What is the Cleaning Process of Exhaust Hood Canopy?
An exhaust hood canopy is a device that is placed above grills, fryers, commercial ranges, and other cooking equipment. It expels the suffocating heat in the air, smoke, smells and grease with its multiple mechanical fans and does an excellent job of removing soot and grime.
It is established that cooking appliances are the reason for 60% of fires in eating and dining establishments. These accidents primarily include incidents involving equipment having a considerable accumulation of soot through their frequent usage. It is not possible to avoid such mishaps in the kitchen. That is why the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) vouches for preventive and functional fire safety needs with the intention to decrease the potential fire hazard of both public and private commercial cooking operations. All of this means that your product needs should be cleaned regularly, as failure to do so may result in a severe catastrophe such as fire and permanent closure of a business. In this piece, we will discuss the functioning and upkeep process of a hood canopy.
Several products help you keep the hood clean and prepare food effortlessly. One such product is the Commercial Gas Griddle. You can visit our website to know more about the product.
Working of an Exhaust Hood Canopy
An exhaust hood functions on its four principal components. Let us see their work and importance in the hood functionality.
Purifiers – These accessories are made up of stainless steel or mesh. These elements prevent dust from flying into the utensils and encompass the opening in the ductwork.
Fans – One or multiple mechanical fans behind the purifiers absorb air through the conduit work and expel them out of the kitchen. You can get the perfect canopies with efficient fans at Simco, the leading exhaust hood canopy supplier in Sydney.
Grease Trays/Traps – The soot and smoke-filled air accumulates on the side of the ductwork and drips back down when it rushes up the air circulation system. These ducts have small trays on the inside edge that collect that grease called the grease traps.
Ventilation Work – The ductwork is the whole tube that uses capture the airflow through a wide opening to catch the airflow and delivers it up and away is called ventilation work. The ductwork contains filters, fans, and dirt traps inside it.
Upkeep Frequency of the Exhaust Hood Canopy
The NFPA lists the ideal frequencies to clear your kitchen cover, and one should inculcate these points in their restaurant maintenance checklist.
Monthly Cleaning of Hoods
The NFPA says that those kitchens, restaurants, and units handling food preparation operations should clean their items every month that use solid fuel, which refers to the solid material, like wood and charcoal, burned for preparing food.
Quarterly Cleaning of Canopy
There is an option of quarterly commercial exhaust hood canopy cleaning that those restaurants and food joints not using solid fuel should use. These units must perform high-volume functionality without solid fuel and include many commercial food establishments, short-order locations and diners.
Half-Yearly Cleaning of Hood
This option should be used by Any restaurant operation operating at a moderate capacity or a level below a typical industrial food establishment.
Annual Cleaning of Canopy
An exhaust kitchen canopy should be annually cleaned if placed in a kitchen with a low volume of orders. These places may include day camps, seasonal businesses, churches, or food joints active during special events. You can get such services at Simco, the foremost exhaust hood canopy supplier in Melbourne.
Apart from the monthly and yearly maintenance, adequate appliances for the canopy are also essential. Commercial Deep Fryers is one such item that is an integral part of every commercial kitchen and helps in even heat distribution. Visit the Simco website to know more.
Guide to Clean Restaurant Hoods
Prepare Before Start the Cleaning Process
Once you decide to clear your canopy, first turn all the valves, and ranges off. Let the item cooldown by unplugging it. Ensure that no equipment nearby should be active. Once you have ensured the same, use plastic sheeting to cover all nearby appliances and surfaces since washing these machines is a spectacularly dirty task, and you will find dripping grease and soot all over. In addition, get the following ingredients to maintain your commercial kitchen:
- Plastic sheets
- Concentrated degreaser
- Soft-bristled brush or scrubbing pad
- Rubber gloves
- Sanitisation bucket
Clean the Filters of the Hood
All purifiers tend to effortlessly push up and slide out, irrespective of the baffle, mesh, or charcoal filters. Remove any steel spacers present on or near the grease buckets after you take off the filters. To clean the exhaust hood canopy filters, use only a soft-bristled brush or scouring pads. Afterwards, you can wash them with the help of the dishwasher if they are not much large or dirty. However, fill a sink with water and a concentrated degreaser if your filters are large and soaked with dust & grime. Soak your spacers and cleaners in the water for a minimum of three hours. Please immerse them overnight for better results.
Maintain the Grease Trap Efficiently
The next step is to remove the grease buckets once you are done with filters and spacers. Remember to remove the traps present on each side of the canopy and take care not to spill the grease present in them. Ensure not disposing of the grease into a drain as it will result in blockage issues. Instead, use a sealed and long-lasting container to dispose of it. Once done, use the non-abrasive brushes or scouring pads to wipe the traps. Traps are often too large to go through the dish pit. Soak them with the filters in the degreaser solution for the same length of time.
Clean the Fan of the Canopy
Now you have to dismantle the blower blades or fans. There is a dual motor and dual fan mechanism in many lid canopies, enabling an equal spreading of airflow by drawing air from both sides of the lid. Pull the fan down by removing its protecting cover and then unscrewing the central hub. Afterwards, use a brush or scrubbing pad to scrub your fans gently. Put them in the wet mixture with the filters and grease traps if they’re too dirty. If they’re not that bad after the initial scrub, you can run them through a dishwasher. You can get the equipment through Simco, one of the best exhaust hood canopy suppliers in Perth.
Clean the Duct
Create the same concentration degreaser solution as in your sink, but this time keep it in a small sanitiser bucket. Use the same type of soft scrubbing pad or brush to scrub the interior and exterior of the exposed range awning. You can reinstall the other pieces after you’ve sufficiently washed and removed any grease on the visible ductwork.
One of the machines made of stainless steel, easy to clean, and makes a lid more effective is Commercial Gas Stoves. You can visit the homepage of Simco for more information.
Reassemble All the Parts
Rinse and dry everything you’ve cleaned and soaked. First, put the fans back in. If you’re replacing fans in a dual-fan system, remember that they’re directional and cannot be swapped. The left one must go back on the left side and the right on the right. Also, don’t leave your fan’s protective covers off. They are used to hold hanging grease buckets and may seem forgettable with mounted traps. But they still protect you from touching a fan blade when the motors are on. Never take the exhaust hood canopy filters off without first switching off the fans in any condition. After reinstalling the fans, place the grease traps, spacers, and filters back on. Remove the plastic sheeting that surrounds you, mop the floors, and your work is done.
