Ventilation · Answers
Why Does My Wolf Hood Turn On by Itself?
It is usually the heat sentry. Wolf pro hoods, and several Wolf cooktop wall and island hoods, start the blower or speed it up when exhaust passes about 200°F, then settle back as it cools. One that starts over a cold cooktop points to a fault — Wolf Repair Woodinville, (425) 585-2373, checks the sensor and controls.
Two-Minute Check
Run it in order. Nothing here needs a panel off, a ladder or a wire touched.
- Think back to what was hot underneath when it started — burners on high, a griddle, a charbroiler or a long spell of oven cooking.
- Turn the burners down or off and leave the hood be; it should fall back to your own speed, or stop, once the exhaust has cooled.
- Watch it on an evening with nothing cooking — a hood that starts over a cold cooktop is no longer the sentry at work.
- If yours is a downdraft, note that Wolf downdrafts have no heat sentry, only a delay-off timer, so one that starts on its own needs a look.
- Stop here — call Wolf Repair Woodinville, (425) 585-2373. Call (425) 585-2373
What the sentry is doing
A sensor reads the temperature of the air leaving the hood. Past about 200°F it switches the blower on, or raises the speed if it was already running.
Below about 186°F it hands control back to your knob. A griddle or a wok burner at full heat is when you will see it most.
When it is a fault
A hood that starts cold, cycles with nothing cooking, or never settles once the burners are off has a sensor or hood controls problem.
Wolf sends that to service, because the diagnosis happens inside the hood. If yours will not stop at all, see a Wolf hood that won’t turn off.