How Often Should hoods be cleaned?

If your grease cups are overflowing, or the filters are dripping with grease you’ve probably waited too long to have your kitchen hood professionally cleaned. I’m not talking just about the visible stainless steel surface of the hood you can see from standing in the kitchen, when talking about kitchen hood cleaning it entails the stainless steel, ductwork, exhaust fans, and filters. There’s more to the hood systems than meets the eye.

The frequency at which hood and exhaust systems shall be cleaned is determined by NFPA 96. For systems serving low-volume cooking operations an inspection to determine the cleaning frequency shall occur annually. Systems serving moderate-volume cooking operations, the most common situation, shall be cleaned on a semiannual basis. Systems serving high-volume cooking operations, such as 24-hour cooking, charbroiling, and wok cooking, shall be cleaned on a quarterly schedule. Any system serving a solid fuel cooking operation shall be cleaned monthly. Typically, the low-volume systems are found in churches, day camps and situations where the cooking is inconsistent. Most restaurants, hotels, bars, assisted living centers, hospitals and event venues fall under the moderate-volume category. Any questions about the frequency of cleaning should be directed to a licensed professional or the Authority Having Jurisdiction (typically the fire marshal).