Commercial Hood Systems
The commercial hood systems are an essential part of kitchen ventilation. These kinds of systems exhaust everything starting from grease or oil vapors to humidity, heat, smoke, and cooking odors to make the kitchen or dining places clean and comfortable. To determine which kitchen hood system is right for you, you must first consider different factors. If it’s a cooking appliance then you need to consider the frequency and type of cooking and the fuel source. In the article below, we will discuss this in detail.
There are 2 basic kinds of commercial hood systems: Type 1 hoods and Type 2 hoods. Type 1 commercial vent hood systems are particularly designed to be capable of exhausting grease, smoke, oil in addition to odors, heat, moisture. They contain removable baffle filters that can extract oil and grease before it will enter the rest of the ventilation and ductwork. They can decrease the fire risk in the kitchen and are required over specific cooking appliances like woks, fryers, char-broilers.
Nearly all kinds of cooking will need a Type 1 kitchen hood system. Type 2 commercial kitchen hood systems aren’t designed to exhaust grease, smoke, and oil. The exhaust heat and moisture and cooking odors. This hood type is required over kitchen tools that produce steam, like a dishwasher and steam table.
They don’t use a hood filter. The kinds of commercial hood systems can be food truck hoods, back shelf hoods, low-profile hoods, condensate hoods, pizza hoods.
All of the kitchen ventilation system configurations should meet and exceed NFPA 96 Standard requirements and are NSF Certified and ETL Listed. Selecting the best as well as appropriate kitchen hood system is very important to maintain clean air and environment but it is also important that you will keep the kitchen ventilation system well maintained. All parts of the ventilation system must be regularly cleaned. This involves the ductwork, hood, hood filters, exhaust fan. If any part of the hood system is dirty, then it shall have a domino impact on the remaining parts as well, causing it to function inefficiently and break down.
To keep commercial hood systems in the best shape, ensure you stick to a cleaning schedule based on the cooking amount and the cooking type. A kitchen hood system installed over a row of fryers and a wok station, for instance, will need frequent cleanings than a hood system installed over a soup station and a pancake griddle. Few restaurant facilities deal with major hood cleanings in-home, while others pay a professional kitchen hood system cleaner to come in and do the work. Hood filters must be cleaned.
This occurs much more frequently than the entire system cleaning. Several restaurants clean their hood filters on an everyday basis. Routine maintenance of commercial hood systems is necessary. A well-maintained commercial hood system will last longer and work effectively than one that, for instance, is running with an exhaust fan that has a worn-out belt on its motor.
How to Select the Right Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Hood
The exhaust hood is the heart of any commercial ventilation system of the kitchen. The range hood is able to handle airflow by removing heat, steam, and grease vapors out of the kitchen. The commercial kitchen exhaust hood not protects your staff from excessive heat but aids the cooking area to remain clean. Kitchens that are poorly ventilated gather heat and humidity that encourage the growth of bacteria and mold.
Regulatory Compliance
The National Fire Protection Association sets the standards for commercial kitchen appliance use via the National Fire Code (NFC.) It’s important to find an exhaust hood that complies with the national, state codes for commercial kitchens. Make sure that you’re well acquainted with the essential regulations.
Type 1 versus Type 2
Type 1 exhaust hood systems are known as grease hoods also because they can expel greasy vapors from the kitchen. The exhaust vent systems are installed above commercial grease and smoke-producing appliances like griddles, deep fryers, boilers, barbeques. Type 2 exhaust hoods eject steam vapors and also heat from non-grease appliances such as coffee machines, and commercial dishwashers.
Hood Exhaust Rate
It’s a mathematical calculation that indicates the air amount expelled by the vent. The rate is measured in cubic feet per meter (CFM.) The design and engineering of the exhaust hood determine the rate. Furthermore, the amount of heat, smoke, vapor, grease fumes produced in commercial kitchens needs to dictate the exhaust system you purchase.
Fire Suppression Systems
Many municipal fire codes demand that exhaust hoods contain a fire fail-safe. The system connects to tanks that store fire suppression agents, which via a series of pipes put out fires through the attached sprinklers. Make sure you comply with the local fire codes on fire suppression systems of the exhaust hood.
Hood Size and Design
Exhaust hood systems come in different designs that not determine their aesthetic appeal but affect their performance. Your exhaust vent system may be a proximal hood, wall-mounted hood, and an island hood. The arrangement of the commercial kitchen tools determines the exhaust hood’s size. The NFC suggests a 6” overhang to capture the whole zone of the cooking area.
Ventilation Design
Appropriately installed exhaust hood systems determine the air balance which is expelled and pushed in. The hood system contains an exhaust fan, a range hood vent, a make-up air fan. The exhaust fan ejects the fumes and the polluted air out of the building or home while the make-up fan will replenish the ejected air, hence making a balanced air pressure. Make sure your exhaust hood system meets the standards set for ventilation.
Hood Accessories
All commercial hood systems need vents or ducts that channel the air to exhaust and make-up air fans. The tubes can need a curb where they emerge on the roof and wall. Bends can affect the efficiency of the exhaust system. Few hoods can have lights that will illuminate the cooking area. Make sure the lights are compliant with the set ordinances.