Extractor Fan & Ductwork Repair
Emergency Extractor Fan Repair
My kitchen extraction has stopped mid-service. What now?
Call it in and describe the symptom rather than the diagnosis: whether the fan is silent or running, whether the canopy lights still work, and whether the gas has cut out with it. Those three answers narrow the fault before anyone arrives and decide which parts come on the van. An arrival window is given on the call.
- Repair callout
- From £199 +VAT
- Most faults fixed on the first visit.
No survey fee. A price is agreed before work starts, not after.
The fan is running but the kitchen is filling with smoke
The fan turning is not the same as air moving. This is the most common emergency call and it is almost never the motor. A slipping belt, grease separators loaded solid, a caked impeller or a duct run that has closed up will all leave the fan sounding healthy while the extract rate collapses.
The fan is not working but the light is on
The control circuit is live and the fan circuit is not, which is useful. It points at the contactor, the overload or the fan circuit protection.
The gas has cut out along with the fan
That is the interlock doing its job: it proves extraction before it releases gas, so when extraction stops the gas follows. Four of the five common causes of a trip are ventilation faults, which is why the fastest route back to cooking is usually through the ventilation side. How a gas interlock works.
The gas side itself, meaning the solenoid valve and the gas train, is Gas Safe registered work and we do not carry it out. Overriding an interlock to keep a kitchen trading is not an option anyone should offer you.
What gets fixed on the first visit, and what needs a part ordered
Most emergency calls end with the system running again the same visit. These are the faults that normally do:
- Belts, pulleys and drive alignment
- Bearings, where the fan takes a standard size
- Contactors, overloads, isolators and time clocks
- Proving switches on the interlock
- Loaded grease separators and blocked filter housings
These normally do not, because the part has to be matched and ordered:
- A replacement motor matched to frame size, speed and mounting
- A complete fan assembly where the housing or shaft has failed
- Control boards and speed controllers on proprietary systems
- Fabricated ductwork or canopy sections
When a part has to come, you are told on the visit, with the price before it is ordered, and whether the kitchen can trade meanwhile.
What to do before the engineer arrives
- Turn the appliances off and let the canopy clear.
- Leave the isolator as it is. Repeatedly switching a tripped system back on removes the evidence of what tripped it.
- Note what happened immediately before: noise, smell, smoke, a bang, or anything else on the board going with it.
- Find the keys for the roof or plant area now rather than on arrival.
- Have the service record to hand. When it was last cleaned and serviced narrows the fault quickly.
A longer checklist of what to check before calling an engineer.
What does an emergency callout cost?
Three things move the final figure: whether the part is on the van, how long access takes, and whether the visit falls outside service hours. The price is agreed before work starts. Sites on a maintenance contract pay no call-out charge.
Sources
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, the basis for gas work being carried out only by a registered engineer: legislation.gov.uk. Checked 15 August 2026.
- Gas safety in catering and hospitality, HSE Catering Information Sheet No 23, source for ventilation interlocking of gas appliances: HSE. Checked 15 August 2026.