There are two primary methods of duct cleaning for kitchen exhaust duct work:
1. scraping
2. pressure washing or steam cleaning
The primary duct cleaning method used in California is scraping. This is the more economical duct cleaning method and is extremely effective when done thoroughly. We know of no duct fires which have occurred because of using this method (unless it was done poorly). Scraping of restaurant kitchen duct systems complies with the Uniform Fire Code which is the governing fire code of the state of California. The cleaning method for kitchen exhausts most often used by Action Duct Cleaning is the scraping method.
The alternative to duct cleaning by scraping is pressure washing or steam cleaning. This is a more costly and time consuming technique since it requires considerable prep work to control waste water and more expensive equipment is involved. However, this method will clean duct work down to “bare metal,” which is the recommendation of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) as identified in NFPA Standard 96.
At Action Duct Cleaning, we frequently do pressure washing of kitchen exhausts as well as scraping. This is done for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the duct work may be inaccessible for scraping or our customer simply desires to take the extra precautionary step of having it cleaned to “bare metal.”
