Whether you run a restaurant, hospital, school, nursing home or any place with a commercial kitchen or other ventilation needs, hood cleaning is a crucial component of facility health, maintenance, and compliance.
- What is hood cleaning
Hood cleaning is cleaning and maintaining a kitchen exhaust or ventilation system to comply with the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and your local AHJ (Authorities Having Jurisdiction).
Complete hood cleaning includes maintenance of (but is not limited to) the following:
Depending on how often and to what intensity your hoods are used, cleaning maintenance of your hoods will vary. To best maintain your commercial and industrial equipment, you’ll need to be mindful of three primary factors:
- NFPA 96 standards & compliance
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an international safety advisory organization that develops codes and best practices for fire prevention. In the US, they regulate commercial and industrial facilities through codes employed by various authorities.
The NFPA 96 is the “Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations.”
The NFPA 96 regulates how grease and hood filters should be installed and maintained for cleaning.
- How Often Do Commercial Hoods Need to Be Cleaned
According to NFPA 96, your hoods should be inspected (not necessarily cleaned) anywhere from every month to every year, depending on the frequency of use.
For example, a restaurant or manufacturing plant will likely need their hoods inspected every 1-3 months, while a nursing home or church may only have to have their hoods inspected every six months or even just once a year.
But NFPA 96 guidelines aren’t the only factor. You may notice grease buildup on your hood filters and determine they need to be cleaned sooner than expected.
- NFPA 96 inspection frequency
Failure to keep up with regular cleaning is a risk to compliance – which can result in costly fines and closures – and also a danger to your property, equipment, and personnel.
The primary risk is fire. Grease is a flammable substance. As it builds up, the chance of a grease fire intensifies.
Next is equipment damage. As the filter traps more grease, it does its job less effectively. The more grease in your filter, the more grease in the air collecting on machinery and equipment. As this grease builds up, your equipment has to work harder, causing machinery components to wear out quicker.
Finally, is the health factor. With dirty hoods comes poor indoor air quality. This, in turn, affects employee health, leading to more sick days and less efficient labor. Additionally, your food products become contaminated, leading to a loss in quality.
