If Your Range Hood Won’t Turn Off, Here’s 3 Fixes to Try

If your range hood won’t turn off no matter what you do, there might be an internal problem you need to address sooner rather than later. Here’s 3 fixes you can try.

Having a constant background fan noise coming from your kitchen can be nerve wracking. Don’t get me wrong, white noise is nice when I’m trying to go to sleep, but hearing it during office hours is just weird.

Range hoods are particularly good at being loud to let us know when something’s wrong, disturbing all the peace and quiet a home should have.

This is why I’ve prepared the list below to round up the possible causes and solutions to this annoying issue, so you can get back to normal in no time.

Let’s dig in!

Your Range Hood Might Not Be Turning off Due To…

• A broken on/off switch
• Bad wiring
• A faulty circuit board

The solution that is right for you will depend on many factors, including how old your range hood is, if it has been serviced lately, and even how often you use it.

As it happens with most technical issues on kitchen appliances, it’s important to start ruling out the simplest factors and then work our way up to those that are more complicated, requiring professional assistance.

#1 A Broken On/Off Switch

Your power switch might be worn out

This issue is particularly common when your range hood has been around the block a few times. After years of faithful service, it’s only natural that some of your appliance’s components wear out, it’s just a part of life.

If one day you’re cooking a delicious meal and notice your range hood won’t turn off even after you flip the switch, wear and tear is probably the reason.

Now, while it’s much more common to have broken on/off switches on old appliances, it’s not impossible for a brand-new range hood to have this problem. If the lights, and everything else works fine, that’s probably a good indicator that the switch is to blame.

Solution: There are two possible routes you can take. Sometimes the switch is not broken, but loose. Try to remove the outer vent panel to access the screws that hold the switch in place and tighten them.

If that doesn’t work, you might have to replace the part altogether. Just write down your range hood’s make and model and drive to your nearest hardware store.

If you want to get any replacement part – or see how much one would cost – click to enter your model number in the search bar below. Our partners at AppliancePartsPros stock almost every part with free guides on how to install them.

#2 Bad Wiring

Loose wires or wrong placement could be the issue

Have you ever gone crazy trying to make sense of why your brand–new TV is not working, only to realize you forgot to plug it into the wall outlet? Well, this can happen with your range hood too.

Sometimes, if your range hood won’t turn off when you tell it to, the culprit might be a poorly soldered wire or a wrong connection. This occurrence is especially plausible if your range hood has seen a lot of seasons.

Just as it happens with the power switch, wear and tear can cause some cables to come loose over time. However, age is not the only factor.

On some rare occasions, range hoods can be poorly wired from the factory, so don’t discard this possibility if yours is new. And please, put your warranty somewhere safe!

Solution: Depending on your DIY experience and wiring savvy, you can either try to fix this on your own, or call a technician. If you choose the former, just make sure to cut all power to your range hood before tampering with the wiring.

Disassemble your range hood to expose the wires. The process will vary from model to model. Make sure to have your wiring diagram at hand and look for any differences.

#3 A Faulty Circuit Board

Your circuit board might be having trouble communicating

I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but if you’ve run out of options and tried all the solutions above, chances are, your problems are coming from a malfunctioning circuit board.

This could be happening for many reasons. Maybe it’s just time to get a new range hood, maybe there was an electricity spike that damaged it. The list of possible causes is endless, but the end result is the same. Your circuit board is faulty, and it needs to be taken care of.

Solution: Replace the circuit board. Sadly, when this component is damaged, there is very little that can be done other than buying a new one.

This is one of those fixes that I’d advise against trying on your own, as there are very delicate pieces on it and there’s some advanced technical knowledge required for this process. Call your trusted technician and have them look at your range hood.

If they determine you need a new circuit board, they can offer to get the part for you, but it will probably be cheaper to buy it yourself. Find your make and model and do a quick Google search on it to find the right replacement.

Conclusion

There’s no denying that having faulty kitchen appliances is frustrating at best. And when these are not only failing, but also being noisy about it, that’s even worse.

There are many reasons why your range hood won’t turn off when you need it to, especially if it has seen many years of service. Having it on all the time won’t only disrupt your home’s peace and quiet, but also drive your electricity bill through the roof.

It’s important to address these issues as soon as they present themselves to avoid greater damage to your range hood.

I hope that the cause of your particular issue is nothing more than a worn out switch, but if you happen to have to tamper with the wiring, please be safe about it. Remember, taking care of yourself while doing your own repairs is part of the fun!

Thank you for reading. If you found this article useful, why not spend some more of your leisure time learning a new skill? Check the articles below for more knowledge.

Best of luck on all your current and future projects.