Proper ventilation is essential for all kinds of kitchens. If you run a large or commercial kitchen, keeping it well-ventilated becomes even more important for the health and safety of employees and guests. That is exactly why restaurants install an exhaust hood system, commonly called range hood. If you have outfitted your facility with this system, you need to abide by the “make up air” codes, among many other codes that the NFPA has outlined in great detail. Cooking and food preparation fills a large kitchen with plenty of smoky and hot air. While this air needs fast removal, the HVAC system also needs to replace it with fresh air from outside. That is exactly where the role of makeup air gains importance for commercial facility owners.
At the Hood Builder in Denver, CO, we specialize in exhaust hood makeup air services for a wide range of commercial kitchens, restaurants, dining facilities, cafeterias and food preparation facilities.
Problems Due to Low Air Replacement
As a restaurant owner or manager, it is your utmost duty to keep the entire building safe against health and fire hazards. That is exactly why the NFPA requires you to adhere to the building codes. By staying code-compliant, you will provide a healthy and safe environment for the occupants of the commercial building or the facility. As per some building codes, you will need to install a makeup air unit, particularly if your exhaust hood has a capacity of over 600 CFM.
If you plan for adequate ventilation in the building, hood makeup air is essential for you. This helps with the replacement of the air that is removed in your commercial kitchen through an exhaust hood system.
When your facility has low air replacement, it builds negative pressure that creates an unsafe working environment. Not just that, this pressure can also create many issues with the range hood. For example, the hood fan can malfunction as a result of the negative pressure created in the building. In large and busy kitchens, the HVAC system cannot handle air replacement in a proper manner. Hood makeup air is an ideal solution to this problem. The makeup air unit functions to bring in additional air in order to replace the lost air in the kitchen.
In simple terms, the makeup air unit creates equality between the amount of air lost and the amount of air brought in. At the Hood Builder, we have been serving a large number of restaurants and commercial kitchens with code-compliant and NFPA-approved makeup air units all across Denver. Our makeup hoods also carry the approval of NSF, ETL, and UL among others.
How to Know If You Need Makeup Air
Based on the scenarios you have in your commercial kitchen, you will be able to know whether a makeup air unit is required.
You will need makeup air if:
- The exhaust hood has a pulling capacity of 1200+ CFM
- Your kitchen has poor ventilation
- The building codes necessitate the use of the device
- Your exhaust hood operates for several hours
A common misconception among many facility owners is that powerful HVAC systems eliminate the need for makeup air. In fact, the more powerful an exhaust hood you have, the greater the need for using a makeup air unit. It is not actually about how powerful your range hood is, what really matters is whether the space in your restaurant or kitchen is adequately ventilated.
If your kitchen does not have plenty of moving air, a makeup air unit is ideal for improving ventilation in a drastic manner. Once installed, the unit will pull in an ample amount of clean and fresh air as the exhaust hood removes the hot, grease-contaminated air from the kitchen. The vent hood gathers the cooking exhaust and propels it through the ducting outside your facility. If your exhaust hood runs for several hours at a time, thE contaminated air will be continuously removed from the kitchen. This, in turn, creates a need to have more fresh air from outside in order to fill in the amount of lost air. You may need to use a makeup air unit even as per what the building code in your area requires.
For detailed information in this regard, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our exhaust hood specialists at the Hood Builder.
What the Makeup Air Unit Includes
Also referred to as a makeup air hood, the unit or kit has a range hood damper and air pressure sensor as its key components. Each of these is there to perform a specific function. Our HVAC technicians have a sound knowledge of all kinds of makeup air units and how they work.
The makeup air unit is attached to the ductwork of the range hood. It has a pressure switch that tells the exhaust hood damper when to get active and pull in fresh and clean air into the facility. The role of the air pressure sensor is to control and maintain proper airflow into the kitchen. Once the device has been correctly installed, you will have quality air balance and flow. Proper ventilation will improve the quality of indoor air and create a healthy and safe environment.
Get in Touch for High Quality Makeup Air Unit
Made of stainless steel, our makeup air hoods are highly proficient in the removal of smoke, odor, and grease and fill the lost air with clean and fresh air from outside the commercial facility. Once you have our makeup air kit in your commercial kitchen, you can forget about negative air pressure. Each of our makeup air units is designed with 430 stainless steel, polished to a pristine shine. Additionally, our products are open drip-proof, and weather-proof. For commercial kitchens, restaurants, cafeterias, and dining facilities, this makeup unit is ideal in terms of functionality, design, and longevity. At Hood Builder, we provide makeup air systems in various capacities starting from 2000 CFM to 5,500 CFM.
To find out more about our makeup air units and their features, give our office in Denver, CO, a phone call or write us an email.
We’ve got you covered. Hood Builder is a leading distribution, fabrication, and installation company for food facilities of any size. We have offices and plants across the United States that are ready to tend to your needs.
If you intend on receiving quotes from other installers in the industry, please be sure to compare the items included in the package in addition to price and reputation. Our objective is to always be your obvious choice. Please fill out the form below and and we will prepare a quote.
For a Full and Fast price Quote, Contact Hood Builder today at 303-777-7720.
