DIY guideRange hood

Check the range hood duct and its outside damper

A hood should send its air outside. Check the duct is clamped on in the cabinet, air comes out at the wall, and the flap shuts behind it.

7 steps

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Look in the cabinet above the hood. A duct going up or back means it vents outside. No duct? It cleans the air through a charcoal filter instead.
With the hood off, look where the duct meets the hood. It should be clamped on and taped all round, with no gap.
Outside, find its hood on the wall, usually close to straight out from the kitchen.
Turn the fan on high. Outside, the flap should open and you should feel air pushing out.
Turn it off. The flap should swing shut by itself. Clear grease or a nest you can reach.
Ground floor only, from the ground.
Hold a tissue under the hood with the fan on high. It should be pulled up and held there.
No air at the outside hood, a duct that's loose inside the wall or ends in the attic, or a hood up on the roof: ask Handyman for a vent pro.

Handyman says: No air outside? I'll find a vent pro.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.