Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning

Approximately one of three restaurant fires is caused by grease. A common scenario of how a kitchen exhaust fire starts is this:

1. A flame flares up on the stove.
2. The fire contacts the filters above the stove on the kitchen hood. The filters ignite.
3. Since the exhaust fan is on, drawing air into the hood, through the filters, and up the duct, the flame on the filters is pulled into the duct.
4. If significant grease residue exists on the duct interior, this can act as an accelerant and the fire spreads up the duct, perhaps all the way into the fan. We have seen fire climb up a ten-story duct to the fan on the roof and burn up the fan.

There are two primary methods of cleaning kitchen grease exhaust, depending on your needs or requirements of local fire authorities:

1. Scraping
2. Pressure washing or steam cleaning

Scraping is more economical and is highly effective when done thoroughly. Scraping of restaurant kitchen duct systems complies with the Uniform Fire Code which is the governing fire code of the state of California.

Pressure washing or steam cleaning is more costly and time consuming, since it requires considerable prep work to control waste water and more expensive equipment is involved. However, this method will clean ductwork more thoroughly, particularly hard-to-reach areas found in a small number of exhaust systems. This is why pressure washing may be required by local regulations.