Range hood maintenance: schedule, lifespan and costs
Updated
Overview
The range hood is a fan over the stove with a grease filter under it, and its job is to catch what cooking puts into the air before it settles on the cabinets or stays in the house. A vented hood pushes the air outside through a duct. A ductless hood pulls it through a charcoal filter and blows it back into the kitchen, which handles grease and some odor but none of the heat or steam. Either kind lives or dies by its filter, and the filter is nearly the whole of its maintenance.
Lifespan
A range hood lasts 10 to 15 years. What shortens that is grease that gets past the filter. A mesh filter that's coated lets the grease mist through to the fan, where it builds on the blades and the motor housing. A fan carrying a load of grease runs out of balance, works harder, and gets noisy, and a motor working against grease runs hot. In a vented hood the grease also coats the duct, which is a fire risk and a job to clean.
What extends the life is a clean filter, so the fan only ever moves air, and the hood run every time the stove is on, not just when something smokes, since grease goes into the air whether or not you can see it. The signs a hood is near the end: a fan that's loud or rattles after the filter and blades are cleaned, a motor that hums and won't spin, lights and switches that fail one after another, and a housing so grease-soaked it can't be cleaned.
Maintenance schedule
The one scheduled job.
| Task | How often |
|---|---|
| Clean the range hood filter | every 1 to 3 months |
Alongside it, wipe the underside of the hood whenever the filter is out, and on a ductless hood replace the charcoal filter on the schedule in the cleaning guide, since it can't be washed.
Replacement cost
A new range hood costs $200 to $1,000 installed. The low end is a basic under-cabinet hood, vented or ductless, and the high end is a larger or quieter hood with more fan power or a chimney-style housing. The price climbs further for a hood that needs new ductwork to vent outside where there was none.
The repair-or-replace rule: if the repair would cost more than half of a new hood and it's past the middle of its lifespan, replace it. A failed fan motor on an old hood is a replacement, since the motor is most of the hood's value. A switch, a light socket or a bulb is a repair, and the parts are cheap.
Common problems
- Weak suction, with smoke rolling out from under the hood: a coated filter. Clean the range hood filter.
- Grease dripping from the hood onto the stove: the filter is saturated and the hood's underside needs wiping. Clean both.
- The fan is loud or rattles: grease on the blades throwing them out of balance, or a motor whose bearings are going. Clean the blades first.
- Cooking smells linger in a ductless hood: the charcoal filter is used up. Replace it.
- Cold air coming down through the hood in winter: the backdraft damper in the duct is stuck open. A hood company or a handyman can free or replace it.
- The lights work but the fan doesn't: the fan switch, or the motor. A hum with no spin is the motor.
FAQ
How long does a range hood last?
About 10 to 15 years. A clean filter keeps grease off the fan and motor, which is what gets it there.
How much does a new range hood cost?
$200 to $1,000 installed, from a basic under-cabinet hood to a larger chimney-style one. Adding a duct to vent outside costs extra.
Should a range hood vent outside?
It's better. A vented hood removes grease, heat, steam and odor from the house. A ductless hood catches grease and some odor and returns the rest to the kitchen.
How often should you clean the range hood filter?
Every 1 to 3 months, and every month if you fry a lot. A ductless hood's charcoal filter is replaced rather than cleaned.
Why is my range hood so loud?
Grease on the fan blades, nearly always. Clean the filter and the blades. A hood that's still loud has a motor on its way out.