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

Published August 2026 | Cooker Hood Not Working - Common Faults

If your cooker hood has suddenly stopped working, it can feel more unsettling than you might expect - especially when it's the first time you've had to deal with an appliance fault and you're not sure who to call or what's actually wrong. You might be wondering whether it's safe to carry on cooking, whether this is going to be expensive, or whether you've done something to cause it. Take a breath. This guide walks you through everything clearly, from the most common causes to finding a reliable engineer in Salisbury who can get things sorted properly.

What Is Actually Happening - The Basics Explained Simply

A cooker hood (also called an extractor hood or extractor fan) does one main job: it removes steam, cooking smells, smoke, and grease-laden air from your kitchen. It does this either by ducting the air outside through a pipe in the wall or ceiling, or by filtering it through a carbon filter and recirculating cleaner air back into the room. Most homes in Wiltshire will have one of these two types, and which type you have affects which faults are most likely.

Inside the hood, there are four main components that can fail: the motor driving the fan, the filters, the lighting circuit, and the speed or power controls. When something stops working, it's almost always one of these. Our engineers find that the most common faults break down like this:

• The fan isn't turning at all - often a motor failure, a blown fuse, or a faulty speed selector switch
• The fan runs but extraction is poor - typically blocked or saturated filters, or a partially blocked duct
• The lights have stopped working - most often a dead bulb, but sometimes a failed transformer or control board
• The hood is making unusual noises - commonly worn motor bearings, a loose fan blade, or debris caught in the fan housing
• The speed settings won't respond - usually a faulty control switch or an issue with the electronic control board

Brands like Bosch, Hotpoint, Beko, and Neff all follow a broadly similar internal design, so while each manufacturer has its own quirks, the root causes of failure are largely the same across the range. Age is a factor too - a hood that's ten years old or more is significantly more likely to develop motor or electrical faults than a newer unit.

Is This an Emergency or Can It Wait?

In most cases, a faulty cooker hood is an inconvenience rather than an emergency. Unlike a boiler breakdown or a water leak, you can still use your kitchen safely while you arrange a repair. That said, there are a few situations where you should act more promptly.

Act quickly if:

• You can smell burning or see scorch marks near the hood - switch it off at the wall and don't use it until an engineer has inspected it
• The hood is tripping your consumer unit (fuse box) each time you turn it on - this points to an electrical fault that needs attention
• You have a gas hob and have been without any ventilation for several days - not an emergency, but worth prioritising

It can wait a week or two if:

• The fan is running but extraction seems weaker than it used to be
• The lights have gone but the fan still works
• The hood is noisier than normal but still functioning

If you're not sure where your fault falls, using the Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool is a good starting point - it asks you a few questions about what the hood is doing and gives you a clearer picture of what's likely wrong and how urgently you need a professional.

What You Can Safely Check Yourself With Zero Experience

Before calling anyone out, there are several checks you can do yourself without any tools or technical background. Work through these in order - you might find the problem is simpler than you think.

1. Check your consumer unit first. Go to your fuse box and look for any tripped switches - a tripped breaker will be sitting in a different position to the others, often half-way between on and off. Reset it and try the hood again. If it trips immediately, don't reset it again - there's an electrical fault that needs a professional.
2. Check for an isolation switch or plug. Some cooker hoods are plugged into a socket above the kitchen cabinets rather than hardwired. If yours is, make sure the socket is switched on. There may also be a separate isolation switch on the wall nearby.
3. Pull out the grease filters and inspect them. Most hoods have metal mesh filters that slide or clip out from the underside. If they're dark, sticky, and heavy with grease, that's very likely why your extraction has dropped. These can be run through a dishwasher or washed by hand in hot soapy water - it makes a bigger difference than most people expect.
4. Check the carbon filter if your hood recirculates. Recirculating hoods have a carbon or charcoal filter that sits behind the grease filter. Unlike grease filters, these cannot be washed - they need replacing every six to twelve months. If you're not sure when yours was last changed, it's probably due. A saturated carbon filter will leave your hood almost useless at removing cooking smells.
5. Try the lights separately from the fan. If only the lighting has failed, check whether the bulbs need replacing. Many hoods use LED capsule or halogen bulbs that are available cheaply online - your model number (usually printed on a label inside the hood or on the filter housing) will help you find the right replacement.
6. Listen to the motor when you switch the hood on. If you can hear a hum but the fan isn't turning, the motor is trying to run but something is blocking it - possibly a seized bearing or a broken fan blade. If you hear nothing at all, the fault is more likely in the electrics or the control board rather than the motor itself.

If you've worked through all of these and still can't identify the problem - or if the fault keeps coming back - it's time to bring in a professional. Salisbury has a good number of qualified appliance repair engineers, and an early diagnosis usually saves money compared to letting a fault develop further.

How to Find a Trustworthy Engineer in Salisbury

Finding a reliable appliance repair engineer doesn't have to be a process of trial and error. Here's what to look for when choosing who to call.

Read reviews carefully. Look for engineers with reviews on Google, Checkatrade, or Voltrade, and pay attention to reviews that mention jobs similar to yours. "Fixed my extractor hood quickly and explained the fault" is more reassuring than a vague five-star rating with no detail.

Ask about brand experience. If you have a Bosch, Beko, Hotpoint, or AEG hood, it's worth asking whether the engineer has worked on that make before. Parts availability and wiring configurations can vary between brands, and someone familiar with yours will typically get to a diagnosis faster.

Get a written quote before work starts. A trustworthy engineer will give you a clear cost before they begin any repair. Many charge a diagnostic fee which is then deducted from the repair cost if you go ahead - that's a fair and common arrangement. Be cautious of anyone who gives a very high quote without having diagnosed the fault first.

Look for a Salisbury-based engineer. A locally based engineer will typically have lower call-out fees than someone travelling in from further afield, and they're easier to contact if you have questions after the job. Voltrade's platform lets you search for verified appliance repair engineers in Salisbury, compare their reviews, and book directly - which removes most of the uncertainty.

What a Repair Visit Looks Like So You Know What to Expect

If you've never had a tradesperson in for an appliance repair before, here's a realistic picture of how a cooker hood repair visit typically goes.

The engineer will arrive within the agreed time window and start by asking you about the fault - when it happened, what the hood was doing beforehand, whether anything unusual occurred. This background information helps narrow down the cause before they even touch the hood.

They'll then run through a diagnostic process: checking the power supply and controls, testing the motor using a multimeter, inspecting the filters and ducting, and examining the control board if the initial checks don't identify the problem. For most common faults, this diagnostic stage takes around fifteen to thirty minutes.

Once they've identified the issue, they'll explain what's wrong and give you a quote for the repair. At that point, the decision is yours. A good engineer will also tell you honestly whether a repair makes sense for your model and its age - if the cost of fixing it is close to the price of a replacement, they should say so rather than pushing you into an expensive job that won't add much life to the appliance.

If they have the required part in their van, they may complete the repair on the same visit. More specific parts - like a control board for a particular Neff or LG model - sometimes need to be ordered, which may mean a second visit. In Salisbury, most standard replacement parts can typically be sourced within one to three working days through trade suppliers.

Typical Costs So You Are Not Caught Off Guard

Cooker hood repair costs vary depending on the fault, the brand, and whether any parts need to be ordered. Here's a realistic breakdown based on what our engineers typically charge for jobs in this area.

• Diagnostic or call-out fee: typically between 50 and 80 pounds, often deducted from the total if you go ahead with the repair
• Grease filter replacement: typically 20 to 50 pounds for the filter itself - something you can do yourself for less
• Carbon filter replacement: typically 15 to 40 pounds for the part, minimal labour if you replace it yourself
• Speed selector switch: typically 60 to 120 pounds including labour
• Motor replacement: typically between 120 and 260 pounds including parts and labour - one of the more expensive repairs
• Control board replacement: typically between 150 and 320 pounds depending on the brand - Bosch and Neff boards tend to sit at the higher end of that range
• Full replacement hood (budget model, supplied and fitted): typically 180 to 350 pounds all in, depending on the model chosen and complexity of installation

As a general rule of thumb, if the repair quote comes to more than 60 percent of the cost of a comparable new hood, replacement is usually the better investment. Labour rates for appliance engineers in Wiltshire typically run at 50 to 90 pounds per hour, with most standard cooker hood jobs taking one to two hours on site.

Questions You Should Ask Your Engineer

Going into a repair visit with a few prepared questions puts you in a much better position. Here's what's worth asking:

• "What exactly is the fault and why did it fail?" - a good engineer will explain this in plain language, not just tell you what part needs replacing
• "Is a repair worth it for this model, or would you recommend replacement?" - ask for their honest view on the cost versus benefit
• "Do you carry this part, or will it need to be ordered?" - important for planning how long you'll be without the hood
• "Is there a guarantee on the repair?" - most reputable engineers offer at least a 90-day warranty on parts and labour
• "Are there any other parts that look like they might fail soon?" - if something else is showing signs of wear, it's better to know now while the hood is already open
• "What maintenance should I be doing to stop this happening again?" - the answer is almost always filter cleaning, but ask anyway so you know the specific schedule for your model

First-Timer Questions About Cooker Hood Faults

Why has my cooker hood suddenly stopped working when nothing seemed wrong with it?

This is one of the most common calls our engineers receive, and the answer is usually that the fault built up gradually without being visible. Motor bearings wear slowly over years, grease accumulates in ducting over time, and electrical components like capacitors and control boards can fail without any warning signs. If your hood stopped suddenly mid-use, a thermal cutout tripping due to overheating is a very common cause - the hood shuts itself off as a safety measure. Once it cools down it may run briefly again before cutting out, which is a reliable indicator that something is overheating internally and needs investigation.

Can I still use my hob if the cooker hood is not working?

In most cases, yes - you can cook without the hood working, particularly on an electric, ceramic, or induction hob. Open a window to ventilate the kitchen and you'll be fine for normal cooking. If you have a gas hob, ventilation matters more because gas combustion produces moisture and trace combustion gases, so keep windows open while you cook and avoid heavy frying sessions until the hood is repaired. There's no immediate safety risk in most situations with a faulty hood, but it's not something to leave unaddressed for weeks, especially with a gas hob.

My cooker hood is still running but extraction seems much weaker than it used to be - is that a fault?

Yes, and it's one of the most commonly overlooked faults precisely because it happens so gradually. The most likely causes are blocked or saturated grease filters, a full carbon filter on a recirculating model, or a partial blockage somewhere in the ductwork. In ducted hoods, birds sometimes nest in external vent caps during warmer months - a surprisingly common issue in Wiltshire - which can dramatically reduce airflow without stopping the fan completely. Start by cleaning or replacing the filters. If that doesn't restore the extraction, a blocked duct or a motor that's losing power due to worn bearings is the next thing to investigate.

How do I know whether my cooker hood recirculates or extracts to outside?

The easiest way to check is to look at the back or top of the hood for a circular outlet port, usually 120mm or 150mm in diameter. If there's a flexible or rigid duct connected to it running into the wall or ceiling, your hood extracts to outside. If there's no duct and no outlet pipe, or if the hood sits flush against a solid wall with no visible external vent, it almost certainly recirculates. Recirculating hoods require carbon filters to work properly, while ducted hoods don't - so knowing which type you have is important for diagnosing poor performance and choosing the right replacement filters.

Is it worth repairing an older cooker hood or should I just replace it?

This depends on the age of the hood and the nature of the fault. As a general guide, if the repair costs more than half the price of a comparable new unit, replacement is usually the smarter choice. Hoods more than ten to twelve years old can be harder to source parts for, and a motor that's failed once is more likely to fail again. On the other hand, if the fault is minor - a filter, a switch, or a bulb - repairing makes sense regardless of age. An engineer in Salisbury can give you a clear view once they've diagnosed the fault, and a trustworthy one will tell you if replacement makes more sense rather than pushing you towards an expensive repair on an old unit.