As a restaurant owner, it is crucial to maintain and care for every piece of equipment that makes your business operate properly. One of the most important pieces of equipment to maintenance and keep clean in an eatery is the kitchen hood and exhaust. This is the one area that should never be neglected at any degree. Not only can a dirty kitchen hood and exhaust contaminate food, reduce the quality of cooking, and impose health department fines, it can be a potential danger.

Grease fires, explosions, and smoke damage are among a few common hazards associated with unkempt kitchen hoods and exhausts. And unfortunately, commercial kitchen fires are more common than you would think. According to the NFPA, more than 11,000 kitchen fires are reported every year.

Regular cleaning and maintenance of commercial kitchen equipment is imperative to reducing these statistics. To be sure this doesn’t happen to you at your restaurant, learn how to care for your hood and exhaust equipment, and what to do when your commercial kitchen equipment is too damaged to clean.

Recommended Maintenance

Kitchen hoods and exhausts are not the only part of the system that requires regular care and attention. Along with the hood and exhaust, kitchen vents and ducts require equal maintenance. Furthermore, components like deep fryers, grease traps, stoves, ovens, and open grills should all be regularly cleaned and inspected. This will help to improve a kitchen’s air flow, remain fire code compliant, ensure a safe working environment, and reduce fire risks. All this and more will keep the local fire marshals, health inspectors, and insurance companies off your back too!

Fire Codes and Standards

These areas and systems should be cleaned and inspected every three to six months by a certified company. In fact, the NFPA Fire Code mandates that all commercial kitchens have to be inspected by a qualified company. Be sure to hire a professional inspection service that retains the proper technologies, training, and knowledge to responsibly and reliably detect any dangerous issues or complications with your hood and exhaust setup.

Damaged or Defective Appliances

When routine cleaning is not enough to restore your commercial kitchen appliances, you are ready to make some replacements. Although this will be a hefty initial investment, you can take comfort in knowing that your used, broken down, or defective appliances can be sold to a local scrap metal buyer or recycling center for cash on the spot. Appliances, whether operational or not, retain nominal amounts of metal, like iron, steel, copper, and aluminum. This means they can be sold for cash to a local scrap yard regardless of their condition, and you can make back some money to put toward your new appliances.