Cleaning and inspection of your commercial kitchen exhaust system at regular intervals is required by the International Fire Code and the NFPA 96. The immediate cooking area should be properly maintained on a regular basis by the restaurant owner and staff such as the cleaning of the back splash, the canopy of the range hood, and the required cleaning if the filters.
The cleaning interval of the baffle filters that is sometimes overlooked. Although the kitchen exhaust system beyond the immediate cooking area must be completed by a trained and certified company, baffler filters are something that should be maintained weekly or even daily by the the restaurant.
NFPA 96 Fire Codes for Hood Grease Filters
- 6.1 Grease Removal Devices
- 6.1.1 – Listed grease filters, listed baffles, or other listed grease removal devices for use with commercial cooking equipment shall be provided
- 6.1.2 – Listed grease filters and grease removal devices that are removable but not an integral component of a specific listed exhaust hood shall be listed in accordance with UL 1046
- 6.1.3 – Mesh filters shall not be used unless evaluated as an integral part of a listed exhaust hood or listed in conjunction with a primary filter in accordance with UL 1046
- 6.2.3.1 – Grease filters shall be listed and constructed of steel or listed equivalent material.
- 6.2.3.2 – Grease filters shall be of rigid construction that will not distort or crush under normal operation, handling, and cleaning conditions
- 6.2.3.3 – Grease filters shall be arranged so that all exhaust air passes through the grease filters.
- 6.2.3.4 – Grease filters shall be easily accessible and removable for cleaning.
- 6.2.3.5 – Grease filters shall be installed at an angle not less than 45 degrees from the horizontal
