Are you thinking of replacing your range hood just because its wild rattling noises are driving you up the wall? Well, that's a pretty good reason to dump it but hold on for a bit longer. Let's give the hood another shot and find out what's the deal with it. Maybe we can find a way to fix it within minutes!
So, here in this article, we will discuss some possible reasons behind these awful noises and find out how to make a range hood quiet to bring back peace in your kitchen. Ready to take that noisy monster down? Walk with me then.
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Why Is Your Range Hood Noisy?
Since range hoods are quite complicated appliances, there can be a bunch of incentives responsible for ruining your cooking pleasure. The problem can be in your hood fan, hood duct, or even faulty installation.
We have narrowed down the most common causes of range hood noises. Have a glance to find out what's exactly happening with that hood of yours.
Poor Ductwork
As most people are no engineers, they just unknowingly make some wrong decisions while installing the hood. The most common of them is to choose the wrong sized duct for their hood. Duct size plays a huge role in producing sound in a range hood.
A small to medium size range hood requires a minimum 6-inch duct. Larger and more powerful range hoods with a high CFM rating require a 7 or 8-inch duct to deliver quiet performance.
So, check out what's the current condition and size of your duct connector. If it's damaged or smaller than the requirements, that's the culprit.
Filthy Fan Grilles and Blades
Did you find your installation entirely perfect? Take the pleasure of looking underneath your hood fan, then. If you found your fan grilles covered with grease and oil, clean them right away to get rid of all the clattering sounds.
Grease and oil buildup is very normal for range hoods as one sole purpose of the range hood is to keep your kitchen clean from this filth. Smaller oil particles usually find their way to fan blades, so they can also get dirty and start to clatter while in action.
Defective Blower Motor
Now, check the blower motor of your hood. Does the motor shaft appear loose? In that case, the bearings of the motor might have worn out.
As the motor generates the crucial energy for proper suction, any kind of motor defect is harmful to the hood, and it announces the injury by making horrible noises. Make sure to lubricate the motor to avoid this kind of situation in the future.
Similarly, faulty blower wheels or fan blades can also create noises when they face trouble while spinning. Use your hands to check out if your fan blades are spinning freely.
7 Ways of Making Your Range Hood Quiet
As you found the fault in your appliance, now it's time to fix it. Below are some effective tips and tricks so that you can shut the noises down.
Use a Duct Dumper
Once you installed a wrong-sized duct, there's no going back as the reinstallation process can be pretty expensive. The best way to fix the duct size will be using a duct dumper.
Install the device at the vent pipe end to increase the duct size. This will cause less resistance of air and permit passing the airflow more efficiently. If the duct dumper doesn't feel like a convenient option, you can change the duct entirely to shut all the noises forever.
Ensure Weekly Cleaning
The grease filters, fan blade, and oil tray accumulate dirt, grease, and oil to make your kitchen air clean. So do them justice and make weekly cleaning routines.
Most grease filters and oil trays are dishwasher safe, so you don't have to go through much hardship to keep them clean. As for the fan blades, you can take your time and clean them once a month.
Cook in Lower Speed Settings
Keeping the speed low can save you from the trouble of changing the blower motor and great filters. If you run the hood at high speed all the time, the motor will wear out soon.
Most of the modern range hoods have at least three-speed settings. Use the low or medium-speed setting for regular cooking to ensure less grease buildup and a longer motor life span.
Insulate the Ducting
This is the simplest trick to silent a noisy hood instantly. Use a soundproof material to insulate the duct run and exhausted fan area as well.
The moist and hot air of your cooktop will condense upon reaching the cool surface of the insulator. This way, your hood motor receives some extra protection. Go to your garage and gather some foam for insulating the duct; opt for weighted vinyl found on auto parts stores for better results.
Upgrade the Fan
Instead of changing the whole hood, you can upgrade the fan size of your hood only. If the fault is in the fan's blades, you can easily change them and opt for thicker and curvier blades for the best performance.
Likewise, if the fan is the main problem, buy another larger fan and replace the old one. Plus, some hoods also allow an extra fan installation. Don't let this chance slip.
Lubricate the Motor
Sometimes the motor of your range hood becomes all dry and tired of its burdens. Then it starts running slow, and the exhaust fan starts producing humming noises as a result. So, how to reduce kitchen exhaust fan noise?
Simply by regular lubrication, you can keep maintaining the top-notch performance of your range hood and exhaust fans. Use a small amount of oil if you notice any dryness and slow performance from the hood.
Buy an Inline Blower Compatible Hood
When the blower is inside the range hood, the produced noises are much more audible. In that case, an inline blower can be incredibly useful.
You can install the inline blower inside the ductwork of your kitchen hood. As the blower is now placed in a further location than your stovetop, the sound it produces will barely reach your ears. So, buy a range hood that allows you to install an inline blower.
Note: Some Range Hoods Are Generally Quiet In features and Comparatively create Lower Noises Than the Rivals, Check this Article To See Some Such quality Hoods.
Wrapping Up
So there you have some solid tips to make a range hood quiet. With our super handy tricks on your hands, you can happily say goodbye to all the nerve-wracking noises forever.
Read Next: How Many Sones Is A Quiet Range Hood?