--- title: "The hood runs but does not pull" description: "KitchenAid the hood runs but does not pull — a hood that sounds perfectly healthy and leaves the kitchen full of steam." url: "https://kitchenaidmiami.support/symptoms/range-hood-not-pulling-air/" date_modified: "2026-08-23" Appliance type: "Microwaves, Range hoods and vents" --- # KitchenAid the hood runs but does not pull ### The fastest diagnosis is behind the filters Take the metal filters out and look at them against a light. If you cannot see through the mesh, that is your airflow — they lift out by hand and most of them go through a dishwasher or a hot degreasing soak. This is the single most useful maintenance on the appliance and it is the cause of the great majority of these calls. ### The maintenance that actually matters Almost everything an owner can do for a range hood happens in the two minutes it takes to pull the filters out. Loaded filters strangle the airflow, then send grease past into the blower, where it makes the motor run hot and loud. Cleaning them monthly is the difference between a hood that lasts and a hood that becomes a repair. ### Where the duct goes matters as much as the appliance Ducted straight out through a wall, up through a roof, or recirculating back into the room through charcoal — each performs differently, and a long run with several bends costs you airflow no motor can recover. If a hood has never pulled well since the day it went in, that is usually the installation talking rather than the appliance. Grease filters that are loaded The commonest cause by far. They lift out by hand and clean up, and a hood with clear filters pulls dramatically better than one without. Charcoal filters past their life On a recirculating installation only. They are not washable — they are replaced — and an exhausted one strangles a hood that is otherwise perfect. A damper stuck shut On a ducted installation. The flap that should open when the fan runs sticks with grease, and it undoes the whole hood while the motor sounds fine. The duct run itself Long, with several bends, or blocked. A hood that has never worked well is often fighting its ducting rather than failing. A blower running slow Packed with grease, or a motor losing its speed. Sounds busy, moves little, and it is the one on this list that is a real repair. Pull the filters and hold them to a light If light does not come through the mesh, air does not either. Most metal filters clean up in a dishwasher or a hot degreasing soak. Find out whether yours ducts or recirculates A recirculating hood has charcoal filters that are replaced rather than washed, and an exhausted one is invisible from the kitchen. Hold a tissue to the hood with it running It should hold against the grille on high. If it barely stays, the machine is moving very little air whatever it sounds like. Then book the visit Tell us whether it ever worked well, whether the hood ducts outside or recirculates, and how long ago the filters were last cleaned. Filters, damper and duct What it usually means The fan is loud and the kitchen still fills It has never really worked since it was installed Worse since the filters were last cleaned — or never were The fastest diagnosis is behind the filters Take the metal filters out and look at them against a light. If you cannot see through the mesh, that is your airflow — they lift out by hand and most of them go through a dishwasher or a hot degreasing soak. This is the single most useful maintenance on the appliance and it is the cause of the great majority of these calls. The maintenance that actually matters Almost everything an owner can do for a range hood happens in the two minutes it takes to pull the filters out. Loaded filters strangle the airflow, then send grease past into the blower, where it makes the motor run hot and loud. Cleaning them monthly is the difference between a hood that lasts and a hood that becomes a repair. Where the duct goes matters as much as the appliance Ducted straight out through a wall, up through a roof, or recirculating back into the room through charcoal — each performs differently, and a long run with several bends costs you airflow no motor can recover. If a hood has never pulled well since the day it went in, that is usually the installation talking rather than the appliance. ### How often should the filters be cleaned? Every month or two for a kitchen that cooks daily. It is the one thing that keeps a hood performing, it costs nothing, and it is also what keeps grease out of the blower — where it is a repair rather than a chore. ### It has never worked well since it was installed. Then look at the ducting rather than the appliance. A long run with several bends costs real airflow, and in a high-rise apartment the duct may not be yours to change at all — which is worth establishing before anything is bought. ### Do I have charcoal filters? Only if your hood recirculates rather than venting outside. They sit behind the metal grease filters, they are not washable, and they are replaced periodically. A great many recirculating hoods in this market have never had theirs changed. --- **[Read full article: The hood runs but does not pull](https://kitchenaidmiami.support/symptoms/range-hood-not-pulling-air/)**