Your Kitchen Exhaust Fan Stopped Working — What Now?

When your exhaust fan dies, your kitchen often has to stop — you can't safely cook without extraction. The good news is that most fan failures come down to a handful of causes, and most are fixable the same day if you have the right parts on hand. That's exactly why we keep motors and fan parts in stock.

What usually causes an exhaust fan to fail?

• Electric motor failure — the most common culprit, from age, overheating or grease ingress.
• Worn bearings or belts — often preceded by noise or vibration you may have noticed for weeks.
• Control panel or starter fault — a tripped or failed starter stops the motor getting power.
• Variable speed drive issue — a faulty VSD can stop or throttle the fan.
• Grease seizure — a fan so choked with grease it can't spin freely.

What we check first

We start at the simple end: is the fan getting power, is the starter tripped, is the motor turning. From there we narrow it down to motor, bearings, drive or fan balance. Because we've usually got the right motor or fan parts with us, we can often diagnose and replace in one visit instead of booking a return trip.

The fastest repair is the one where the technician already has the part in the van. That's the advantage of doing it all in-house.

Repair or replace?

Sometimes a repair is the right call. Sometimes an ageing motor that's already failed once is about to do it again, and replacing it is the cheaper decision over the year. We'll give you an honest comparison rather than just selling you the bigger job — see our repair and replacement service for how we approach it.

How to avoid the next breakdown

Most fan failures give warning signs — noise, vibration, weaker extraction — before they stop completely. A maintenance program catches those signs early, so the fan gets attention on a planned visit instead of failing mid-service on your busiest night.

Frequently Asked

How fast can you come out?

We run a 24/7 standby line and prioritise kitchen-down situations. Response time depends on location and time of day, but stocking parts in-house means we usually fix on the first visit.

Do you repair fans you didn't install?

Yes — we repair and replace exhaust equipment regardless of who originally installed it.

Is a noisy fan a warning sign?

Often, yes. New noise or vibration usually means bearings or balance are going. Getting it checked early is far cheaper than a full breakdown.

If your fan is down right now, don't wait — message us or WhatsApp Henry directly and we'll get you moving air again.