2 Common Problems With Restaurant Exhaust and Ventilation Systems

Exhaust hoods are a crucial part of virtually every restaurant's ventilation system. Without exhaust hoods, it would be impossible to regulate the levels of grease, smoke, and steam generated by your restaurant's kitchen. Unfortunately, the huge role played by exhaust hoods means that they are susceptible to developing problems as time goes on.

These problems can affect your restaurant's comfort, functionality, and even safety. For that reason, you must address any exhaust hood issues as soon as possible. If you would like to learn more about the range of possible problems, read on. This article will discuss two frequently encountered problems involving exhaust hoods and other aspects of your restaurant's ventilation system.

By far, the most common complaint regarding restaurant exhaust hoods has to do with excessive amounts of smoke and exhaust inside of the kitchen. This indicates that an exhaust fan that is not drawing air the way it should. Such an issue tends to stem from one of two main causes. The first, and most likely, has to do with the cleanliness of your exhaust hood.

Over time, excessive amounts of grease will build up on top and inside of your exhaust hood's grease filters. This will restrict the flow of exhaust and smoke up into the system. Preventing this issue involves cleaning your exhaust hood and its filters on a regular basis. In some cases, the filters may be lifted out of place, allowing you to clean them in a commercial dishwasher.

A smoky kitchen may also stem from a slow exhaust fan. Simply put, the fan isn't spinning at a great enough speed to suck up all of the exhaust being generated. A technician may be able to eliminate this issue by increasing the number of amps that the motor draws. This, in turn, will increase its speed of rotation. If the fan cannot handle any more amps, it may be necessary to have a larger fan motor installed.

Problems with your kitchen's ventilation system may manifest as temperature increases in other parts of your building. This will be especially noticeable during summer months. Not only will your air conditioning system seem to be working harder, but you may begin to receive comfort complaints from your customers.

This problem stems from negative pressure created by the kitchen exhaust system. This situation arises as the result of an imbalance between the rate of air being sucked out of your kitchen, and the rate at which fresh air is coming in to replace it. A ventilation system contains a special type of duct known as the make-up air duct.

The make-up air duct delivers fresh air to your kitchen via the action of its own special intake fan. An imbalance occurs when this fan ceases to work. The rate of air leaving your kitchen will be much greater than the rate of air entering it. Such a negative differential will affect your entire building, causing it to start pulling air in from outside.

In addition to rising building temperatures, a negative pressure differential may also result in an increase in humidity. Keep your eyes out for any mysterious drips or wet patches, both in your kitchen and in your restaurant's dining area. As you can imagine, serious issues such as mold infestations may ensue if the underlying problem isn't dealt with quickly enough.