NYC Kitchen Hood Cleaning Services

What is a restaurant kitchen hood?

A kitchen hood is a ventilation contraption that hangs above the kitchen grills, burners, fryers, and other cooking appliances. The primary role of a kitchen hood is to soak in heat and grease from your burners and cookers to ensure the food prep area is hygienic. Installing a hood in your kitchen also improves fire safety because many kitchen fires are attributable to grease build-up.

Kitchen hoods are necessary equipment when starting a commercial kitchen business. Installing a kitchen hood in your commercial restaurant will significantly improve day-to-day management efficiency.

Kitchen hoods come in various sizes and finishes. Chief fire prevention classifies kitchen hoods into five major categories; ducted and ductless hoods, undercabinet hoods, wall mount hoods, ceiling mount hoods, and downdraft hoods.

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Ducted vs. ductless ventilation hoods

Ducted hoods are ventilation systems that release heat and smoke from the house and into the open air. Ducted ventilation systems are highly effective and efficient at getting rid of smoke and excess heat, making them ideal for a commercial kitchen with large cooking volumes.

Ductless hoods work by pushing hot air through a filtering system that then recycles the air back into the kitchen. Non-vented hoods are easy to install and fit anywhere within the kitchen setup. However, the non-vented hoods are less effective at controlling humidity levels in high-volume kitchens than ducted ones.

Under-cabinet kitchen hoods

An under cabinet kitchen hood goes directly beneath the wall cabinets. You can use the adjoining walls to ductwork to discharge smoke and fumes from the kitchen. Undercabinet hoods blend well with your kitchen cabinets, making your entire kitchen set look neat and organized.

Wall-mounted kitchen hoods

Wall-mounted chimney hoods attach to the adjacent wall directly above the cooking area. They don't require a cabinet for mounting and installation.

Downdraft hoods

Downdraft hood systems work by funneling smoke and fumes through ducts beneath or beside the kitchen floor. They are ideal for kitchens with limited space above the cooktops. They are also widely applicable in island cooktop setup where ductwork and vents installation through the ceiling is impossible. A significant drawback of downdraft hoods lies in their inefficiency in dealing with smoke and steam compared to overhead hoods.

Ceiling mounted ventilation hoods

Ceiling mount hoods do not need a wall or cabinet for mounting. They attach directly to the ceiling above the cooking space and require external duct connections to channel smoke and fumes. Due to the lack of adjacent walls or cabinets, Island ventilation hoods need to be wider than the cooking surface beneath to funnel as much fumes and smoke as possible.

NYC Kitchen Hood Cleaning Services

Chief fire prevention has over 36 years of hands-on experience and knowledge in cleaning hoods in restaurants and conducting routine maintenance for high-tech kitchen appliances. Our cleaning staff is trained on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes. The NFPA 96 outlines the "preventative and operative fire safety requirements required to minimize the potential threat of fire hazards in both private and public commercial cooking operations."

Chief fire prevention has operations across the country, serving many different states. Our New York branch offers the following restaurants hood cleaning services to New York City (NYC) clients:

Hood Fans Cleaning

Commercial kitchen hoods have a complex system of motors and fans. These components work together to draw in hot grease saturated air and distribute it evenly to prevent fire hazards. If your commercial kitchen hood's fan struggles to redistribute the air, then it's time to give them a thorough clean.

Before cleaning, the specialist will remove the protective fan covers and then unscrew the bolts in the central hub to release the fan. The cleaners will give your fans a thorough wash to remove the clogged debris using a soft-bristled brush. Soaking the fans in a sink filled with warm water and degreasing the solution is advisable if they are extra dirty.

After scrubbing, your hood fans will need rinsing using clean water before setting them aside to dry. Lastly, the cleaning expert will refit the protective covers to prevent users from accidentally touching the fan blades when the motor powers back on.

Hood Filters Cleaning

All kitchen hoods come with a baffle filter, a mesh-like attachment that easily slides in and out of the hood. They play an essential role in preventing fire hazards by spreading the flow of grease-saturated air particles. The restaurant hood cleaners will remove the filters and separate the stainless-steel spacers close to the grease traps.

The cleaners use a soft-bristled brush to scour through your filters to remove grease stains and debris. If the hood filters are compact, you can clean them in dishwashing equipment. However, commercial hood filters come in large sizes meaning they can be challenging to clean using regular dishwashers.

Our cleaning staff will soak the filters and steel spacers in your kitchen sink. More scrubbing will follow using a degreasing agent and warm water until the filters are grime-free. The filters will soak in warm water for a few hours before rinsing, drying, and reinstalling the filters, grease traps, and spacers.

Hood Ducts Cleaning

Over time, the ductwork in a commercial kitchen hood can get clogged from grease residues. Our cleaning specialists will disassemble the ducts and plugs from the primary system to clean them. The cleaning solution and materials are similar to that of hood filters. The technicians will place the ducts in a bucket with the cleaning solution and scrub the interior and exterior components using a non-abrasive brush pad.

After scrubbing, they will rinse the equipment and air dry it for a few hours. Once completely dry, they will reinstall the ductwork and its components.

Our Commercial Kitchen Hood Cleaning Process

The hoods and duct systems play an essential role in soaking up and removing harmful contaminants such as smoke, steam, and grease particles. Poorly maintained kitchen hoods and vents not only make your kitchen unhygienic; they also increase the risk of sudden fires that spark from grease deposits.

Chief fire prevention understands the importance of hood cleaning for restaurants with high cooking volumes. Below is a breakdown of our professional commercial restaurant
hood cleaning.

Step 1: System shut down and inspection

Kitchen hoods vary in their mode of operation and ductwork connections. Before starting the cleaning process, the technician will turn off all valves and unplug the sockets to prevent possible damage to the vents or cleaning tools. As the ventilation cools down, the technician will inspect the exhaust system to determine if any parts need repair or replacement.

Step 2: Kitchen Prep

Vent hood cleaning can be a messy affair, especially where grease is involved. Your technician will detach the baffle filters and put them on one side before covering the equipment and nearby kitchen appliances with plastic sheeting. The cleaning materials required for the job include degreaser concentrates, rubber gloves, soft-bristled brushes, a cleaning bowl or bucket, and plastic sheeting.

Step 3: Restaurant exhaust hood cleaning

Our technicians work in pairs to clean the top and under the hood simultaneously. The process begins by spraying the exhaust fan and ducts with the degreasing agent. If the hood is extremely dirty, the cleaning specialist will manually scrape the grease using the non-abrasive brush. The grease and other debris flow are channeled into the collection bucket to avoid messing up the kitchen floor.

Step 4: Hood rinsing and Disinfection

After scraping, the expert will spray the components with the chemical degreasing agent and rinse with warm water. They will repeat the scraping and rinsing until all parts are grease-free.

Step 5: Polishing and Reinstallation

After getting rid of grease and unwanted debris, the technician will remove the plastic sheet covering. The hood will dry for a few minutes before polishing its exterior and canopy for a sparklingly clean look. Lastly, the baffle filters will be refitted inside the hood. The technician will wrap up by testing the system to confirm it works as it should.<>/p

Commercial kitchens usually need to run their heavy-duty cooking appliances for many hours each day to keep up with the high food demand. Such high operation rates make kitchen hood cleaning necessary. Our technicians have the expertise to handle all types of kitchen hood cleaning. Visit our website below to book an appointment and enjoy our broad range of restaurant hood cleaning services.

How often should kitchen hoods be cleaned?

The NFPA 96 sets out restaurant owners' standards to ensure kitchen hoods and exhausts are well maintained. NFPA's recommended commercial hood cleaning schedule is as outlined below:

Monthly kitchen hood cleaning

The standard requires all kitchens that use solid fuel systems to clean their hoods and vents at least once every month. Solid fuel refers to all solid inputs such as firewood, charcoal, and coal that require combustion when cooking.

Quarterly hood cleaning

Restaurants with high volumes of operations should clean their hoods quarterly. Fast food joints and diners that open around the clock and do not use solid fuels also fall into this category.

Semi-Annually

Kitchen or cooking operations with a moderate volume of operations should clean their hoods at least once in six months.

Annually

NFPA 96 requires all restaurants or kitchen operation systems with low volume cooking to carry out professional kitchen hood cleaning at least once a year. This category includes churches, seasonal businesses, day camps, and restaurants serving only special events.

Quarterly hood cleaning

Restaurants with high volumes of operations should clean their hoods quarterly. Fast food joints and diners that open around the clock and do not use solid fuels also fall into this category.

commercial kitchen hood cleaning services

The Benefits of Restaurant Kitchen Hood Cleaning

As a restaurant manager, keeping your commercial kitchen equipment clean is essential for the smooth running of day to operations. Though you can delegate other cleaning tasks to your in-house staff, restaurant kitchen hood cleaning requires expert hands to reap maximum benefits from the exercise. Below are the benefits you stand to enjoy when you hire chief fire prevention to handle your hoot cleaning assignment.

Minimizes the risk of fire

Kitchen hoods and ducts help remove the contaminated grease air molecules from the cooking area. Over time these contaminants accumulate in the hood and may spread to other kitchen parts. Cleaning restaurant hoods regularly lower fire risk because grease is highly flammable.

The flames can spread to other parts of the hood system, causing even more damage. Cleaning the hood systems minimizes the risk of kitchen fires.

The system runs quietly

Grease and grime build up on a hood's fans make them inefficient and loud. Cleaning the hoods regularly ensures your fans run smoothly and quietly.

Compliance with NFPA Codes

Fire officials regularly conduct inspections in commercial cooking centers to ensure enforcement of NFPA Codes. As a restaurant owner, the last thing you want is to violate these standards due to unclean and unsafe kitchen hoods vents. Failing an inspection can lead to revocation of license and hefty compliance fines depending on the severity of the violation. Chief fire prevention cleaning technicians are well versed in these codes and will help you comply with the NFPA standards.

Enhancing kitchen airflow

The accumulation of grime and grease in the hood ventilation can clog the filters and fan systems, thus reducing air circulation within the kitchen. If left unchecked, this compromised airflow can make the commercial kitchen space uncomfortable and unhealthy for all staff involved. Hood cleaning improves smoke ventilation and keeps the entire kitchen odor-free.

Improves overall kitchen hygiene

Grease and residue from old food can contaminate your commercial cooking space. Such unhygienic conditions put your staff and clients at risk of food poisoning and contamination. Cleaning your kitchen hood takes you one step closer to serving your clients better and improving the hygiene standards in your cooking spaces.

Saves you money

Regularly cleaning your hood system increases the fan and motor's useful life. When your kitchen hood is in good condition, you spend less money on repairs. Additionally, keeping your hoods clean and in good condition lowers the premiums you pay to insurers.

Before and After

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