Cooker Hood Not Working in Worthing - Common Faults Checklist

Published September 2026 | Cooker Hood Not Working Common Faults

This checklist covers the most common reasons a cooker hood stops working - from clogged grease filters to failed extraction motors - and gives you a practical framework for catching problems before they escalate. Running through these checks regularly is one of the simplest ways to protect your appliance and avoid a repair bill that could have been prevented entirely.

Quick Visual Checks Anyone Can Do

Before calling an engineer, there are several things worth checking yourself. Many of the call-outs our engineers attend in Worthing turn out to be issues the homeowner could have resolved in under ten minutes. Work through this list first:

1. Check the power supply. A tripped circuit breaker or a loose plug connection is the first thing to rule out. Go to your consumer unit and look for any tripped breakers - reset if needed, then try the hood again.
2. Inspect the grease filters. Pull out the metal mesh filters - most slide or clip out without tools. If they're grey and matted with grease, they're restricting airflow significantly and may be causing the motor to cut out on thermal overload. Bosch, Hotpoint, and Beko hoods all use standard-size filters that are easy to source and replace.
3. Check whether the child lock is active. If your hood has electronic touch controls, a child lock may have been accidentally triggered. On many Bosch and Neff models, holding the light button for three seconds toggles it. Check your manual for the exact sequence.
4. Look at the bulbs or LED modules. If the fan works but the lights don't, it's likely just a failed bulb. Many older hoods use G4 or G9 capsule bulbs that are simple to swap at home. Newer models use LED modules that are slightly more involved but still typically owner-serviceable.
5. Check for external blockages. If you have a ducted hood that vents outside, check the external wall grille or roof tile vent. Leaves, bird nests, and general debris commonly block external outlets - particularly in older West Sussex properties with tile or slate roofs.
6. Listen to the fan at low speed. A humming sound with no movement usually points to a seized motor or a failed start capacitor. A rattling or scraping noise often means a cracked fan blade or loose debris inside the housing.
7. Run a fault code check. If your hood has a digital display, note any error codes it's showing. The Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool cross-references fault codes across hundreds of hood models, including integrated models from Samsung and LG, and can help identify whether you're looking at a sensor fault, motor issue, or control board problem.

Monthly Maintenance Tasks

Monthly maintenance doesn't need to be time-consuming - fifteen minutes is typically enough to keep a cooker hood running well. These tasks make the biggest difference to long-term reliability.

Clean the metal grease filters. If you cook frequently, these need washing every month. Most are dishwasher-safe - load them on the bottom rack with a hot cycle. If washing by hand, soak in warm water with a kitchen degreaser for around twenty minutes first. Filters that are washed regularly last the life of the appliance. Filters that are left to build up can reduce airflow by 60 to 70 percent, which puts the motor under sustained stress and significantly shortens its working life.

Wipe the fan blades if accessible. Grease that accumulates on fan blades throws the fan off-balance over time, which adds stress to the motor bearings and starts to generate noise. If your hood allows access without full disassembly, a wipe-down monthly is worth doing.

Clean the canopy exterior. Use a mild degreaser and a soft cloth. Grease that bakes onto the exterior over several months becomes much harder to shift and can work into ventilation slots and joins over time.

Replace charcoal filters if you have a recirculating hood. If your hood doesn't duct to the outside - common in Worthing flats and newer builds where external ducting isn't practical - it uses charcoal filters to absorb cooking odours. Unlike metal mesh filters, charcoal filters can't be washed. They need replacing every three to six months depending on how much you cook. A saturated charcoal filter won't stop the fan running, but the hood will stop removing smells effectively - often the first sign this has been neglected.

Annual Professional Checks You Should Book

Some checks genuinely require an engineer. Our appliance repair team in West Sussex sees a steady number of cooker hoods with slow-developing faults that could have been caught - and fixed cheaply - during a routine annual inspection. Here's what a professional service typically covers:

Motor and bearing inspection. A motor heading toward failure often gives early warning signs - slightly reduced airflow, faint humming at higher speeds, or occasional thermal cut-out. An engineer can measure the motor's current draw and assess whether it's deteriorating. Motor replacements typically cost between 90 and 170 pounds for parts and labour depending on the brand and model, which is considerably less than replacing the whole hood.

Capacitor and electrical connections check. Start capacitors fail more often than most people realise. They degrade gradually and eventually prevent the motor from starting at all - which presents as a complete, sudden failure with no obvious cause. This is a quick and inexpensive repair when identified early, typically 50 to 90 pounds including labour.

Ducting integrity inspection. For vented hoods, an engineer will check the ductwork for splits, loose joints, and any condensation issues. Ducting that has come apart inside the wall or loft space means greasy, humid air is being pumped into the building fabric rather than outside - a problem that compounds over time and can cause damp and mould issues in the surrounding structure.

Control board diagnostics. Electronic control boards on premium brands like Bosch and Neff can develop intermittent faults that only show up under certain conditions. A proper diagnostic session can identify whether the board needs replacing (typically 100 to 220 pounds) or whether the fault is a simpler wiring or sensor issue.

Warning Signs That Need Immediate Attention

Some cooker hood problems can't wait for a scheduled appointment. If you notice any of the following, stop using the hood and call an engineer promptly.

• Burning smell from the motor housing. This typically means a motor winding is failing or overheating. Running it further risks the motor burning out entirely, which turns a 100 to 150 pound repair into a 300 pound one.
• Sparking or visible scorch marks around the controls or internal wiring. Switch the appliance off at the wall and at the consumer unit. Don't use it until an engineer has inspected it.
• Grease dripping down onto the hob surface. An overloaded filter system can cause pooled grease to drip through the body of the hood. This is a fire risk, particularly over gas hobs - cooking appliances are among the most common sources of domestic fires across West Sussex, and a grease-saturated hood significantly increases that risk.
• Loud grinding or metal-on-metal noise during operation. This suggests bearing failure or debris inside the motor housing. Running the motor in this state causes rapid additional damage and will typically result in full motor replacement if left.
• Exterior casing hot to the touch. Cooker hoods run warm, but if the outside of the casing is uncomfortable to touch, the motor is overheating - almost always due to a blocked filter system or the early stages of motor failure.

Your Maintenance Schedule

A simple calendar approach is the most reliable way to stay on top of cooker hood maintenance. Here's what our engineers recommend:

Every month:

• Wash metal grease filters in the dishwasher or by hand
• Wipe down the canopy exterior with a degreaser
• Listen to the fan on startup - note any new noises

Every 3 to 6 months:

• Replace charcoal/carbon filters (recirculating hoods only)
• Check the external wall vent for blockages
• Run the Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool if performance has changed at all

Once a year:

• Book a professional service covering motor condition, electrical connections, and ducting
• Inspect all bulbs and replace any showing signs of dimming
• Check accessible ductwork joins for signs of separation or condensation

Immediately if:

• You notice burning smells, sparking, or scorch marks
• The hood stops working completely or behaves erratically
• You hear a new noise - grinding, rattling, or intermittent humming
• Grease begins to drip from the hood body onto the hob below

Frequently Asked Questions

Why has my cooker hood suddenly stopped working completely?

The most common causes of complete failure are a tripped circuit breaker, a blown thermal fuse (which triggers automatically when the motor overheats - usually due to a blocked filter), or a failed start capacitor. Work through the visual checks above before calling an engineer. If the motor hums but won't start, that's a strong indicator the capacitor has failed - a repair that typically costs between 60 and 100 pounds including labour for an appliance engineer covering Worthing and the surrounding area.

How do I know whether it's worth repairing or replacing my cooker hood?

The general rule our engineers use is to compare the repair cost against the hood's current replacement value. If the repair comes to more than 50 percent of buying an equivalent new model, replacement often makes more financial sense. A basic extraction hood starts at around 80 to 150 pounds, while mid-range models from Bosch or Hotpoint sit between 200 and 400 pounds. Premium chimney hoods from brands like Smeg can reach 600 pounds or more, making repair almost always worthwhile unless the damage is extensive.

How often should I replace the filters on my recirculating cooker hood?

Charcoal filters on a recirculating hood should typically be replaced every three to six months, depending on how often you cook. Some manufacturers specify every four months regardless of use frequency. Metal grease filters don't need replacing - regular cleaning is enough. If you've recently moved into a Worthing property and don't know when the filters were last changed, replace them as a baseline. Fresh charcoal filters typically cost between 15 and 40 pounds depending on the brand and filter size.