VIDEO It is difficult to imagine a modern kitchen without a good hood that removes cooking odors and renews the air in the room. Although the device of this device is not particularly complex, sometimes problems may arise with its operation. If you are one of people who, in the event of a breakdown of household appliances, try to find the cause of the malfunction on their own, before contacting specialists, then this article is for you. Below we will look at how to repair kitchen hoods with your own hands when typical problems arise.
The main components of any hood are:
an exhaust fan with an electric motor;
speed switching scheme;
lighting lamps;
filters.
Standard electrical wiring diagram for a cooker hood
The fan is undoubtedly the heart of this machine. It is he who ensures the movement of air flows through the filter elements, on which fat is retained. Fan rotation in hoods is provided, as a rule, by a multi-speed induction motor.
For your information! The design of a multi-speed AC motor includes a squirrel-cage rotor and a stator with several independent windings. The change in the engine speed is achieved due to the different connection of the stator windings.
Three-speed motor switching circuit: when the switch is in the L position, the rotational speed is minimum, in the H position - the maximum
The fan itself can be of axial or tangential design. From a performance point of view, the latter are preferable to the former because they are able to create a more stable air flow. From the point of view of reliability, the situation is similar - the loss of one blade will practically not affect the performance of the tangential structure, which cannot be said about the axial one. Therefore, the repair of the kitchen hood with the replacement of spare parts for the exhaust fan in tangential models is carried out less often.
Switching speeds in different models can be implemented by:
buttons;
slide switch;
sensor.
The first two options are the simplest. With the help of buttons or a movable lever, the necessary contacts are switched, supplying voltage to the motor windings. It is due to their simplicity that such switches are considered to be quite reliable. All that can happen to them is oxidation or burning of contacts. But even in this case, the repair is not particularly difficult.
More expensive models are equipped with touch control. The panel has additional lighting and looks very stylish. However, the maintainability of the sensor is low. Often it is necessary to completely replace a failed control unit, which costs a lot of money.
Cooker hood speed pushbutton switch
Hob lighting is an important part of the cooking process. Modern hoods can be equipped with incandescent lamps, halogen or LED devices, the power and quantity of which depend on the model of the device.
Note! The most economical are LED bulbs. With the same luminous flux, they consume 8-10 times less power than incandescent lamps. In addition, their service life is more than 30,000 hours.
In most cases, the repair of a kitchen hood, in which the backlight lamp has burned out, can be done by any housewife with her own hands. However, there are situations where a more professional approach is required with the use of measuring instruments.
Hob lighting
There are two types of filters that can be used in kitchen hoods: grease and charcoal. The grease filter is installed on all models without exception, since without it, the internal components of the device will very quickly become covered with an oily film, which will subsequently lead to their breakdown. According to the number of applications, such filter elements are divided into disposable and reusable. The first ones are made of acrylic, synthetic winterizer or non-woven fabric and must be replaced every 2-3 months. The latter are made of metal, so their service life is equal to the service life of the hood itself.
Carbon filters are installed in recirculation models and are designed to remove odors. The basis of these elements is activated carbon - a high-quality adsorbent that absorbs all kinds of gases very well. Since the resource of carbon filters is not unlimited, they are subject to periodic replacement, approximately 1 time in 3-4 months.
Metal grease filter
Repairing kitchen hoods at home may be required as a result of various operational problems, the most common of which are:
decreased productivity;
lack of lighting;
lack of any reaction to inclusion;
malfunction of the speed switch;
engine breakdown.
Possible reasons: the filter element is clogged, the impeller of the exhaust fan is broken.
Repair: Wash the metal grease filter under water using detergents and / or change the disposable filter. In the event of a fan malfunction (as a rule, one or more blades breaks down), it is necessary to replace it (how to disassemble the hood in the kitchen will be described a little below).
Insufficient performance of the cooker hood is in most cases caused by untimely filter maintenance.
Possible reasons: one of the lighting devices or the lighting switch button is out of order.
Repair: Before you run to the store for a new lamp, you should check its functionality. Incandescent and halogen lamps are checked with a tester (multimeter) in resistance measurement mode. The resistance rating of a thread is usually in the tens of ohms. The absence of readings on the meter indicates a burnt-out filament.
With LED lamps, the situation is somewhat more complicated. Inside such devices, in addition to LEDs, a control driver is installed, which cannot be checked with an ordinary multimeter without disassembling the lamp. In this regard, to test the performance of the LED lamp, it is easier to screw it into the working cartridge.
Important! Before testing a lamp in a different socket, make sure that its rated voltage is 220 V.
If all the lighting fixtures are in good working order, then there is a high probability that the button for turning on the lighting does not work. It can also be checked with a tester - in the pressed state, the resistance between the contacts should be less than 1 Ohm.
Measuring the resistance of an incandescent lamp with a digital multimeter
Possible reasons: lack of mains supply, blown track or fuse.
Repair: In the case when the hood does not respond to any manipulations after it is connected to a 220 V network, first of all, it is necessary to check the voltage in the outlet, for which a multimeter is used in the AC voltage measurement mode.
Note! The use of a voltage indicator allows you to determine only the presence / absence of a phase, while a break in the neutral wire cannot be identified using this device.
If everything is in order with the input power, then the track on the control board or the fuse that is installed in the device in order to protect it from voltage surges may have blown.In this situation, repairing a kitchen hood requires at least some basic knowledge of electrical and electronic engineering.
Checking for the presence of voltage at the outlet
Possible causes: The exhaust fan speed switch is faulty.
Repair: Normal wear and tear is the main cause of failure of a pushbutton or slide switch. In terms of maintainability, the buttons are better, since it is possible to replace one element, and not the entire block. If the slide switch began to "junk", then you can try to disassemble it and clean the contacts. However, so that the problem does not return soon, it is more advisable to replace the old switch with a new one.
To replace the button, it is enough to be able to work with a soldering iron
Possible reasons: thermal fuse blown, starting capacitor faulty, motor winding burned out, rotor wedge.
Repair: It is possible to determine the exact cause of engine breakdown by indirect symptoms. If, when turning on any speed, the unit does not make any sound, and there is also no smell of a burnt winding, most likely the thermal fuse has blown.
Note! The thermal fuse is installed directly in the motor housing and burns out due to strong overheating of the windings.
In the event of a "hum" of the engine when power is applied to it, two options are possible: a malfunction of the starting capacitor or a wedge of the rotor due to poor operation of the grease filter. Well, it's a very bad situation if there is a smell of burning insulation. Only rewinding the engine or buying a new unit will help here.
Asynchronous motor for kitchen hood operation
To repair the hood with your own hands, you need to know how to disassemble it. By following the instructions below, you should not have serious difficulties with this process.
Remove the grease filter located at the bottom of the device.
We unscrew the protective panel (if any).
We disconnect the panel with lighting lamps, having previously disconnected the power connectors.
Next, remove the control board.
This instruction is an example of disassembling a modern cooker hood in a kitchen. It should be noted that in many models, individual blocks are attached independently of each other. For example, to remove the engine, it is not necessary to unscrew the backlight unit.
Advice! If disassembly requires disconnecting connectors or wires, be sure to mark or photograph the items before handling. Thanks to this approach, you will not have any difficulties with connecting blocks during assembly.
In order not to resort to repairing the kitchen hood, you should adhere to the rules for operating this equipment, which are established by the manufacturer. Let's highlight the main points:
If a gas stove is used in the kitchen, the hood should be installed at a height of 70-80 cm from the hob, if an electric one - at a height of 60-70 cm. If the hood is located below this mark, overheating of structural elements with subsequent deformation is possible. At the same time, a higher position will reduce the efficiency of the device.
If there is a manual speed switch, it is advisable to start starting from the lowest stage. Setting the maximum speed immediately will lead to an increase in the load on the electric motor, which can reduce its service life.
Failure to clean or replace the filter elements leads to the fact that grease particles begin to penetrate into the device, covering the engine, control board and backlight with an oil film. In addition, practically no air passes through the clogged filter, so the efficiency of such a hood is zero.
Like any other electrical appliance, the cooker hood must be protected from power surges.Of course, a fuse is usually installed inside the device, but this may not always protect the equipment from unstable network. It is better to cope with this additional installation of a protective relay, which instantly cuts off the power when the voltage deviates too much from the norm.
Voltage relay - additional protection of equipment against power surges
The difficulty of repairing a kitchen hood depends on the nature of the problem. Anyone can change a burned-out light bulb, but serious difficulties may arise with the restoration of the fan operation. If there is no experience in repairing electrical appliances at all, then it is more advisable to contact specialists so that you do not have to buy new equipment.
The preparation of everyday meals and culinary delights is often accompanied by different smells, and they are sometimes not very pleasant, especially if they spread.
The ventilation ducts in our homes, unfortunately, do not always cope with polluted air and odors. This was the reason for the development of various.
For most people, the kitchen has long ceased to be a utility room where food is prepared, food is cleaned, and dishes are washed. The family often gathers here.
Most modern kitchen facilities are equipped with a system for forced removal of air and combustion products of gas, odors, and excess water vapor. All this "cocktail" of hot vapors and air passes through a fan and a system of filters that capture the lion's share of fat and volatile vapors. Working conditions are difficult, so the hood can be capricious and even break down. Do not rush to panic or call the masters, in the overwhelming majority of cases, as practice shows, you can perform the simplest repair of the hood with your own hands, without using special equipment.
It is clear that the laboriousness of the hood repair depends on how complex the device of the exhaust system is. Modern hood models, such as Elikor or Krona, are a rather complex apparatus, consisting of three main units:
A motor with an axial or centrifugal fan, most often one is used, less often two low-power asynchronous electric motors with several windings. Engine repair is carried out only by replacing it with a similar model;
Electronic unit with control board removed. Of all the parts and assemblies, this is the most sensitive and complex element. If the control system is out of order, its repair is possible only in a specialized workshop;
Lighting fixtures and hood wiring.
In older models, the controls were in the form of buttons, keys, or sliders. During operation, the contacts often stuck due to varnish and fatty deposits. The engine and lighting stopped turning on. The repair of such hoods usually boiled down to cleaning the contacts and rinsing the aluminum filters. Modern models of hoods, as a rule, have, in addition to the built-in touch control panel, several sensors, for example, about the presence of draft in the outlet duct or the degree of filter contamination.
In many cases, the description of malfunctions given in the operating instructions helps. For example, when repairing an elikor cooker hood, it is best to start by deciphering the fault code on the built-in touch panel. This allows you to shorten the repair time and even get a telephone consultation from a specialist. Sometimes the hood does not require repair, but professional adjustment of the built-in control panel.
Any do-it-yourself kitchen hood repair begins with maintenance and diagnostics. First of all, before repairing, it is necessary to de-energize the hood, and at the same time check the condition of the wiring and power plug. In about 10% of cases, the repair of the hood ends with the replacement of the plug or wiring.Next, you need to remove the filters, carbon and mesh, and carry out a small diagnostics:
We turn on the backlight in turn, the engine is in low and high mode, if at least one of the options works, this means that power is supplied to the control and executive elements, and it is necessary to ring each node in detail;
If the hood does not respond to keystrokes, it means that you need to start the repair with the power supply. In normal models, the fuse block is brought out on the panel so that you can replace the burned out part, and, if necessary, repair the contacts without disassembling the case.
Oddly enough, but the more perfect the built-in hood, the more chances it is to fail seriously and for a long time. The reason for this is the widespread use of programmable microcircuits and controllers. An example would be a common situation - a voltage surge in the network when the refrigerator is turned on does not lead to the combustion of the fuse or key at the input, but to the failure of the electronic unit. For example, the overwhelming majority of the repair of krone hoods is reduced to replacing the board or microprocessor. To avoid such surprises, install a surge suppressor in the power supply system.
The fact that the cause of the problem is the electronic board can be judged by how the hood is controlled. For example, you can start repairing a cata hood by turning on and pressing the touch keys in sequence. LEDs or backlights can come on and off, the engine can turn on and run at the same speed without responding to commands.
In this case, a part of the electronic board usually requires repair, namely an actuator in the form of a key, but most often a relay. For Cata hoods, this is one of four RY530012 12V relays located on the board and responsible for switching the lighting or starting the engine. Which of the relays requires repair can be established using a tester or traced along the wiring.
Wiring and connecting wires in any hood are switched using white connecting pieces or blocks. Before dismantling the board, experts recommend that once again sit well each block in place of the connector to exclude the possibility of loss of contact. If the board shows no signs of life at all, it should be removed and tried to be repaired in a workshop.
You can establish the operability of the electric motor by checking the resistance of its windings. To do this, you need to find the wiring harness going from the board to the motor. You can try to diagnose and repair the motor without removing it from the hood, but this is usually inconvenient. In addition, it will be necessary to service the device, remove dirt and lubricate the bearings if necessary.
Put the dismantled motor on the table and first of all check the starting capacitor. If there is no short circuit, then we return it to its place, if the conder is broken, then for repair it is necessary to replace it with the same capacity and operating voltage.
Many imported motors for ventilation systems, such as hoods or floor fans, are equipped with a hinged additional thermal fuse in the form of a ceramic pellet.
If you can't replace it, you can just short-circuit the wires for a while. For repair, you need to establish the serviceability of the wiring. In branded hoods, motors burn out extremely rarely, but if they fail, it will not be easy to repair.
Next, you need to apply the mains voltage to the working and starting windings of the motor. It happens that the engine hums, but does not rotate. Turn the shaft by hand, if the engine starts to pick up speed, it means that the starting winding is out of order. To repair the hood motor, you need to ring all the windings according to the diagram below. If at least one wiring does not ring out, it means that the engine must be returned for repair or replaced with a similar one.
Incandescent or halogen lamps can simply be unscrewed from the hood and tested for functionality in any suitable socket or base. It is more difficult to deal with LED systems. Repairing LEDs typically requires removing the lamp and connecting to a low voltage DC power source. In addition, an adapter-converter must be installed in the system to obtain a 3-volt voltage for the LED. It also needs to be checked with a tester for compliance with the output voltage. If the system uses a standard 220V LED lamp, then the repair will be reduced to simply cleaning the contacts in the lamp base.
The hood can be repaired according to a fairly primitive scheme. During the repair of the control board, the contacts from the motor block can be connected to a three-position rocker switch used for conventional ceiling lights. The hood motor will operate in the same mode, but without timer or continuous speed control options.
VIDEO
We repair a kitchen hood
A cooker hood is a must-have item in the interior of a modern kitchen. Today, the help of this electrical appliance can hardly be overestimated. Fighting soot, absorbing fat particles, filtering air - the hood can easily perform the listed functions, keeping the work surfaces and kitchen units clean for a long time!
Intensive operation and many hours of work sooner or later lead to the fact that the device breaks down, upsetting its owner. Repair of kitchen hoods can be done by hand without the help of a specialist. Guided by simple instructions, you will save your own money.
It will be much easier to troubleshoot an electrical appliance if you become familiar with its structure. Traditionally, a kitchen air cleaner of the Cata, Krona, Kaiser or other brands operates on the principle of an exhaust fan. The principle of operation of the equipment is simple and straightforward. The hood is based on an electric motor that drives the entire system.
Not a single modern air-cleaning device is complete without filters: grease and carbon. The latter is used only in those models that have a recirculation mode (air purification and supplying it back to the room).
The hood design also includes an anti-return valve. The function of this element is to become a barrier to the penetration of foreign odors, insects or debris from the ventilation shaft into the kitchen.
As practice has shown, most users of Cata, Krona and other popular brands of cooker hoods complain about the same "symptoms":
the device does not turn on;
built-in backlight does not work;
the hood does not remove odors well.
In fact, repairing a kitchen hood is a feasible task even for those who have no experience in repairing appliances with their own hands. Due to the fact that the device of an electrical appliance is not more complicated than a fan, it is possible to identify and eliminate the cause in a short time, prolonging the life of the equipment.
The most common of the above problems in the Cata and Krona models is a decrease in the effectiveness of technology in eliminating unpleasant odors in the room. Many people associate such a breakdown with the fan's inability to efficiently absorb soot. In fact, the solution to the problem lies on the surface.
According to the operating rules, the hood should be turned on 5 minutes before you start cooking. The appliance must be turned off 15 minutes after the stove has stopped working.
If you adhere to these simple rules, and the smells still do not disappear, you will have to start cleaning the filters. It won't take long! Unscrew the screws with your own hands to get to the carbon filter, and replace it with a new one.
The grease grid of the Cata, Krona or other commercially available models must be thoroughly washed with anti-grease products.To increase the effectiveness of the procedures performed, they should be supported by cleaning the air intake grilles.
The second most popular problem that users face is the failure of the built-in backlight. The main reason for such a breakdown is the burnout of the light bulb. After buying it in a store, you can easily do it yourself. If the indicated manipulations did not help, you need to check the serviceability of the light switch and the integrity of the conductors.
If the equipment does not turn on at all, then you have to work hard, because there may be several reasons:
Check your network connection ... There are times when the Cata range hood does not work just because the plug is not firmly inserted into the outlet. At the same time, it is advisable to check the shield for blown fuses. If the cause is not found, carefully inspect the power cord for defects.Check if the switch is working ... If there is no visible damage outside the hood, a tester will come to the rescue. Using the device, ring out the power cord, connecting wires and the switch that energizes the equipment. Based on the results, draw conclusions: if there is no contact in the switch when the rail is on, then the snag is in it! In this case, the fan control unit will need to be replaced.Malfunction of the electric motor ... If checking all of the above elements confirmed their serviceability, then the matter is in engine breakdown. Fixing it with your own hands is a laborious and thankless task, therefore it is easier to replace it. You can buy an electric motor for Cata, Krona hoods or other brands of equipment in a specialized store.A breakdown of the air cleaning fan will not be an unpleasant surprise for you, if you have a clear guide to action at hand!
VIDEO
It's one thing if your cooker hood is already a dozen years old and has been weakly drawing air lately. Here it is already possible not to think about repairs, it is easier to buy new equipment. But what if the purchase has not served you for a year, and the fan is no longer able to cope or is completely out of order? The first step is to find out the cause of the malfunction, and then fix it on your own. The main "culprits" of breakdowns can be:
All these reasons can lead to failure and further repairs, so take into account all the points for the future so that this situation does not arise again!
Now we will proceed as follows: we will list all existing faults in turn and provide instructions on how to repair a hood in the kitchen with our own hands under each one. Breakdowns will be listed from most common to least likely to occur and harder to repair at home.
Very often, the exhaust panel is used to illuminate the work area in the kitchen. This is really convenient and is a competent approach, because in modern technology, powerful LED lamps or halogens are installed.
If your lighting does not work, you must take the following repair measures:
Check the light bulb itself, it may have burned out.
Turn on the fan to see if it works. If the blades are not spinning either, we will talk about how to repair the system a little below. The engine is running - we are looking for the malfunction further.
Check the voltage at the outlet with an indicator screwdriver. Immediately look at the switchboard, possibly knocked out a machine gun. Is the outlet working properly? If so, you need to check the integrity of the electrical cord, then ring the backlight switch and the rest of the circuit with a multimeter. Thus, by elimination, you will find the cause of the malfunction and you will be able to proceed to repairing the hood in the kitchen with your own hands. Usually, hands do not reach this point, tk. most often the light bulb burns out or the socket fails.
The second most popular malfunction of a kitchen hood is that the fan does not pull out well. Not sure what to do in this case? Things are easier here. First of all, check if the filters and grease trap are dirty. Most often, these two components are responsible for the fact that the hood does not draw air into ventilation or does not ventilate well.
VIDEO Another possible situation is the occurrence of a vacuum in a room with closed windows. As a result, the hood will pull weakly or stop drawing air at all. In this case, the repair consists in the fact that you yourself need to open the vents and ventilate the kitchen in a natural way.
Another reason that the hood pulls poorly is the lack of draft in the ventilation duct of the house. In this case, you can check the presence of traction with an ordinary lighter - light a fire and bring it to the ventilation hole in the wall, as shown in the photo. If the flame does not suck into the ventilation hole, it will be necessary to make forced ventilation, which we will talk about below.
If nothing happens when you turn on the button on the panel, it will be much more difficult to repair the hood in the kitchen yourself. This is exactly the case that we talked about above - and the fan does not turn and the light does not turn on. First you need, again, to check the electrical cord, the voltage at the outlet and the machine in the dashboard. If everything works, take a multimeter in your hands and go to the "continuity" of the circuit. First of all, you need to test the switch on the panel, perhaps one of the contacts has burned out (usually the first one). Then look at the diagram where the fuse is located, which burns out at least often.
If the cooker hood hums when it is turned on, it may be due to poor manufacturing quality. A lot of negative reviews about the increased noise level can be found on the Internet. The answer to the question why the system is noisy is quite simple - poor-quality assembly of the product, which in this case cannot be repaired by hand. For example, at such firms as Cata, Kronasteel and Elikor, the rumble during operation is practically inaudible even at maximum speed. We recommend that you immediately familiarize yourself with how to choose the right range hood for your home in order to know the names of the best manufacturers of kitchen appliances!
If you are sure of the quality of the selected product and you probably know that something else is wrong, we recommend that you check the quality of the fixing of the case to the wall / kitchen set. Even a small vibration gap can cause knocking, rustling, ringing. To prevent the equipment from making noise, it is necessary to do the following - tighten all the fasteners or put a piece of foam rubber in the problem area, which will eliminate the knocking.
If the engine hums but won't start, the most likely cause of the problem is the fuse. Do-it-yourself hood repair in this case is quite simple - you need to replace the fuse with a new one.
Everything is obvious here - the button in the control unit does not function. You must remove the protective shield and visually inspect the button as maybe the contact just burned out. After that, look at the tracks on the board and ring the circuit with a multimeter.
Backlight repair instructions are provided in the video:
VIDEO In apartment buildings, especially on the last floors, homeowners are faced with such a problem when the hood does not blow out, but blows in, that is, it works in the opposite direction. What to do in this case? The nuisance is that the air blows from the ventilation hole not only in the kitchen, but also from the toilet and bathroom. There are reviews on thematic forums that the easiest way is to take and drown out natural ventilation, but such repairs do not need to be done. In order to repair the central ventilation yourself, which does not suck in, but blows, it is necessary to create forced air intake by installing electric exhaust fans, like Vents. Their cost is relatively low, but the malfunction will be overcome.
VIDEO So we have provided a list of possible malfunctions of the hood. We hope you have found the answer to your question and now you know how to repair a cooker hood in the kitchen with your own hands!
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