For the past year I've been doing most of the cooking and a lot more home cooking than we ever have done–probably involving more grease and cooking oils than before. A few weeks ago, the range hood fan quit blowing–it only hums when I push the button.
The outdoor temperature here had dropped to 20F a few weeks ago and I'm wondering if, perhaps, there was a grease build up on the motor causing it to gum up. Now that it's consistently stayed at a daytime temperature of 50 to 60F, is it possible that it's helped free the motor?
Last night, it started working and I let it run for a few minutes. This morning it's still working. I put a service call in two weeks ago and the appointment is for tomorrow morning. I'm not sure if I should cancel it.
This question is about freeing the motor to run, if possible, and nothing else.
Best Answer
Yes, cold weather and hardened, cold grease buildup can conspire to stop your fan from starting.
That's "the answer to the question you asked."
The fact that you have enough grease buildup to keep the fan from starting when it's cold means that it needs to be cleaned, and possibly lubricated. That can be a DIY job, or a different, specialized contractor (most restaurants are required to have their hoods cleaned several times a year by a specialist contractor in hood-cleaning.)
It's almost certainly NOT the "fan motor replacement contractor's" job, unless they are more of a generalized hood-vent service contractor. Even if the one company does it, it would likely be two different workers with jobs that intersect but don't overlap.