fan blade won’t move air through the range hood properly. Replace the fan blade if damaged.
5. A weak fan motor won’t turn the fan blade at the right speed to move air through the range hood. If the fan motor makes noise or doesn’t turn the fan blade at full speed when activated, replace the fan motor. If your range hood recirculates the air back into the kitchen (non-ducted installation) and uses a charcoal recirculation filter, a clogged filter can diminish airflow through the range hood. Replace the charcoal filter if you haven’t replaced it according to the guidelines in your owner’s manual. Next, check the condition of the grease filters and wash or replace the grease filters if dirty. Check the damper above the fan to make sure it opens properly so exhaust air can pass through the damper and recirculation filter. Repair or replace the air damper if it’s stuck closed. Check the fan blade for damage and replace the fan blade if damaged. If the fan motor makes noise or doesn’t turn the fan blade at full speed when activated, replace the fan motor.

If you get to a point where you need to have a professional diagnose and fix your range hood, schedule a Sears Technician to visit your home and repair the range hood.

Why Won’t My Range Hood’s Lights Work?

Failures such as a defective electronic control board, bad user interface control, broken light switch, bad light bulb sockets or a wiring failure can prevent the lights from working.

Follow these DIY troubleshooting steps to resolve lighting problems with your range hood:

1. Unplug the range hood and check the wire harness connections between the light sockets and the control board or light switch. Reconnect any loose wires and repair any broken wires.
2. If the light socket wiring is okay, check the electronic control board for burn marks. Replace the control board if you see burn marks because the burn marks indicate a control board failure.
3. If your range hood uses a user interface control to control the lights, you may need to replace the user interface if it isn’t sending signals to the electronic control board when you press user interface buttons.
4. DIY testing of the user interface control isn’t available for most range hood models. If the electronic control board doesn’t activate the lights, you’ll likely need to replace the electronic control board. If the lights still don’t work after replacing the control board, you’ll likely need to replace the user interface control.
5. If your range hood uses a switch to control the lights, unplug the range hood and test the switch for continuity using a multimeter to see if the switch allows current to flow to the lights when you turn the switch on. Replace the switch if you don’t measure continuity through the switch when it’s turned on.
6. With new light bulbs installed and the range hood unplugged, check for continuity through the light sockets with new light bulbs installed. Replace the sockets if you don’t measure continuity through the sockets with new bulbs installed.

These DIY troubleshooting steps will help you resolve problems in most types of range hoods installed over the range or cooktop. If the DIY troubleshooting steps don’t help you fix the problem, have a Sears Tech fix the problem.

While the Sears Technician is in your home, consider having the tech perform preventative maintenance on your other appliances. Sears Techs can perform annual preventive maintenance on these common kitchen and laundry appliances:

• Range or stove
• Cooktop
• Wall Oven
• Refrigerator
• Dishwasher
• Washer
• Dryer

Bundle appliance maintenance for additional savings. Regular maintenance of your appliances can help prevent costly breakdowns and extend the life of your appliances.