Roof Fan Hinge Kits: Essential for Commercial Kitchen Hood Fan Cleaning

INTRODUCTION TO EXHAUST FAN HINGE KITS

Every restaurant manager and BOH manager should be aware of the importance of kitchen exhaust fan cleaning.  What many don’t understand is the importance of a roof exhaust fan hinge kit. If you are searching for “why kitchen roof fan hinge kits are needed?” you landed on the right corner of the internet. Let me explain. Exhaust fan cleaning with the help of an exhaust fan hinge kit is the most essential part of your restaurant kitchen maintenance. This is because they make your kitchen cleaning system NFPA 96 compliant. 

• Allows the cleaners to properly access the duct between your kitchen hood and the fan.
• Provides for proper draining of cleaning solution and water from the fan assembly.  Improper draining or no draining contributes to wear in the system resulting in increased replacement expense.
• Exhaust fan hinge kits reduce and eliminate the risk of severe damage to the components of your exhaust fan.

The exhaust fan hinge kits are just like a door hinge, allowing your up-blast fan to fold open so the cleaner can access the fan blades, under assembly and the duct.  Allowing the technicians access to clean the exhaust fan thoroughly from inside along with the ductwork present beneath the fan.

HOW TO CLEAN A RESTAURANT KITCHEN VENT FAN

Your kitchen exhaust fan is responsible for removing all the steam, grease laden vapors, smoke, and odor from the kitchen as you cook. Over the course of time, the debris builds up on the vent fan which gradually decreases its working efficiency and possibly resulting in a dangerous fire.  

10 STEPS TO CLEAN KITCHEN EXHAUST FAN GREASE BUILD UP:

1.  The first step is to turn off and lock out the kitchen exhaust fan completely.  This is an OSHA requirement. 2.  Stop cooking while you are cleaning the exhaust fan. 3.  Next remove the grease filters, grease drawers, and grease cups. This may include prying out the filters and unhooking any attachments.  4.  Wipe up any loose debris, carbon build-up and grease with soft cloths. Pay particular attention to the grease trough.   5.  Use an appropriate and approved cleaner mixed in hot water and place the receptacles and filters in it.  We use either a caustic soda mix or an enzyme blend. 6. Spray the roof fan, fan blades, bowl and surrounding duct with cleaning solution. 7. Use high pressure (3.500 psi) wet steam (220 degrees fahrenheit) to remove all the grease, carbon, dirt and build up from the fan and fan assembly surfaces. 8. Use a duct spinner to clean the interior of the duct to the fire suppression system. 9.  Soak the inside of the hood with an approved degreaser and use high pressure wet steam to clean the inside of the hood and suppression system   Do not trigger the system. Use a soft cloth and degreaser followed by a polisher to clean and shine the hood.   10.  Once everything is cleaned and dried, the technicians will mop the floors and affix a certification sticker indicating the date of service, the lead techs initials, areas not cleaned and the date of the next cleaning.  The final step also includes all post job photos. The exhaust fan cleaning technique may vary as per your fan type. Traditional upblast fans require a hinge kit while impeller broiler fans are typically partially disassembled to clean.  All other steps are the same.

BENEFITS OF A PROPERLY INSTALLED KITCHEN ROOF FAN HINGE KIT

Kitchen hood fan cleaning along with a properly installed roof fan hinge kit can be of great benefit for your commercial kitchen. Below you will also get an answer to “why kitchen roof fan hinge kits are necessary” so that, the importance of the hinge kit along with the ease it brings for exhaust fan cleaning can be understood better. Following are the important benefits of roof fan hinge kits and commercial kitchen hood cleaning:  1.  With the hinge kit, it will be easy for the technical team to clean the exhaust along with the ductwork without detaching the fan from the duct on each service. 2.  A hinge kit avoids any kind of damage that can happen to fan wiring during the detaching process. 3.  The kit also ensures that the roof of the commercial kitchen is not damaged or prone to leakage due to repeated detaching and moving. 4.  A hinge kit allows thorough cleaning of the exhaust fan offering easy access to all areas. 5.  It also protects the exhaust fan from overtime damage that may be caused due to repeated removal for cleaning service. 6.  The hinge kit ensures that the connection between the exhaust fan and the ductwork remains firm. Without a hinge kit, it may get loose and becomes dangerous especially in high wind areas like the Florida gulf coast. Apart from all the major benefits a kitchen roof fan hinge kit provides, the most important point to keep in mind is “IT IS THE LAW”. According to the NFPA 96 Code 8.1.1.1; all the up-blast fans that are approved must be hinged and supplied with weatherproof, flexible, and reliable electric cables. By getting a kitchen roof fan hinge kit installed in your commercial kitchen, you are not only following the law and protecting your exhaust fan, its components, and roof against damage you are also maintaining your insurance company requirements to properly maintain your kitchen hood system.