Small restaurants and big restaurant alike benefit from a proper kitchen. In order for a kitchen to qualify as well designed and effective, there are a lot of important factors to consider. One of them is the presence of a properly installed exhaust hood, or otherwise known as vent hood, kitchen hood or kitchen ventilation. Despite its importance, some restaurateurs are not entirely sure what to look for when shopping for restaurant exhaust hoods. Here’s a basic guideline that will help you select and install the right one to ensure good air quality in your kitchen.
Restaurant exhaust hoods are important to your patrons, your staff and yourself. Kitchen equipment produces smoke, grease and steam. Exhaust hoods filter out these pollutants and expels replacement air to maintain a good airflow. They also help control the moisture and heat level to prevent bacteria from spreading. In other words, an exhaust hood helps guarantee you are inhaling air that is not hazardous to your health.
What is an exhaust hood?
An exhaust fan typically consists of a hood (canopy), a ductwork and a fan system. There are two major choices of hoods: Type I and Type II. Type I captures heats and deals with grease whereas Type II collects steam, odour, heat and vapour but not grease. Ductwork acts as a middleman between the hood and the fan. It collects flammable grease, which is why it’s important to ensure the entire equipment is fire-proof. Finally it’s the fan that removes polluted air from the vicinity.
Understanding restaurant exhaust hoods
A restaurant exhaust hoods can go against a wall, over one line of equipment or over two lines of equipment that are against each other. The type of hoods differs according to where their installation occurs and how heavy the ‘load’ is. There are tempered hoods, backshelf hoods or exhaust (heat-only) hoods. Those overhanging an oven used to produce non-greasy food items are what many consider to be low load. Dishwashers and fryers, on the other hand, are what many deem high load.
The size of your restaurant exhaust hood depends on the building code. As a recommendation, one should consult their contractors. There are specific measurements at play, which vary according to the size of your kitchen equipment that cooks food sitting directly below the hood. In general, the hood should be at least 6” wider than the equipment it overhangs.
There are a lot more factors to be weighed in when choosing, installing and maintaining exhaust hoods, especially at restaurants where cooking happens throughout the whole day. But whether or not to install a hood remains a resounding yes — it reduces health risks, it is also required of the building code and contributes to a favorable kitchen environment.
By: Natasha Gan
www.Builditbydesign.ca
Contact our Calgary construction location to learn more and to ask about our maintenance services. Moreover, if you want to be economical with your restaurant equipment, check out our article How to save money on restaurant equipment.