WHY VENTILATION IS SO IMPORTANT FOR YOUR COMMERCIAL KITCHEN

When you think about a commercial kitchen you think about high-tech ovens and grills, rows of gas-fired hobs, and busy staff milling around preparing your chosen meal. One thing that can easily be forgotten about, however, is the commercial kitchen ventilation system. This system is in place for many reasons and it’s incredibly important to make sure that the entire ventilation system is serviced and maintained at regular intervals by engineering companies such as NWCE Foodservice Equipment.

COMMERCIAL KITCHEN VENTILATION

Your ventilation system is made up of five separate parts –

• Commercial Hood Unit
• Upblast Exhaust Fan
• Make-Up Air Unit
• Fire Suppression Unit
• Hood Filter Bank

The commercial hood unit is the main part of the ventilation system that you can see. It holds many of the other important components of the ventilation mechanism. It tends to be placed right above the cooking areas, to make sure it’s able to catch as much smoke and dirt as possible.

The upblast exhaust fans are those large silver boxes that you see on the outside of a building and it uses a fan to push out any excess warm air. The fans are also installed with grease filters to help prevent any grease from spilling out of the system.

The clue is in the name when it comes to the make-up air unit. It’s there to replace/make-up for the air and the fumes that are removed from the kitchen. As the contaminated air is removed, this unit replaces it with clean air.

The fire suppression unit is a key requirement of all commercial hoods. If there is any fire, this system kicks into action and puts it out through the use of water or chemical agents.

The hood filter bank stores the grease filter. This filter will then try to catch as much oil and debris as possible before it enters the ventilation system. Keeping this hood clean is key to reducing any build-up and making sure your entire system runs as smoothly as possible.

So now that you understand what commercial kitchen ventilation requires, it’s time to talk about what part the ventilation systems play in the kitchen.

The key thing that a ventilation system is installed for is to ventilate the air. In a hot, sweaty, busy kitchen, the air will constantly be contaminated with different food odors and those odors could potentially make their way into the dining area. A well-installed ventilation system will make sure that the odors will be removed and keep refreshing the air in the kitchen.

It’s also a key piece of equipment when it comes to controlling the temperature and air quality in the kitchen as a whole. It’s incredibly important to keep the air quality as high as possible in the kitchen as preparing and cooking food produces smoke, steam, airborne particles, and odors. All of these things can end up irritate eyes and skin. Long term issues can include respiratory troubles. A commercial kitchen ventilation system will effectively remove all of these particles that will be in the air whilst also helping to control the temperature and make it a pleasant working environment for all kitchen staff.

Having the correct ventilation system will also play a part in reducing energy loss as a whole. The job of a ventilation system is to replace the kitchen air with clean air. So that means that contaminated air is removed through the system and clean air is pumped in. However, this means that hot or cold air that is purposefully added into the kitchen can also be removed by the ventilation systems. However, having a correctly designed commercial kitchen ventilation systems can stop this waste of air and energy by adjusting the amount of air-conditioned or heated air that will be lost through the ventilation.

Whilst your ventilation system plays a key role in removing all grime, dirt, and debris from the air, it’s important to be aware that from time to time the system itself may become contaminated internally. So you need to be aware that the system itself will need a professional cleaning from time to time.

COMMERCIAL KITCHEN VENTILATION CLEANING

To keep your ventilation system running to the best of its capabilities then it’s advised to have a full service and maintenance plan. During a routine maintenance check, engineers like those from NWCE Foodservice Equipment will go through and check every single part of the ventilation system from the hood down to cleaning each and every internal filter.

A regular maintenance plan is there in order to try and catch any issues before they become a larger problem. Prevention is better than cure, and these regular services are in-depth enough to make sure that the ventilation system is working as best it can be.

Ventilation service and maintenance is a key part of the running of a commercial kitchen as a whole. Without a fully functioning ventilation system, your kitchen isn’t a safe environment to work in. Long term exposure to unclear air that could gather in a kitchen could lead to health issues and the build-up of grease and dirt can actually become a very real fire hazard.

If you think that it’s time to book your kitchen and commercial ventilation system in for a service, or if you’d like some more information on different levels of maintenance plans, why not get in touch with NWCE Foodservice Equipment today? They cover the majority of the UK and their engineers are able to work to your kitchens schedule. They’re on hand to make sure that you don’t suffer from any downtime.