Capital Hood Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Cleaning Services
Commercial Restaurant Kitchen Hood Exhaust Vent & Fan Cleaning Services – How it’s Done.
A professional Capital Hood Cleaning technician will come in and inspect the entire system, from cook-top to roof-top. We will inform you of any risk factors, such as corrosion, hazardous odors, or fire hazards. We will then inform you of everything we are about to do so that you can understand what’s going on in your kitchen. Then we’ll start working. We will remove all panels in the bottom of your hood then get on the roof and remove your rooftop assembly. This is the extremely important step that tons of hood cleaners skip.
Everything is then sprayed down or soaked with a degreasing solution and pressure washed with steaming water to completely eradicate the grease build-up in your assembly, not just the areas seen by you the customer. Your cooking equipment is covered by boards, for our safety and for the protection of the equipment, and then a wastewater containment funnel of plastic sheeting is set up around the edge of the exhaust hood.
The funneling process allows the wastewater generated to funnel itself into our lined containers and be pumped out for proper EPA and Water Quality Control disposal. The funneling process keeps the kitchen protected from contamination and keeps nearly all the dirty water off the floors. Our process is so clean in most cases food prep can be done in another part of the kitchen while we are cleaning the hood system.
Keeping in mind that hinging your exhaust hood is required in the state of California, we will address this upon our visit. An exhaust hood without hinges can be a fire hazard and can result in a damaged exhaust cap. A hinged exhaust hood allows cleaning services like us to simply open it, rather than remove it and set it aside. Since they are made of very soft aluminum they are prone to getting bent and damaged very easily–and that can happen by setting it on the roof. A damaged exhaust hood is a fire hazard.
According to the law, your Sacramento kitchen’s exhaust system must be cleaned down to bare metal with no residual grease left. Scraping must be done along with pressure washing or steam cleaning, usually done consequently. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) states in NFPA standard 96 that a steam cleaning shall effectively clean ductwork down to bare metal, completely removing the risk of fire hazard in your kitchen’s Exhaust system for the time being. Insurance companies, fire marshals, and health inspectors require you to have your kitchen equipment cleaned regularly. Depending on the type of business you run, you may need to have your kitchen cleaned more frequently.
As a general rule, kitchen hoods and kitchen exhaust equipment should be cleaned every 90 days. Restaurants that are not open as much or do not use grease frequently may only have a one-year cleaning requirement. Check with your insurance company or consult with your local health department to determine how often your commercial kitchen should be professionally cleaned.
If you’re looking to determine when it’s time to clean your commercial kitchen exhaust system and equipment, ask yourself these questions: Do you have grease build up that cannot be scrubbed off by daily cleaning? Is there a foul odor that doesn’t go away? Is your fan making a rattling noise? A rattling exhaust fan may be the result of high grease build up. This causes the fan to become imbalanced and rattle. This uses additional electricity and is also a fire hazard.
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What Even is a Hood Filter?
A Hood Filter is a metal square (or rectangle) insert that fits into the opening of the ventilation system. The purpose of a hood filter is to filter out grease from the smoke. If say your hood filter were non-existent or overdue for a change, you would have yourself a high-risk fire situation.
Best Practices Recommend cleaning your hood filters daily. This will prevent grease build up and maximize their filtering capability. A filter that is already dirty cannot filter out more cooking debris, it will only clog up the filter.
Capital Hood Cleaning Recommends cleaning your hood filters in the dishwasher. However, if you have aluminum filters, or galvanized hood filters, we wouldn’t recommend cleaning in the dishwasher as this will result in damage.
If you can’t put them in the dishwasher, you must wash them by
Don’t ignore the obvious signs. You should always be very attentive to your hood system and the hood system filter. Check it out on a regular basis. Does it look okay? Does it sound okay? Watch out for dented and/or corroded hood filters. If your hood filter is giving you some serious push back when you’re trying to clean it, it may be time to call a professional hood filter service company.
DON’T hire an unreliable hood cleaner, or worse, a hood POLISHER. These “professionals” will only clean your hood where it is seen, leaving the most important ductwork between the hood and roof completely untouched. This causes a build-up of grease to accumulate. The extremely dangerous scenario occurs when a flame jumps from the stove while cooking. The flame can ignite the thick build up of grease in the ductwork and immediately cause a fire that is unstoppable due to the number of flammable elements that are inside the kitchen exhaust system.
What About an Exhaust Fan?
Exhaust Fans are made of soft aluminum metal. They can be damaged during the repair or cleaning process by just taking an unhinged fan off. Hinging the fan eliminates the need to remove it as it can be easily tilted back to allow complete access to the exhaust system. Fans that are not hinged can easily become out of balance and begin making a rattling noise. Electrical wiring is also much more susceptible to potential damage in a fan that hasn’t been hinged.
When an exhaust fan doesn’t function properly, you risk a fire. Commercial Kitchen fires can happen very easily, so taking the initiative by calling Capital Hood Cleaning to prevent them is important. We are your go-to professionals to get you cleaned up and ready to pass that inspection. There’s no need, nor excuse, to take a hit from inspectors for not having exhaust fan hinges in place when we can readily address that for you.
Your Cooking Exhaust System is cleaned according to NFPA 96 guidelines – “Hoods, grease removal devices, fans, ducts, and other appurtenances shall be cleaned to bare metal”.
Aside from dangerous fumes being left in the air, when your kitchen exhaust system is not cleaned routinely, it becomes a major fire hazard. Approximately one and three restaurant fires are caused by grease, so you can see how incredibly important it is to have your hoods cleaned on a regular basis. According to the National Fire Protection Association, over roughly 11,000 fires occur annually in commercial restaurants and kitchens, resulting in millions in damage. Is your operation close to becoming a statistic? Routine kitchen hood cleaning minimizes those odds, let us help you NOT end up on a News headline for the wrong reason!
Reasons You Need Your Kitchen Exhaust Hood Cleaned Routinely:
- Reduce the possibility of a devastating fire.
- Maintain proper airflow in your kitchen.
- Reduce odors/smoke caused by grease and oils
- Air balance. If the kitchen becomes positive air pressured, odors can leak into dining areas.
- Prevents build-up of grease-laden exhaust fans
- Cooler work environment
- Keeps compliant with NFPA 96 Standards.
- Be compliant with local fire codes.
- Stay compliant with health codes and regulations.
- Avoid breach of lease agreements.
- Be in compliance with roofing warranties.
- Reduce roof damage that can occur from grease.
- Extends the life of your kitchen’s exhaust fan
- Provides a safe and clean work environment
- Reduces the possibility of a devastating fire
- Reduces insurance costs.
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What are indicators that my system may be due for a thorough cleaning?
Most standards require that a commercial kitchen have their hood, ducts and exhaust fan systems cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. However, each commercial kitchen is different in size, configuration, cooking volume and cooking frequency. If you’re wondering whether your kitchen needs a cleaning or not, we’ve got some tips to help you make an informed decision.
- You can’t remember the last time it was professionally cleaned.
- Visible grease residue that cannot be scrubbed off during the daily cleaning process.
- A noticeably strong grease odor is coming from the hood or ductwork.
- There is a rattling of the exhaust fan like it is unbalanced.
- If you are up there and see that the roof has grease stains.
- You just know it’s time.
While some of these symptoms seem minor, they may be the warning signs of potential grease fires or other safety hazards. Grease stains on a rooftop will cause damage to your roof. Not just leaks, but corrosion is a serious safety issue weakening the structure enough to caving in unexpectedly.
Grease buildup also attracts odors and pests that are not conducive to your customer’s dining experience. This is why it’s crucial for your restaurant or commercial kitchen exhaust system cleaned regularly and maintained by experienced professionals.
Also, Insurance Companies, Health Inspectors, and Fire Marshals will regularly visit to ensure your commercial kitchen cleaning service requirements are up to par. As a general rule, restaurant managers should have a professional kitchen cleaning service come in every 90 days. Kitchen Managers should keep an accurate cleaning schedule log for questions concerning compliance requirements and remember, you can always consult your insurance company, the local board of health, and yes, you can call us.
Capital Hood Cleaning is a Local City of Sacramento Veteran Owned and Operated Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Hood, Duct, and Ventilation Fan Systems Professional Cleaning Service. If you have a Foods Services Business needing to be cleaned, we are the Best in the Sacramento Valley.
Call (916) 835-8107 or (916) 530-7520 anytime, we are ready when you need us.
