Hood pyramid DIY repair

In detail: do-it-yourself pyramid hood repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

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.

Video (click to play).

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.

Overvoltage protection.

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.

A working hood must absorb all vapors and odors

Hood malfunctions in the kitchen deprive the inhabitants of a house or apartment of their usual comfort - unwanted odors are spread around the rooms, condensation accumulates on the walls and windows, and the air itself becomes harmful to health.

In the event of a breakdown of the kitchen ventilation system, many immediately turn to workshops and service centers, which, for a considerable fee, repair kitchen hoods. But, this kitchen equipment, even with additional functions, is not too complicated, and it is quite possible to repair it with your own hands.

The primary function of any hood is to remove air saturated with vapors and odors from the room. Therefore, the kitchen owners suspect poor-quality ventilation when condensation appears on the windows. An increased cooking odor also indicates that the kitchen exhaust ventilation equipment is not doing its job, although the motor is running.

The accumulation of condensation on the kitchen windows indicates poor performance of the hood.

In this case, there are two possible reasons for the poor-quality operation of the hood:

Hood filter and grease trap clogged;
The exhaust duct is clogged.

Filter cleaning and other maintenance work should be described in the manufacturer's instructions. Since there are many different hood designs, it is not possible to give a universal description of this process.

But, having carefully studied the instructions, almost any user will be able to do a simple filter cleaning with his own hands, as shown in the video:

Often users complain: “We bought a high-quality Cata hood, installed it, everything works, but there is little condensation on the windows, too.” If the hood is installed for the first time, be sure to check the draft of the exhaust duct - if there is no air circulation in it, then no matter how powerful the fan is, it will not be able to blow out water vapor and odors from the kitchen.

Air duct without visible traces of clogging

The draft is checked with a lighter (the flame should be deflected by the air stream) or by applying a paper sheet to the ventilation grill. If the exhaust duct in a private house is clogged, then it can be cleaned with your own hands, and in an apartment building, most likely, you will have to contact the appropriate services.

Checking the draft of ventilation by deflecting the flame

If for some reason it is impossible to clean the ventilation duct, then in order for the hood to function, its outlet pipe must be brought out in a different way - for example, by making a hole in the wall, or changing the window frame.

Checking the traction with paper - the sheet should press against the grate

If the exhaust fan does not work at all, then the following reasons are possible:

Poor contact in the socket, plug, the power cord is broken or there is no voltage;
Blown fuse;
The connection terminals inside the hood casing are loose, or the wires are unsoldered;
Malfunction in buttons or switches;
If the hood has an electronic control interface, there may be breakdowns in the electrical board, relays, sensors, etc.
Fan motor defective.

When starting to repair the hood, you need to look for malfunctions, excluding the possible causes indicated above, alternately going through the points.

Troubleshooting inside the hood

Initial diagnostics of the hood is made by turning on the built-in light bulb. But, due to overvoltage, all components of the hood may fail, or at best, the fuse may blow. Checking the wiring and fuse, measuring voltage and repairing the outlet are described in detail in other articles of this resource.

To get to the internal connection terminals, you need to disassemble the hood casing, having previously disconnected the power cord from the outlet. Due to the vibration of the fan, the terminal bolts may loosen and the contact will disappear. If checking and tightening the bolts fails, proceed to the next step.

Check the reliability of the connection terminals of the exhaust fan

You can check the buttons and speed switches with an ohmmeter (tester, multimeter in continuity mode) or a probe (factory or homemade). Since the motor windings connected to the switches have low resistance, when tested with a probe, they can affect the false operation of the indicator, so the terminals should be disconnected first.

At home, without skills and tools, repairing an electric motor is impossible, so you will have to look for an identical or suitable replacement.

As a rule, capacitor single-phase electric motors are used in hoods, to familiarize yourself with the principle of their operation and test methods, follow the link provided. The electric motor for the hood has several taps from the windings, which are switched to change the fan speed.

Exhaust motor connection diagram with outputs for speed switching

It is also possible that the starting capacitor, relay or electronic control unit malfunction. Sometimes, if a complex electronic circuit cannot be repaired, it can be replaced with a simpler solution based on reliable mechanical switches, as shown below:

So that there is no need to repair the hood in the kitchen with your own hands, you should purchase equipment from reliable manufacturers. Cheap goods from China are very often short-lived in operation, create a lot of noise and, at the same time, are ineffective with significant energy consumption.One of the leaders in the production of kitchen equipment is Cata. The specialists of this Spanish company produce not only kitchen hoods, but also a wide range of kitchen electrical appliances - ovens, hobs, microwave ovens that work properly all over the world.One of the classic Cata range hoodsBuying such high-quality equipment as from Cata, Elica, Electrolux, Krona, etc., will allow the user not to worry about the health of the cooker hood for a long time. But nevertheless, sometimes due to the reverse thrust, the fan itself becomes clogged or other unforeseen circumstances occur.

Therefore, from time to time, you will have to clean the filter with your own hands, change the light bulbs, do a routine inspection of the hood, as shown in the video:

Repairing kitchen hoods is almost always justified from a financial point of view; every home craftsman can easily fix several minor faults with his own hands.

Before you start repairing the hood with your own hands, you should understand its device. Such a technique can be of the exhaust (exhaust) or recirculation type (air is cleaned and released back), but in both types the main working element is always an asynchronous motor (8).

In addition, in this technique, there will necessarily be a fan (2), which may be axial or tangential. The axial blade is a blade that "draws" the air inward. The air flow will flow along the axis of rotation of the engine. Fans of tangential type are blades-blades evenly spaced around a circle. Such a fan is preferable - its principle of operation provides increased efficiency.

There will definitely be filters in the hood. For example, a budget carbon filter (9) is put on a round motor inlet window, and a more expensive filtering structure with carbon granules will be one that has a rectangular shape and is installed immediately behind the fat filter. The grease filter, in turn, is located just behind the work surface (12). There are also fabric filters and impregnated paper products (disposable), but now the most common are reusable mesh metal grease traps.

As for the control panel, it can be of the touch or mechanical type, but it will always be a common unit, as shown in the photo below.

If the device provides for a change in speeds, then a circuit that generates a control voltage is mandatory. The design is also complemented by lighting. These can be incandescent, halogen or LED bulbs.

It is not difficult to repair the hood with your own hands if you follow a certain algorithm. It is clear that first you need to decide on the problem.

In the event that the hood breaks down and does not turn on, it is imperative to check the functionality of the built-in lighting. Thus, the integrity of the power circuit is monitored, the correct connection to the outlet. If the bulbs work, then the problem lies in the engine or control system, in which case you need to buy new parts that fit your hood model and are approved by the manufacturer.

Spare parts for cooker hoods are sold in specialized stores of spare parts for household appliances and in online stores.

Disconnect the power supply to the hood.
Remove the filters by pulling on the tab. Unscrew the lower panel of the cooker hood while supporting it from below so that it does not fall.
Disconnect the backlight wire connectors so you disconnect both panels from each other.
Remove or remove the hood from the cabinet by unscrewing the screws and place it neatly on the floor. Attention, the hood is heavy, so it is advisable to remove it with a partner.
Remove the fan from the motor by releasing the spring clip or other fastener.

Now you need to remove the engine. To do this, disconnect the green ground wire from the screw on the hood housing, and then cut the wires connected to the motor. Remove the 3 screws from the mounting plate as shown in the photo below, remove this plate and pull the fan motor out of the hood.
Connect the new motor to the mounting plate, then place it in the hood body, ground wire back.

Reinstall the fan blades by securing the spring clip. Install or insert the hood in its place, fasten back all the panels of the case and, having connected the power supply, check the operation of the new motor.

If the motor runs all the time, but does not change speed, then in 92% of cases the problem lies in the control panel. It is better and easier in this case to just buy a new one and replace it, it is quite difficult to repair the board with your own hands.

Now let's consider possible minor malfunctions of the hood.

There are several possible malfunctions here:

The device may not be connected to the electrical network. It is necessary to check both the fact of connection and the presence of voltage in the outlet.
The performance of the circuit breaker is checked by a tester. If this element does not "ring out", it must be replaced.
It may turn out that there is a problem with the power supply. They can occur due to a breakdown of the machine or the failure of fuses.
The power plug may also be damaged. By the way, the plug may contain a built-in fuse, which may blow out - in this case, it will need to be replaced.
Internal wiring of the device can also provoke malfunctions. It must be checked with a tester, and found bad contacts are eliminated by tightening the screws or crimping the tips with pliers.
But electric motor malfunctions require major repairs and professional intervention.

If, when the hood is working, there are still extraneous odors in the kitchen, then most likely the matter is in the filter. The efficiency of the hood decreases if it is not replaced (cleaned) in time. For example, the charcoal filter located just behind the intake grille must be replaced approximately every 3 months. A filter of this type can be collapsible, then only coal granules are changed in it (photo on the left).

Disposable grease filters (paper and fabric) must also be replaced. They cannot be restored and cannot be erased. But the metal mesh structures need regular cleaning (they can even be washed in the dishwasher - about once a month).

If you are convinced that the problem is not in the filter, then you can solve the problem as follows - increase the operating time of the device, turning it on a few minutes before turning on the burners and turning it off a quarter of an hour after the stove is free.

If the illumination of the hood does not work, then everything can be repaired with your own hands according to the following algorithm:

In the case when the fan rotates without interruption, but the lighting does not turn on in any way, the light bulb is simply replaced with a new one.
When replacing the light bulb did not help solve the problem, it is worth checking the operation of the light switch, most likely the wire just came off in it.

In order for your hood to work for as long as possible, you should change and clean filters in it in time.Modern models are equipped with special sensors (buzzer or light) that indicate the need for replacement;
To exclude overheating (breakdown) of the engine, it is necessary to prevent the operation of the device when the gas burners are working without dishes;
In addition, the minimum mounting height of the working surface of the hood must be maintained - 70-75 cm above the gas stove, and 65-70 above the hob.

Read also:

Do-it-yourself kitchen hood repair Pyramid - all in one

How to repair a Pyramid cooker hood yourself. Most of the malfunctions of kitchen hoods are easy to fix by yourself.

Usually, most often difficulties with repairs arise when there is no lead. It is difficult to find a starting point.

The book "Do-it-yourself Kitchen Hood Repair Pyramid - All in One" will provide all possible clues (reasons) and starting points (repair paths).

This will allow you to outline the correct path and start troubleshooting and the cause that caused this malfunction.

The book has it all. Starting from the existing breakdown and ending with repair (elimination of the cause of the malfunction that caused the breakdown).

Useful logical solutions and answers to all questions related to the detection of a malfunction and the ways of repairing yourself, without the involvement of expensive specialists, are presented. A course on how to repair washing machines.

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.