Exhaust fan access panels play a crucial role in keeping your commercial kitchen ventilation system properly cleaned and maintained, which is why they are required by NFPA 96. Exhaust fan clean out access panels help you access concealed and hard to reach areas of your fan. The are between most fan bowls and the fan housing leave limited space for a technician to get a pressure washer gun in to clean the fan blades thoroughly. This causes the fan blades in most cases to be unevenly cleaned which can throw the fan off balance and cause damage to the fan bearings.