Tips For Restaurants

 

Kitchen Hood and Exhaust Cleaning Tips for the Local Restaurant Owner

Kitchen Hood and Exhaust Cleaning 925-852-7587

As a restaurant owner, it is crucial to maintain and care for every piece of equipment that makes your business operate properly. One of the most important pieces of equipment to maintenance and keep clean in an eatery is the kitchen hood and exhaust. This is the one area that should never be neglected in any degree. Not only can a dirty kitchen hood and exhaust contaminate food and reduce the quality of cooking, it can be a potential danger. Grease fires, explosions, and smoke damage are among a few common hazards associated with unkempt kitchen hoods and exhausts. To be sure this doesn't happen to you or your beloved restaurant, catch up on tips to cleaning and maintaining your kitchen hood and exhaust equipment effectively. 

Proper Maintenance for Kitchen Hoods and Kitchen Exhausts

Kitchen hoods and exhausts are not the only part of the system that requires regular care and attention. Along with the hood and exhaust, kitchen vents and ducts require equal maintenance. These areas should be cleaned and inspected every three to six months by a certified commercial cleaning company. In fact, the NFPA Fire Code mandates that all commercial kitchens have to be inspected by a qualified company. Commercial cleaning companies retain the proper technologies, training, and knowledge to responsibly and reliably detect any dangerous issues or complications with your hood and exhaust setup.

Unfortunately, commercial kitchen fires are more common than you would think. According to the NFPA, more than 11,000 kitchen fires are reported every year. Regular cleaning and maintenance of commercial kitchen equipment is imperative to reducing these statistics.

Commercial Kitchen Hood and Exhaust Cleaning

When a professional company comes in to service, inspect, and clean your restaurant kitchen, there are several places they will cover. Areas such as deep fryers, grease traps, stoves, ovens, open grills, duct work, and ventilation systems are all examined. They will work to improve the kitchen’s air flow, maintain fire code compliance, ensure a safe working environment, and reduce fire risks. All this and more will keep the local fire marshals, health inspectors, and insurance companies off your back!

For more information about restaurant kitchen hood and exhaust cleaning, call Antioch Restaurant Hood Cleaning. We are the qualified experts that can offer affordable commercial kitchen cleaning services for the local restaurant owner. On top of kitchen hood and exhaust cleaning, our technicians can provide customized cleaning plans for your commercial business. Our detailed services can come any way you like! We offer 24 hour scheduling, customized plans, Al-a-Cart services, and more. 

Pertinent NFPA #96 Fire Codes

Ultimate Responsibility is Restaurant

NFPA Fire Code #96:  4.1.5

“The responsibility for inspection, maintenance, and cleanliness of the ventilation control and fire protection of the commercial cooking operations shall be the ultimate responsibility of the owner of the system provided that this responsibility has not been transferred in written form to a management company or other party”

Fan Access Panel
NFPA Fire Code #96:  8.1.5.3.1 

“Upblast fans shall be supplied with an access opening of a minimum 76 mm by 127 mm (3 in. by 5 in.) or a circular diameter of 101 mm (4 in.) on the curvature of the outer fan housing to allow for cleaning and inspection of the fan blades.”

Electrical Wiring/Fan Hinge
NFPA Fire Code #96:  7.8.2.1

“Rooftop terminations shall be arranged with or provided with the following:
(8) A hinged upblast fan supplied with flexible weatherproof electrical cable and service hold-open retainer to permit inspection and cleaning that is listed for commercial cooking equipment..”

NFPA Fire Code #96:  8.1.1.1 

“Approved upblast fans with motors surrounded by the airstream shall be hinged, supplied with flexible weatherproof electrical cable and service hold-open retainers, and listed for this use.

NFPA Fire Code #96: 9.2.1

“Wiring systems of any type shall not be installed in ducts.”

Rooftop Grease Containment
NFPA Fire Code #96: 7.8.2.1 

“Rooftop termination shall be arranged with or provided with the following:
(4) The ability to drain grease out of any traps or low points formed in the fan or duct near the termination of the system into a collection container that is noncombustible, closed, rainproof, and structurally sound for the service to which it is applied and that will not sustain combustion
(5) A grease collection device that is applied to exhaust systems that does not inhibit the performance of any fan

NFPA Fire Code #96: 8.1.1.3

“Upblast fans shall have a drain directed to a readily accessible and visible grease receptacle not to exceed 3.8 L (1 gal).”

Inspection & Cleaning Frequency
NFPA Fire Code #96:  11.4, 11.6.1, 11.6.2

“The entire exhaust system shall be inspected for grease buildup by a properly trained, qualified, and certified company or person(s) acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction and in accordance with Table 11.4  Upon inspection, if the exhaust system is found to be contaminated with deposits from grease-laden vapors, the contaminated portions of the exhaust system shall be cleaned by a properly trained, qualified, and certified company or person(s0 acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.”
“Hoods, grease removal devices, fans, ducts, and other appurtenances shall be cleaned to remove combustible contaminants prior to surfaces becoming heavily contaminated with grease or oily sludge.”

Table 11.4  Schedule of Inspection for Grease Buildup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*This is not ALL of the NFPA #96 Fire Codes. This is simply some useful code issues exhaust cleaners come across daily.