Your Range Hood’s Lights Won’t Work

All modern electric cooker hoods are fitted with lighting systems. Though not obligatory to use, they are very useful as a way of brightening and lighting up the hob area, which tends to end up in your own shadow when you're stood at it cooking. Here we explain the various possible causes for this kind of fault.

THE POTENTIAL CAUSES FOR THIS FAULT:

• There is an issue with the electricity supply to the appliance

• The bulb has failed

• There is a bad contact in the light socket

• The transformer is faulty

• The light switch is faulty

WARNING
Before you do anything to your appliance, make sure you disconnect it from the power supply.
There is a risk of electric shock.
Wear suitable protective gloves if you need to dismantle anything.
There is a risk of getting cut or injured.

There is an issue with the electricity supply to the appliance

Before blaming the light itself, it's a good idea to check that the hood's extractor function is still working properly. If it isn't, there may be a fault with the electricity supply. Another thing to check is the main fuse box: look to see whether any circuit breakers have tripped. You can also test the socket where the cooker hood is plugged in/connected with the help of a multimeter. To do this, place the meter's two probes on the socket's live and neutral terminals. You should get a reading of around 230 volts. If you have any terminal connectors fitted, check they're properly tightened and in good condition.

The bulb has failed

Cooker hood bulbs can be of either the halogen, LED or incandescent type. The bulb is the part that actually lights up your hob. It's normally located behind the filters and is easy to access. If it's no longer working, you will need to replace it. Refer to your cooker hood's user manual to find out exactly how to do this.

Purchase a light bulb for the extractor hood

There is a bad contact in the light socket

The light socket brings the light bulb into contact with the electric current. If there's a bad contact in the socket, this will prevent the light from coming on. You can check this by using a multimeter to test whether there's any electric current present at the terminals in the socket, i.e. at the point where the bulb is inserted. If the bulb is new but won't light up, you will probably need to replace the socket.

The transformer is faulty

The transformer reduces the voltage of the electricity supplied to the cooker hood. Transformers are most often used with halogen and LED type bulbs. If you've changed the bulb and the light still won't come on, the problem could very well be with the transformer. You can check this using a multimeter. Test to see whether the stepped-down 230 volts are definitely being produced by the transformer when the light switch is on. If this is not the case, you will need to replace the transformer.

The light switch is faulty

The light switch enables you to operate the cooker hood light. If it has a bad contact or a fault, the light will not come on. Cooker hood light switches can be either mechanical in design or microswitch and circuit board based. If you want to test and check the switch yourself, it will normally be located behind the cooker hood control panel.