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| By Karl Riekstins Partner & Co-Founder Grexen Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning® |
'Across the nation, firefighters responded to 8,520 fires in bars and
restaurants between 2000 and 2004, according to the National Fire
Protection Association. The fires killed three firefighters, injured 113
civilians, and caused $190 million in damage.
The kitchen was the most common place the fires started, accounting for 54% of the blazes.'
-Boston Globe
In order to guarantee that your system is not at risk for a grease flash fire you have to make sure that your contractor is cleaning your kitchen hood exhaust system to fire code standards.
This begs another question:
What does cleaning to Fire Code mean?
To be in compliance with your insurance company, fire inspectors, health departments, and all federal, state and local laws, your exhaust system must be routinely inspected and cleaned to the industry standard as laid out by the National Fire Protection Association Code 96 (Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of commercial Cooking Operations).Essentially all areas of your entire exhaust system need to be cleaned down to bare metal to the following schedule as determined by NFPA #96 11.3:
Systems serving solid fuel cooking operations - Monthly
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High Volume cooking operations such as 24 hour cooking, - Quarterly
charbroiling or wok cooking -
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Systems serving moderate volume cooking operations - Semiannually
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Systems serving low volume cooking such as churches, - Annually
day camps, seasonal businesses, or senior centers
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Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning should always include:
- Fan/s (bowl and blades)
- Grease containment System which is mounted to the fan beneath the spout catches grease washed out of the fan preventing it from falling onto the roof
- Ductwork and any access panels all the way down to the hood
- Hood (plenum area behind filters, filer racks, globes and the outside of the hood
If your present company does not completely remove the fuel (grease) from your ductwork, then there is still fuel to feed the fire.
The more grease and oil buildup present in a duct system the hotter the exhaust, which in turn, can result in a flash fire. In most cases if a flash fire occurs past the fire suppression system and reaches the roof. Fire suppression systems only have enough powder to last for approximately 20 seconds. If the fire gets into the duct and the ducts have not been cleaned correctly, the grease will fuel the fire, gain in strength and blow back in to the restaurant.
The more grease and oil buildup present in a duct system the hotter the exhaust, which in turn, can result in a flash fire. In most cases if a flash fire occurs past the fire suppression system and reaches the roof. Fire suppression systems only have enough powder to last for approximately 20 seconds. If the fire gets into the duct and the ducts have not been cleaned correctly, the grease will fuel the fire, gain in strength and blow back in to the restaurant.
You get what you pay for!
If you pay a low price for your hood cleaning and your hood cleaner is getting in and out in a couple of hours, there is probably a reason!Are your contractors cleaning the entire kitchen exhaust system or just what you can see in the kitchen like the hood? In this industry, the old saying 'You get what you pay', is more telling than ever.
The unfortunate truth here is:
- Restaurants outnumber hood cleaners 2000 to 1 in most markets.
- Most hood cleaners only service 100 - 200 clients a year.
- Most hood cleaners service 3 customers per night to maximize their revenues.
- Restauranteurs that are enticed by low bids are their ideal customer. 3 quick cleanings @ $250 each = $750 per night, whereas a proper cleaning taking 4-5 hours would only bring in $400
This is a recipe for disaster because they leave themselves little to no time to clean the systems completely or to fire code. They know that if they are caught out and lose an account that there are plenty of restaurants out there. Unfortunately this leaves the restaurant owner at serious risk for fire.
Most restaurant fires originate in the kitchen. Probably the worst kitchen fire at the Tai Ho Mandarin in boston claimed the lives of two fire fighters and caused millions in damages.
'Across the nation, firefighters responded to 8,520 fires in bars and restaurants between 2000 and 2004, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The fires killed three firefighters, injured 113 civilians, and caused $190 million in damage.
The kitchen was the most common place the fires started, accounting for 54% of the blazes.'
-Boston Globe
Are your contractors properly insured?
If you are the victim of kitchen fire and the fire department determines that it was caused by an inadequately cleaned hood exhaust system, your insurance will likely repudiate the claim. This leaves you suing the hood cleaner responsible to pay for the damages. Assuming they have liability insurance is not enough to protect you. Due to the liability of this service many hood cleaners are not insured for Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning itself. Instead they are insured for Power washing insurance which is significantly cheaper but does not cover Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning. It is expensive and hard to obtain without credentials. A certificate stating liability coverage will not protect you if it is not for KEC.Are you protected?
Picture Proof - the ultimate verification tool
The best way to ensure that your system has been cleaned completely and to fire code is to inspect it. Unfortunately it is rather difficult to climb on the roof, open the fan, check the ducts, climb into the ceiling above the hood and inspect the access panels even if you know where they are and what to look for. A reputable hood cleaner will offer you before and after photographs. Why?
The quality of their work with you shows their value, but more importantly it gives you the proof that your system has been cleaned correctly. At Grexen® we take this a step further with:
GEO-Tagged Photo's (more info)
How do you know that the pictures are of your system and where taken the day of the cleaning?
Our digital camera's record geographical coordinates, the date and the time. This information is digitally imprinted in the file and can be easily found by right-clicking on the image and clicking properties (windows) or more info (Mac)
