Kitchen extractor hood come loose from ceiling ..

another_casualty

Howdy!

Hopefully someone coiuld help with the above .
I have the usual pullout cooker hood above the gas rings . However , as my kitchen has no window I have an extractor unit on my ceiling .
This is operated by turning on the switch next to the light switch .
All well and good ...until this morning .

What has happened overnight , is the square plastic unit has come loose from the ceiling leaving the unit dangling with the possibility of it falling down altogether . It works still, but I'm trying to find out how to push the unit back into place into the rawl plugs .
The left hand side of the unit is still intact ..just. The right hand side has the two holes which are exposed due to unit coming loose.
( rawl plugs).

I'm not the most nimble of guys these days ( slight disability) and you just know the way life is a pita , as to where this is situated.
I managed to get on the step ladder,and onto the worktop.
At times like this ,living alone is not ideal:o

Anyway, could someone please advise the best way of securing the unit back into place ? Sod's law says that if I push it into place which I gently tried , the whole unit will collapse .
One other thing: the flat is leasehold . Should I inform managing agents , or is that overkill ?

Please advise

Thanks

Ectophile

It sounds like you need somebody nimble enough to get up to the ceiling and work out what to do. It's very hard for me to say without pictures.


If the rawlplugs are still in the ceiling, you may just need slightly bigger screws to grip them again. If the rawlplugs have fallen out, then you may need some filler to fill the hole a bit so they fit properly again, or use plugs specifically designed for plasterboard.


You may find that the fan is in two parts that clip together - a base, with any electrics, which screws to the ceiling, and a separate cover. To get at the screws, you may have to unclip them. Beware of any live electrics inside - isolate the power first.


I wouldn't contact the landlord. Anything inside the flat is your problem, and there's a risk they will charge you a fee for processing your letter.

another_casualty

Thanks echtopile.
Nothing is broken in terms of slotting it back in . The studs from the unit will actually go back into the rawl plugs . It's a rectangular plastic shaped unit with the grille in the centre . It connects to a round flue. The part that connects to the side which the flue is , is actually the part that is still intact . My guess is , if the whole unit fell down there would have been a loud bang in the early hours because of it being electric powered by the switch . If the plastic grill detached from the front , then it would be an easy fix as I would see the screws and screw it tightly in. Having said that , the parts going into the rawl plugs are just plastic . Maybe just glue back in?

Please keep suggestions coming..

another_casualty

I've managed to do some further investigation . Using my trusty iPhone , I managed to take a few pics of the gap between the ceiling and unit . In the middle of the unit there are four 'lip' type metal pieces and another 4 holes in the ceiling , where they should slot in . What I may be able to do , is to get my friend to pop over and between us , hopefully just be able to move it back into the slots and holes in ceiling etc.
What's annoying is that there is no brand name as far as I can see on the unit , and there seems to be no way of opening the face of the unit. I even did google searches trying to find out what type of kitchen extractor it is .
The plot thickens ...

another_casualty

I just turned the power off, gave the unit a gentle nudge and the unit came off the ceiling . The power cord is hanging etc . So I just filled up the hole with kitchen roll, and will ask my friend for some help hopefully over the weekend.

Everything looks like it should . It may be a job of removing the Rawl plugs from the ceiling and changing them for a different type .
Looks simple enough . Fingers crossed

Fire_Fox

Do you own the flat? If not leave well alone and report the issue to your landlord. Hopefully you have already turned the power off at the circuit breaker.

another_casualty

Yes, I own the flat Firefox . Everything was a bit dramatic yesterday.
It's not often that something falls from the ceiling
I know what the problem is now, and how to fix it . Something I cannot do on my own .
I managed to find on the front of the unit , 4 tiny rubber screw covers . These have now been removed . What needs doing , is for 4 new holes drilled in the ceiling and new rawl plugs put in . Then those 4 screws should tighten into the ceiling and job done .
The friend I was / did ask via text can't help this weekend as he is busy . I will Be meeting him and a few others today for a few ciders in the new forest . I'm hoping to see if he can come over next weekend .

The thing I found , and the slightly dangerous thing I've done albeit temporarily : The whole in the ceiling was bare . It's about the size of a transformer . Sorry can't find a better description for the moment .
Rather than leaving the wire dangling ( the wire is strong ), I've put the unit back into the whole , and a plastic crate is keeping it up covering the whole incase I bet mice or spiders etc. :eek:
It's been ok left alone overnight and this morning .

TBH, while looking at the size of the hole in the ceiling, I was thinking of maybe chucking this away and getting a smaller unit fitted .
Then I realised why the unit is so large . There would be a massive grease stain on ceiling .
As the unit I have still works , I'll see if my friend can help and secure the unit back in .