Hood filters serve a very important function in your restaurant ventilation system. They reduce fire hazards and they help promote proper airflow. However, in order to work properly, hood filters need to be routinely cleaned. Otherwise they become clogged with grease, fats, and oils which make them both inefficient and ineffective.
How frequently do I need to clean my hood filters?
To ensure the proper fire safety in your commercial kitchen you need to adhere to the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 96 (NFPA Kitchen Hood Cleaning Requirements). The NFPA requires restaurant kitchen hoods and exhausts to be cleaned by trained and certified personnel on a regular basis (NFPA 96-11.4).For hood ventilation systems using solid fuel cooking operations, hood filter cleaning is required to be done monthly. For hood systems serving high-volume cooking operations including restaurants using charbroilers, woks, or that have 24-hour cooking, hood filters should be cleaned quarterly. For moderate volume hood and exhaust systems, semiannual hood filter cleaning is sufficient. For systems serving even lower volumes such as churches or senior centers, an annual cleaning of hood filters is often enough. How do I know if my hood filters need to be cleaned? The best way to know if your commercial kitchen grease filters are due for a cleaning is to inspect them. According to NFPA-96 section 11.6.1(NFPA Kitchen Hood Cleaning Requirements), if upon inspection, the hood filters are found to be “contaminated with deposits from grease-laden vapors”, the entire hood vent and exhaust system should be cleaned.
How do I clean my hood filters?
Depending on how dirty your grease filters are, there are a variety of methods for cleaning them. For moderately dirty hood filters, a simple scrub with soapy water may be enough. You can also run most grease filters through a commercial dishwasher. For hood filters with a bit more stuck on grease, you may think you need to use something like sodium hydroxide or a lye caustic product. However, you can easily increase the cleaning power without turning to harsh chemicals with an eco-friendly hood filter cleaning agent like the SAFECID CR910 High Foam Degreaser. For even more stuck on grease, fats, and oils, using a soak tank for your hood filters is the perfect solution. A soak tank can also be used for grease covered pots and pans, making it a versatile and essential cleaning solution for your commercial kitchen. The DRIPLOC Heavy Duty Hood Filter Soak Cart features a stainless steel “touchless immersion” rack and a recessed drain valve to make cleaning the tank easier.
The importance of maintaining your hood filters.
To keep your commercial kitchen ventilation system operating properly and efficiently, you must maintain your hood filters. Maintenance is required in order to keep your range hood running properly and efficiently. Dirty, grease-laden hood filters make your commercial kitchen unsafe. They create a serious fire hazard and can cause the air in the kitchen to be extremely smoky. Dirty hood filters will also create added strain on your exhaust hood system, which can reduce the life of your hood system and will lead to poor air quality and cause excessive heat in the kitchen. In addition, they will cause your hood system to be inefficient which will increase your utility costs.If you have questions about cleaning your grease hood filters or if you need to purchase new hood filters, give the experts at HoodFilters.com a call at 877-394-9731 or email us at customerservice@hoodfilters.com.
