7 Steps To An Effective Range Hood

There are a number of reasons as to why your kitchens range hood is not adequately removing either smoke or smells from the kitchen. There are a number of reasons for range hoods not to be able to do their task properly and all of which are common problems that are kitchen range hoods will suffer from at some stage in their lives.

It may be because the grease filter or some other part of the exhaust system (ductwork) has become clogged. The other reason may be because the fan is just not working properly on the hood system. However in order to rectify the problem a person should be able to carry out some simple repairs to the system themselves without having to turn to professionals to help them. Below we will take a look at how a person should set about cleaning the exhaust system if they find that their range hood is not working correctly. Whilst carrying out the work below ensure that the fan has been turned off at the main electrical supply.

Step 1 The first thing that you need to do is remove the grease filter from the hood. This is done by sliding it out from beneath the clips that hold it in place.

Step 2 Once removed the filter needs to be placed in hot water soapy that also contains 1/2 cup of ammonia. You should now leave it in this for around about 15 minutes. However if you find that when you remove it (remembering to wear rubber gloves as you do because of the ammonia) and it is still dirty then place it back in the solution for some more time until all dirt has been removed. Once all the dirt has been removed you then need to rinse it thoroughly and set it to one side to dry.

Step 3 Now you need to remove the exhaust fan. This is can be done very easily. Firstly you should unplug the fan. Now using either a screwdriver or a nut and socket driver you need to take out the screws which are holding the fan in place within the hood.

Step 4 After removing the fan from the hood you should now clean the blades on it using just an old toothbrush which has been dipped in a solution made up of ammonia and water.

Step 5 You now need to get a plumber's snake that has a rag tied to the end of it so you can clean out the actual exhaust ductwork. It is important that you ensure that the plumber's snake is pushed through the ductwork until it has reached the end. Also make sure that you have soaked the rag on the end in a mixture of water and ammonia. You will need to rinse the rag out several times and repeat this procedure until such time as you feel that you have removed all the dirt and grease from the ductwork and it appears to be clean.

Step 6 It is important that you also clean the outside of your range hood. Again it is best that you use a mixture of ammonia and water and an old toothbrush to loosen any grim and dirt especially around the flapper plate. Once you have cleaned the flapper plate ensure that it can move freely. If it is able to stick closed then you will find it will prevent the range hood from working properly.

Step 7 After carrying out all of the cleaning you will then need to replace the range hoods parts such as the fan and the filter.