Cooker hoods or extractor fans not extracting is a fairly common compliant. But there is a quick suction check that you can do to see if there is a fault with your extractor or cooker hood.
How do I check my Elica Cooker Hood or Extractor Fan has Suction?
Perform a suction test on the cooker hood or extractor fan
A suction test can be done by checking that the air outlet at the top of the cooker hood is working properly. An easy way to do this is to get a banknote or light piece of paper, and hold it up to the grease filter grill (the part with holes on it). This is found on the underside of the cooker hood. Turn on the cooker hood. If the hood is extracting, then the paper or banknote should stay there. iIf it isn’t working, it will fall back off with the cooker hood switched on to extract.
Another way to do it, is to remove the tube, and turn on the extractor fan or cooker hood. We don’t recommend this unless you are a pro with appliance repairs. This is usually best left to approved Elica engineers, like our own. If air comes out, then this means that the hood works. If it doesn’t then there may be a more serious problem that is causing its lack of performance.
Recently installed Elica extractor fan or cooker hood?
If you have recently had your Elica extractor fan or cooker hood installed, and there is a problem with the appliance, then a bad installation may be the cause of the problem. It is important to ensure that installers are qualified Elica engineers as there are technical requirements for all cooker hoods or extractor fans when installed.
For your Elica cooker hood or extractor fan to work properly, there are some conditions that should be met.
Here are just a few of those requirements:
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The diameter of the outlet hole should never be reduced more than 20% of the original diameter
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Pipes should have as little curving as possible
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A channeling with reduced length should be avoided if possible
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If the conduit ends in the wall (and not the roof), then a screen can be positioned at the end of the pipe.
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Avoid using decorative grills with fixed slats. They can reduce performance by up to 50%.
