Exhaust hood systems are installed in restaurants to improve air quality both in the kitchen and the dining area. Since a commercial kitchen generates a great deal of heat, smoke and grease, it is extremely important to remove these from the indoor area to improve the quality of air. That is exactly why you need to outfit your facility with a restaurant hood system. Proper ventilation is key to providing a safe, healthy and comfortable atmosphere to kitchen workers and guests. In order to keep your hood systems functioning with maximum efficiency, it is essential to make sure the systems are up-to-date at all times. What is more important is to know when it’s actually time to upgrade a restaurant hood system.
Many different types of problems may arise with a hood system over time. Many of these will be minor and go away with proper hood exhaust cleaning and hood repair by trained professionals. However, there are some problems that you should take as identification signs and understand that it is time for your restaurant hood system to get an upgrade without any delay.
In this article, we will discuss how you can find out if it is time to upgrade the exhaust hood system in your facility. At Hood Builder in Denver, CO, we like to educate clients to help them make the right decisions.
What is a Restaurant Exhaust Hood System?
A restaurant exhaust hood system is a device that is installed over the cooking station to pull out contaminated air and ventilate the kitchen area as well as the dining area. The purpose of installing these vent hoods is to improve the indoor quality and provide kitchen workers with a safe and comfortable environment. A commercial kitchen exhaust hood is known by various names such as vent hood, range hood and kitchen hood among others. An exhaust hood system should always be designed and installed in a proper manner for the best results.
The exhaust can either be installed on the ceiling or on the walls, based on the exact requirements. But it is always the best practice to install the hoods exactly over the cooking appliances in the kitchen.
When you run a large commercial kitchen, it becomes essential to adhere to all the local, state and federal regulations. In Particular, you need to follow the building codes and the fire safety codes of your area. Proper ventilation is an essential requirement for every restaurant and commercial kitchen, and without it your employees and diners and visitors can never be safe.
Common Problems with Kitchen Hoods
When you have an exhaust hood system installed in your commercial kitchen, it is crucial to give it proper maintenance. After the range hood installation, you should actually create a schedule for the maintenance and cleaning of the system in a timely manner to avoid issues.
Timely hood exhaust cleaning and hood repair will keep your ventilation system in an excellent condition for a long time. Minor issues will go away with troubleshooting and repair. However, there are some problems that will occur frequently and will not go away completely. These hood problems are warning signs that your kitchen exhaust hood system requires an upgrade. Given below are some of these problems to help you identify that it is time for an upgrade.
Frequent Hood System Breakdowns
One of the most common exhaust hood problems in system breakdown. Whenever there is a breakdown, you should always seek the help of professionals to get the system running back again. But what if these breakdowns occur on a frequent basis? Frequent kitchen hood system breakdowns are a warning sign that the system is due for an upgrade. However, many restaurant owners continue to neglect these problems and repeatedly get some parts fixed.
If your system is in need of an upgrade or replacement, fixing some of its components will not solve the problem. When there is a need for replacement, repairing a couple of parts is never the route to take.
Repairs and upgrades are two different things. When it is time for your range hood system to get an upgrade, quick fixes will not help you much. Most of all, the energy bills will continue to increase until an upgrade. If your kitchen hood system has become old and worn out, it should be replaced. Today, you have highly advanced hood systems to facilitate kitchen ventilation like never before. Plus, these systems come along with better and improved safety features.
For more details about modern exhaust hood systems and the upgrade procedure, reach out to Hood Builder in Denver, CO.
Negative Air Pressure
Building of negative air pressure in the kitchen is a problem that is often ignored. While it is crucial to remove contaminated air from the kitchen, it is equally important to fill up the area with fresh air. If the amount of air removed and the air pulled in are not equal, negative air pressure will build inside.
As a result of negative air pressure, many different types of issues will arise in your kitchen and restaurant. For example, negative air pressure will make it hard for the doors to open. This, in turn, will make things difficult for the kitchen workers. The unbalance in the indoor air will also ultimately take its toll on the functioning of the exhaust hood system. This can deteriorate the indoor air quality and create safety and health issues for the employees as well as those in the dining area. That is exactly why you should never ignore this problem and call in trained professionals from a reputed company to fix it as quickly as possible.
When the makeup air fan fails to do its job, it should be time to give your commercial kitchen hood system an upgrade. If you have a question about upgrades, reach out to one of our experts at Hood Builder.
Physical Damage to Hood System Components
One of the most common problems that should be taken as a warning sign for upgrade is physical damage to the various components of the exhaust hood system. The range hood system is made up of a vent hood, air unit, exhaust fans etc. If any of these components is worn out or damaged, you should give it immediate attention and get it repaired by an experienced technician.
While physical damage is common, you should never try to fix the problem yourself. You may think that you can do it. But you can actually cause more damage to the affected component as well as other components. DIY methods can backfire and it can have a very adverse effect on the system. The best idea is to get in touch with trained and skilled technicians to do the job. An experienced technician will first assess the type and extent of damage. The technician will repair the damaged part, if a repair is possible. In case repair will not fix the problem, the technician will go for a replacement of the worn out parts and give the system an upgrade.
If you have spotted a physical damage in your kitchen hood system, get an inspection done quickly. The technician will carry out an inspection and tell you exactly which parts are damaged and need replacement.
High Energy Bills
When running a restaurant or any other commercial facility, the owner always strives to keep the energy costs down. If you are seeing too high energy bills, you should take this as a warning and take the necessary steps to reduce your energy consumption so as to increase your business bottomline.
When you have installed an exhaust hood system in your facility, these machines will definitely consume energy. But if the cost of energy continues to increase month after month, you should first find out which machines are actually consuming the highest quantity of energy, including the range hood system in particular. High energy bills could be because of other machines that run on energy or it could be the components inside your kitchen hood system. To examine the possible reasons, you should seek the help of a trained professional. You should never try to perform such complicated tasks on your own, or else you can worsen the problem even more. It should always be done by someone with adequate expertise and skills.
A trained professional will first ask you when was the last time you got hood exhaust cleaning done. Then, he will conduct a thorough inspection of the entire system including the exhaust hood fan, grease filters, HVAC make up air, the air conditioning unit and other components.
After the inspection is complete, the technician will determine the best route to fix the problem with your hood system. Many times, the culprit is greasy deposits in the range hoods. If your kitchen hood system was not given proper cleaning in a timely manner, it may be too late to do that now. So, the technician might recommend an upgrade of the exhaust hood system in your kitchen.
Which Exhaust Hood System is Best for Your Commercial Kitchen?
Selecting the right restaurant hood system is a lot more difficult than choosing the cooking appliances for a commercial kitchen. One major thing you should always keep in mind is that the hood system you invest in should be a great match for the day-to-day operational needs of your kitchen.
All kitchen range hoods systems are not the same. You need to install a hood system based on the building codes in your area. For example, if you use heavy-duty cooking appliances that generate a great deal of heat and smoke, you will need to install a hood system with a fire suppression system. Apart from adhering to the building codes, you should also need to give your exhaust hoods proper maintenance on a regular basis. Removal of heat, smoke and grease is essential for the smooth functioning of your restaurant and commercial kitchen. Grease deposits in the hoods pose a potential fire hazard that must be eliminated at all cost.
When it comes to choosing and installing a commercial kitchen exhaust hood system, you should follow these tips:
- Type 1 or Type 2
- Exhaust rate
- Hood design
- Hood size
- Mounting height
- Ventilation design
- Hood accessories
There are plenty of technicalities involved in purchasing an exhaust hood system for a large commercial kitchen. Before you start looking, you should first know your specific needs and have some basic knowledge about hood systems. If you want to upgrade your existing exhaust hood system, the best advice is to turn to a hood design expert. A trained professional will assess your day-to-day needs and then recommend the most ideal type of range hood system for your facility. You will need customized design to fulfill your exact ventilation needs. It is crucial to invest in the right type of hood system in order to run your restaurant without any kind of hassles or issues. You simply cannot afford to make a wrong choice.
Designing and installing the right commercial kitchen hood system involves a lot of expert planning. That is exactly why you should always work with a restaurant kitchen design company who has specialization in this job. If you live in Denver, CO, you should head straight to Hood Builder that provides restaurant services, fire protection system, hood design and installation.
Does Your Exhaust Hood System Need an Upgrade?
If your commercial kitchen exhaust hood system is due for an upgrade, you cannot avoid it with repeated repairs. The sooner you get the necessary replacements done, the better it is for your restaurant. At Hood Builder in Denver, CO, we specialize in the design and installation of a wide range of hood systems for restaurants, commercial kitchens, cafeterias, cooking facilities etc. In addition to this, we provide restaurant hood cleaning, hood repair, fire restoration, fire protection installation, HVAC installation, HVAC balancing, construction services etc.
For your free consultation, you should give our Denver office a phone call or write to us an email using the contact form.