Hood cleaning is the process of removing grease out of a commercial kitchen exhaust system or restaurant kitchen exhaust system, must be done by a professional and knowledgeable company following the local fire codes, NFPA 96, ANSI, and IKECA.
Many cities have different fire codes and are important to be compliant to avoid fines or even closing the facility for a period of time.
The kitchen exhaust system is composed of different sections; the exhaust fan is normally located on the roof, sometimes on the side of the building, and on a few occasions it is located inside the facility but this type of fan is known as Pollution Control Unit (PCU).
Next is the Ductwork (duct system) it normally runs from the roof in a vertical position down to the hood system, many time it may also run horizontally with an access panel (access door) every 12 ft, and sometimes it runs in a combination of vertical, horizontal and even in angles down to the hood system.
Next is the plenum, this is the area behind the hood filters (baffle filters or vent filters), it accumulates the grease-laden vapors and the grease continues up to the ductwork.
Next are the Grease Filters, which are the devices that are installed in the exhaust hood. Grease Filters are designed to remove grease from the exhausted air by entrapment, impingement, adhesion, or other similar mean and allow it to drain into a grease trap.
Grease Drip Catch is a containment normally located inside at the end of the hood system.
Hood System is an air intake device connected to an exhaust ventilation system for the collection and removal of cooking effluents which contain grease, vapors, fumes, smoke, heat, and odors created by cooking equipment. The hood system is located above the kitchen cooking equipment.