Sept. 1, 2008 — DENVER, COLORADO — There are plenty of shows on “do-it-yourself” techniques for everything from retiling a bathroom to installing a new kitchen sink.But when it comes to commercial kitchens, there is no substitute for professional hood, fan and duct cleaning services, said Massoud Farazandeh, general manager of American Professional Services (APS-Hoods), a company that offers California restaurant hood cleaning services.

Farazandeh’s stance is backed up by the International Kitchen Exhaust Hood Cleaning Association, a Maryland-based trade association dedicated to educating its members about safety and cleaning techniques. The association has established stringent standards and practices for contractors engaged in kitchen exhaust cleaning, conducted a variety of educational programs and worked with influential code setting bodies such as the National Fire Protection Association to improve existing codes and regulations, according to its Web site (http://www.ikeca.org/default.htm ).

Even something that sounds as simple as cleaning a filter is not a job for a novice, Farazandeh said. Filters capture grease and other debris and when cleaning them, proper disposal of the effluent washed from the filter is an important consideration.

“Federal law states that none of that wastewater can be put into a public sewer,” said Tim Shaw, executive director of IKEHC. “But the application of that law can vary from state to state.”

City and state guidelines also must be taken into consideration.

“It can vary within a state how this effluent should be disposed of,” Farazandeh said. “Some jurisdictions don’t require permits and licenses for disposal, while others do.”

Many restaurant hood cleaning companies such as APS-Hoods, offer a filter cleaning and replacement service as part of their comprehensive hood cleaning and repair services.

When it comes to overall hood, duct and fan cleaning services, “I wouldn’t recommend that restaurants do it themselves unless they have someone trained and certified to do it,” Shaw said. “It’s a very comprehensive process, a very dirty process and it produces a lot of byproduct that has to be removed.”

That byproduct includes not only grease, but wastewater, detergents and chemicals used in the cleaning process.

The cleaning process also requires that special steps be taken to protect kitchen appliances from the detergents and chemicals used. APS-Hoods uses plastic sheeting to cover up equipment and create a funnel around the hood to direct all of the effluent into 50-gallon buckets. Then it is disposed of properly.

Sometimes Farazandeh has to use suction to remove standing water in duct systems. Suction also comes in handy if water or grease gets under equipment or on floors, or if anything is leaking.

“Basically, you have to make sure you don’t damage anything,” he said. “That’s why it’s such a hard job for people to do themselves.”

A Few Exceptions
There is an exception to the “don’t do it yourself” rule, Shaw said. Some hood manufacturers have parts of hood and exhaust systems that can be serviced by kitchen staff. Restaurants in larger cities that are using UV technology are an example. The manufacturers recommend taking out the UV bulbs and washing them as needed.

“The problem you get into is if the restaurant people aren’t trained, they could damage the equipment,” Shaw said. “A lot of restaurants only want professionals touching the equipment because it’s costly.”

Cleaning Frequency
When it comes to fire hazards in restaurant kitchens, the exhaust system plays an important role. It is vital that these systems are in optimum working condition at all times because they work to remove smoke and grease from the kitchen.

Recommended cleaning schedules vary according to the type of equipment, cooking methods and volume of food cooked, Farazandeh said. However, there are recommendations that restaurant managers and owners can follow to determine how often to have kitchen hoods, ducts and fans professionally cleaned.

Restaurants should be cleaned every six months at a minimum, he said. Restaurants that use deep fat fryers and/or charbroilers should clean these systems every three months at a minimum.

Eating establishments that use smokehouses or wood fires should undergo monthly cleanings at a minimum.

Restaurants that use large amounts of vegetable oils in their cooking processes should go no longer than three months between cleanings. When vegetable oil grease is left to build up, it becomes “glue-like” and removing it is a difficult task.

Learn More
For more information about the professional hood cleaning services provided by APS-Hoods, call (303) 639-9399, or visit the company’s Web site: www.aps-hoods.com.

About APS-Hoods
APS-Hoods is a full-service restaurant fire protection business that installs, services, repairs and performs routine inspections and cleaning for hood and fire suppression systems. Founded by Chief Executive Officer Massoud Farazandeh in 1989, APS-Hoods has grown into a national leader in hood cleaning and fire protection for restaurants and facilities.

APS provides superior service, a quality guarantee and maintains a highly qualified and dependable staff. All crew members are professionally trained to comply with the National Fire Prevention Association Standards and state and local codes.

APS-Hoods is fully insured and bonded. They are licensed in the mechanical and electrical fields, as well as fire protection contracting. APH-Hoods is affiliated with the National Fire Protection Agency and the Colorado Division of Fire Safety Fire Suppression Program.

© 2008 Sinai Marketing and APS-Hoods. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this article is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.
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