For every range, there needs to be a range hood to provide proper ventilation for the smoke, steam, and everything else dissolved into the air while cooking. However, if you have recently installed an Air King Valencia Wall-Mounted range hood, you will need to get in contact with an Air King professional right away.
The Air King Valencia brand range hoods in the 30-inch through the 36-inch size range have all been recalled. It was discovered that the wall mounting that allowed these range hoods to be freestanding does not adequately secure the hood to the wall. This makes them vulnerable to coming loose and even falling if ignored. While this has not been responsible for any injuries as of yet, damage to cooktops located under the range hood has been reported. These particular hoods were sold at Lowes, Home Depot, Build.com, and Amazon from 2009 through 2018. So if you have remodeled your kitchen between those times and it has included a new range hood, homeowners should make the time to check the brand.
Air King America has instructed owners of the Valencia hoods to stop using them immediately and inspect them as per instructions posted on their site. Owners of the affected recalled hoods are eligible for free replacement of the wall mounts for their range hoods when done by a qualified technician. If you are not sure if there are any Air King qualified technicians in your area, Air King should help you get in touch with one as part of the recall. While this may only be a minor replacement, it still should be done as soon as possible for the safety of your cooktop and your kitchen. The range hood serves an important function and needs to be able to do its job as designed without any worry.