Denver Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Hood Cleaning & Maintenance FAQ

Scheduling regular exhaust hood cleanings is one of the most effective ways that commercial kitchen managers can help prevent kitchen fires. When exhaust hoods aren’t properly maintained, an excess of effluents such as grease, moisture, and smoke are left to sit in the hood’s filters and the connecting ductwork, where they continue to accumulate over time. In addition to the health and safety concerns associated with a sticky, slippery, and uncomfortable kitchen environment, this can pose a serious fire hazard.

There are countless benefits to partnering with a professional hood filter cleaning company. For starters, we provide thorough before and after photo reports after completing our work. That way, commercial kitchen managers can rest assured that their entire system is properly cleaned and maintained every time.

When you partner with HOODZ, you can also expect our certified technicians to help you keep your commercial kitchen clean, safe, and compliant with local standards, as well as national standards such as the NFPA 96 and the IKECA ANSI C-10 Standard.

Simply put, when grease-clogged hood filters aren’t clean, your commercial kitchen will not be able to ventilate properly. Neglecting your hood filters also raises serious concerns such as poor indoor air quality, a greater risk of kitchen fires, and decreased unit efficiency.

Depending on how often your commercial kitchen produces fats, oils, and grease (FOG), you should have your grease traps cleaned every one to three months. Generally speaking, smaller grease traps and high-volume commercial kitchens will need more frequent cleanings.

A good rule of thumb is to have your grease trap cleaned when it’s a quarter full. Once it reaches this volume, the grease trap becomes less effective at preventing grease from entering the sewage system. This can lead to odors, clogs, and slow drainage.

There are several risks associated with grease buildup in commercial kitchens, including:

• Increased risk of fire. Since grease is highly flammable, allowing it to accumulate in your commercial kitchen equipment increases the risk of fire.
• Heightened risk of injury. When grease buildup accumulates on kitchen equipment, it can easily be transferred to kitchen floors. This can increase the risk of employees slipping and falling.
• Plumbing issues. When grease cools, it hardens into a gel, which can cause serious plumbing problems if disposed of down a drain.
• Environmental issues. Grease buildup on your facility’s roof can lead to environmental issues such as overflow into storm drains, where it can enter into nearby streams and rivers.
• Rodent infestations. Accumulated grease can attract vermin and other pests to your commercial kitchen, leading to sanitation issues and code violations.

Just because an area of your commercial kitchen is out of sight doesn’t mean it should be out of mind. Neglecting out-of-sight areas such as ductwork, roofs, and behind vent hood filters is one of the most common commercial kitchen maintenance mistakes.

Since neglecting these areas can negatively impact the safety and cleanliness of your kitchen environment, it is crucial to stay on top of these maintenance items by scheduling them on a routine basis. At HOODZ, we offer proactive scheduling to minimize disruption to your day-to-day operations. We also provide thorough photo reports so you can rest assured that your commercial kitchen is clean and up to code.