4 Commercial Kitchen Ventilation Regulations and Practices

While you should always check with official national and local fire codes, we’ve compiled a few answers for frequently asked questions to help you understand what to pay attention to when it comes to your kitchen ventilation.

1. The right exhaust hood

There are 5 things to consider when selecting your hood.

1. Select Type 1 or Type 2 exhausts based on what you will be cooking. A Type 1 exhaust hood is for cooking that creates smoke or grease like grilling, broiling or frying. Type 2 is for heat and moisture like baking or steaming.
2. Calculate the exhaust rate you need based on what types of foods you’re working with and how you’re cooking them.
3. Based on exhaust rate and volume select a hood design that best suits your needs.
4. Physical size and mounting height should be determined based on the capture zone required.
5. Ventilation design and how your ducts run to the outside have a big impact on your needs. Ducts with longer runs that aren’t straight may require a higher exhaust rate.

2. Self-circulating hoods and grease extractors

Venting to the outside can be difficult, especially if your commercial kitchen is in an older, large building, but it is necessary. Self-circulating solutions aren’t generally safe for commercial kitchens and most states won’t allow it. Consult an engineer if this is a problem for you.

3. Kitchen layout requirements

To maximize on the abilities of your exhaust hoods keep these things in mind:
1. Cooking equipment is best placed far back against a wall.
2. Wall-mounted hoods traditionally work better than overhead options.
3. Placing exhausts directly over cooking appliances help.
4. Mounting hoods as low as possible with easy access also optimizes their performance.

4. Makeup Air

The air quality of active kitchens can be tough to maintain when you have so much air to be exhausted. Investing in a Make Up air unit is usually necessary to allow your HVAC system to keep up. Another solution to this is to integrate your restaurant’s kitchen ventilation with the building’s HVAC system. If that’s something you would like to do, we’re here to help in the Maryland, DC, Northern Virginia, Richmond, Tidewater, and Delaware areas.

Contact Quick Servant for Kitchen Air Conditioning Service

Call us at (888) 123-4567 or click here to schedule an appointment today.