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Annually: Establishments with low-volume cooking operations such as churches, day camps, seasonal businesses, senior centers, ski resorts, etc., are inspected once a year.Semiannually: Restaurants with moderate-volume cooking operations are inspected twice a year.Quarterly: High-volume cooking operations, including 24-hour cooking, charbroiling, or wok cooking, need to be inspected quarterly.Monthly: Restaurants using solid fuel such as charcoal or firewood need to be inspected each month.All restaurants fall into one of four inspection categories according to the NFPA 96 Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations: The NFPA sets the national guidelines for kitchen exhaust inspections and cleaning. How often should commercial kitchen exhaust systems be cleaned? In addition, a constantly clean kitchen exhaust system means there is less of a chance for unexpected breakdowns or interruptions that can impact your operations. This results in increased airflow above the cooking appliances and allows the airborne grease, smoke and odors to properly exit the kitchen through an exhaust hood instead of lingering in the kitchen air and covering kitchen surfaces. Productivity and efficiency: A clean kitchen hood and vent system reduces maintenance and increases efficiency.Insurance liability: If a restaurant is operating beyond the due date of their required kitchen exhaust inspection, the restaurant takes full liability for any sort of loss due to a fire.Fire prevention: Kitchen exhaust systems that aren’t cleaned regularly are a fire hazard because they accumulate thick layers of grease and grime, which are flammable, and can act as fuel when a fire breaks out - a worst-case scenario for restaurants.There is no doubt regular hood and flue cleanings are essential, not only to keep your restaurant functioning at peak efficiency but for safety and liability reasons as well.ĭid you know in the most recent National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report on “Structure Fires in Eating and Drinking Establishments,” 22 percent of the restaurant fires reported were attributed to a “failure to clean?” Top 3 reasons why commercial hoods need cleaning Cutting-edge technology removes the need for the dreaded third-party hood cleaning while keeping your restaurant up and running, safely, and to code. Restaurants and grease go hand in hand, but while that often means headaches in the form of cleaning the hood and flue system, it doesn’t have to.
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