Cooker Hood Not Working in Arundel - Common Faults and What to Do

Published October 2026 | Cooker Hood Common Faults

If your cooker hood has stopped working and there's a burning smell, scorch marks near the casing, or any sign of electrical arcing, switch off the socket or spur at the wall immediately and don't use the hob until a qualified engineer has inspected the unit.

Immediate Actions - Do These NOW

Your cooker hood is one of the hardest-working appliances in your kitchen. When it stops doing its job, grease, steam, and cooking odours build up fast - and in a kitchen ventilated by a gas hob, that matters more than most people realise. Here's what to do the moment you notice a problem.

1. Check the power supply first. It sounds obvious, but our engineers find that a surprising number of call-outs in Arundel turn out to be a tripped RCD or a blown fuse in the plug or fused spur. Check your consumer unit and reset any tripped breakers before assuming the hood itself has failed.
2. Try all the fan speed settings. A hood that appears completely dead sometimes has a failed low-speed motor winding while the higher speeds still work - or vice versa. Run through every setting on the control panel before drawing any conclusions.
3. Check the filters. A severely clogged grease filter can cause the motor to overheat and trip its thermal overload protection. Switch the hood off, let it cool for 20-30 minutes, and try again. If it briefly runs then cuts out again, blocked filters are a strong candidate.
4. Check the carbon filters if you have a recirculating model. A saturated carbon filter doesn't stop the motor running, but it kills odour removal entirely. Most manufacturers recommend replacement every three to six months depending on cooking habits.
5. Run a quick check with the Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool. Enter your hood's make, model, and fault description and GoFIX will flag the most likely cause along with typical repair costs for the Arundel area, helping you decide whether a call-out makes sense before you book.

What NOT to Do - Common Dangerous Mistakes

A cooker hood sits directly above an open flame or electric hob, which means responding to a fault incorrectly can create a real hazard. These are the mistakes our engineers see most often.

Don't pull the hood away from the wall or ceiling yourself if you suspect a wiring fault. Cooker hoods are typically hardwired or connected via a fused spur, and working on internal wiring without properly isolating the circuit is dangerous. Even with the unit apparently switched off, a faulty control switch can leave components live.

Don't keep cooking without extraction if there's any sign of overheating. Grease that builds up on unfiltered surfaces inside the hood casing can ignite. If the filters are heavily loaded and the fan isn't moving air, every cooking session deposits more grease in places it was never meant to be.

Don't assume the motor has failed without checking the capacitor first. Brands like Bosch, Hotpoint, and Elica all use capacitors to start and run their fan motors. A failed capacitor is one of the most common faults we see, and it's a much cheaper fix than a full motor. Our engineers have seen Beko and Indesit hoods written off as "motor gone" that turned out to need a capacitor costing under 20 pounds in parts.

Don't ignore a grinding or rattling noise. A rattling hood typically signals worn fan bearings or a loose impeller. Left alone, bearing failure causes the motor to seize, turning what could have been an 80-pound repair into a full motor replacement at 150-200 pounds or more.

Don't use spray degreasers directly on the control panel or switches. Liquid ingress into switches and electronic control boards is a common cause of electrical faults that our Arundel team encounters after well-meaning cleaning attempts go wrong. Remove and soak the grease filters separately instead.

When This is a Genuine Emergency vs When It Can Wait

Not every cooker hood fault is urgent, but some definitely are. Here's how to tell the difference.

Get an engineer out today if:

• There's a burning smell or you can see scorch marks or discolouration on the hood casing or the surrounding cupboards. This points to an electrical fault with a potential fire risk.
• The hood trips the RCD every time it's switched on. A recurring RCD trip is a clear sign of a ground fault or short circuit inside the unit, and the appliance shouldn't be used until it's been inspected.
• The hood has stopped working completely and your kitchen has limited natural ventilation with a gas hob. Without extraction, combustion gases accumulate more quickly. This is particularly relevant in older West Sussex properties where kitchen layouts were designed before mechanical extraction became standard.
• There's any sign of water ingress into the unit - for example if you've had recent work done near the ducting, or if condensation has been tracking back inside the hood casing.

This can wait a few days if:

• The lights have stopped working but the fan runs fine. This is typically a failed bulb or a blown lamp holder - low-risk and easy to book as a non-urgent repair.
• The hood works but is noisier than usual with no burning smell. Bearing wear develops gradually and doesn't pose an immediate risk in the short term.
• Odour extraction has got noticeably worse but the fan is still running. This is commonly a filter issue rather than a mechanical fault.
• One fan speed has stopped working while others are fine. A failed speed control capacitor is annoying but not typically dangerous.

Getting Emergency Help in Arundel

Arundel is a compact market town and our engineers cover it as part of their West Sussex patch, which means response times for urgent faults are typically within a same-day or next-morning window. When you call, have the following ready to speed things up:

• The make and model of your hood - usually on a label inside the filter housing or on the back panel
• A clear description of the fault, including when it started, any unusual sounds or smells, and what the control panel does when you switch it on
• Whether the hood is ducted externally or recirculating
• Whether the fault appeared suddenly or has been developing over time

For suspected electrical faults, an engineer will need access to your consumer unit to properly isolate the circuit before working on the hood. Make sure the area around it is accessible.

Emergency call-out charges in the Arundel area typically run from 60 to 100 pounds depending on timing and distance, with labour charged on top. Be cautious of any trader who can't give you a rough estimate over the phone before arriving, and always ask whether parts are included in the quoted price or charged separately.

What the Emergency Repair Involves

A cooker hood contains a relatively small number of core components: the motor, the fan impeller, the control board or speed controller, the lamp holders, the grease filters, and the ducting or recirculation path. An experienced engineer can usually narrow down the fault to one of these within 15 to 20 minutes of inspection.

Here's what a typical emergency diagnosis and repair looks like step by step:

1. Visual inspection of the casing, filters, and ducting for obvious blockages, damage, or signs of burning or overheating.
2. Electrical checks at the supply, the isolator switch, and at the motor terminals to establish whether the fault is electrical or mechanical before anything is dismantled.
3. Component testing - particularly the start capacitor, which is one of the most commonly failed parts in extract fan motors and costs relatively little to replace.
4. Motor assessment - checking whether the motor spins freely, whether it draws the correct current, and whether the thermal cutout has tripped and is resettable or permanently failed.
5. Filter and ducting check - poor extraction is one of the most commonly reported cooker hood complaints, and in many cases the cause is a blocked or incorrectly fitted duct run rather than a failed motor. This is worth ruling out before any parts are ordered.

Typical repair costs in West Sussex:

• Capacitor replacement: typically 50 to 80 pounds including parts
• Control board replacement: typically 90 to 160 pounds depending on the model - Samsung, Bosch, and Neff boards tend to sit at the higher end
• Motor replacement: typically 130 to 250 pounds depending on the hood make and age
• Ducting clearance or partial rerouting: typically 60 to 120 pounds depending on access

If the motor has completely seized on an older budget model, a repair may not be economical. Our engineers will give you a clear assessment before any work begins so you can make an informed decision about repair versus replacement.

Emergency Questions

How do I know if my cooker hood motor has completely failed?

A failed motor typically means the fan makes no sound at all when switched on, even if the control lights still illuminate. If the motor hums but the fan doesn't turn, the capacitor is more likely the culprit than the motor itself - it's a much cheaper fix. A seized motor will sometimes produce a brief buzz before the thermal cutout trips. An engineer can confirm this with basic electrical testing at the motor terminals in a few minutes on most models, including common Hotpoint, Beko, and LG units sold in the UK.

Can I keep using my gas hob if the cooker hood isn't working?

You can cook in the short term, but open windows and keep the kitchen ventilated as much as possible. Gas combustion produces moisture, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of carbon monoxide, and without extraction these accumulate more quickly in a closed kitchen. If you have a carbon monoxide detector, make sure it's functioning correctly. Don't leave the hob unattended for extended periods and prioritise getting the hood repaired promptly - especially through autumn and winter when kitchens are naturally less well ventilated.

Why does my cooker hood cut out after running for a few minutes?

This is almost always a thermal overload issue. The motor has an internal cutout that trips when it gets too hot - usually because the grease filters are blocked, restricting airflow and forcing the motor to work harder than it should. Remove and clean or replace the filters, then let the unit cool completely before trying again. If it still cuts out after filter cleaning, worn motor bearings may be generating excess friction and heat. That's a job for a qualified engineer rather than a DIY fix, as continuing to run the motor in that state will cause further damage.

How much does a cooker hood repair typically cost in Arundel?

Most cooker hood repairs in the Arundel area land between 80 and 200 pounds all in, depending on the fault and the parts required. A capacitor swap or filter service sits at the lower end, while a motor or control board replacement on a branded unit like an AEG, Bosch, or Siemens hood can push towards the top of that range. If a repair is going to cost more than half the price of a comparable new hood, a good engineer will tell you so upfront rather than proceeding with work that doesn't make financial sense for you.