1. Regularly clean your hood exhaust system(s).
2. Clean the filters daily or at best weekly.
3. Maintain Sprinkler Systems.
4. Routinely Check Alarms.
5. Inspect Fire Suppression Systems.

Excluding the potential lives and injuries affected as a result of the fire, your property and livelihood are at stake. The more neglected and grease laden your kitchen is, the more likely the fire can spread to other parts of the building, or worse, to a building nearby. According to national averages, flame damages often remain contained to the building of origin where the fire started, but not the object that caught fire. This means that oftentimes other cooking equipment or property not directly involved in the fire become damaged. The cost of replacing equipment or restoring structural damage far exceeds the cost of regular equipment and vent hood cleaning.

There are several, relatively inexpensive grease containment systems that can be installed at the exhaust outlets on the roof that will eliminate grease accumulation and runoff. These can easily be changed as often as necessary and should be changed during regular cleanings.

As long as the grease traps are properly maintained, the chemicals we shoot the hood with change the structure of the grease so that it becomes a liquid/soluble. In most cases, your drains will be cleaner than before the hood cleaning.

Per NFPA 96 guidelines, “the entire exhaust system should be cleaned by a properly trained, qualified and certified company” Certified companies are equipped with the tools, chemicals and expertise to properly and thoroughly clean the system. Most fires originate from the kitchen area, and spread quickly into the exhaust system and onto the roof. NFPA-96 guidelines require commercial restaurant kitchens to keep a grease-free and fire safe system which can only be accomplished with a certified hood cleaning company.

NFPA 96 requirements as follows:

Systems serving solid fuel cooking operations- Monthly
Systems serving high-volume cooking operations, such as 24-hour cooking, charbroiling, or wok cooking- Quarterly
Systems serving moderate-volume cooking operations- Semiannually
Systems serving low-volume cooking operations, such as churches, day camps or seasonal businesses or senior centers- Annually

Because many of these areas are not visible, many hood cleaning companies are do not properly clean the entire system and this leaves the restaurant owner at risk. Any professional hood cleaning company should be willing to proudly show off the recently cleaned hood & exhaust system. Inspection of the work should include the fan, vertical and horizontal ductwork if applicable, hood area and filters.

Always ask for insurance certificates for General Liability, Worker’s Compensation and Automobile. If damage or injury occurs and the hood cleaning company is not insured, the liability for the damage falls to the restaurant owner.