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A kitchen exhaust, flue, range hood, or kitchen hood, as many commercial kitchen owners are aware, is an important piece of equipment that incorporates a mechanical fan. As a consequence of cooking, these machines remove heat, moisture, hazardous gases, airborne grease, steam, and smoke. Although kitchen exhaust is not required by construction rules in all business properties, having one is obviously useful in many circumstances.

However, simply having a kitchen flue is insufficient to make your kitchen safe. It is also necessary to clean your flue. In reality, failure to clean your exhaust on a regular basis has a number of serious concerns.

A higher chance of a fire

The chance of a flash fire is one of the most serious dangers that a greasy kitchen exhaust may offer to your kitchen. Such an occurrence has the potential to harm not just your valuable equipment, but also your whole building and maybe other surrounding structures. Imagine not just the price of damages that your insurer may not cover, but also the danger of a lawsuit if others are wounded if your kitchen catches fire.

Failure of inspection

Kitchen hoods and traps that are filthy are frequently seen as a health hazard and might result in inspection failure. While you may be granted a certain amount of time to correct the violation(s), depending on the severity of the offense, your health department has the right to shut down your business (s). Even if you are granted time to repair a problem such as a dirty kitchen exhaust, the loss of sales and even reputation if others learn of your kitchen inspection failure might be enough to ruin your firm.

Issues with kitchen sanitation

When it comes to sanitation, proper ventilation offered by a kitchen exhaust is critical since it may affect the health of your personnel and consumers. Sanitation difficulties might arise as a result of a dirty kitchen exhaust, including possibly poisonous odors, poor air quality, and undesired grease or condensation pouring onto prepared food, plates, and utensils prior to serving hungry guests.

Employee productivity drops

Your employees’ productivity may suffer as a result of harmful odors, poor air quality, and even heat accumulation from inadequately vented kitchen emissions and heat. Uncomfortable odors, stuffy, dangerous breathing air, and an uncomfortable kitchen temperature can all lead employees to get distracted and perhaps create short- or long-term health risks.

You may face not just a high staff turnover rate and, as a result, irate customers as a result of poor ventilation, but also potential litigation if an employee suffers health effects as a result of working in a poorly ventilated kitchen.

Concerns about environmental safety

Kitchen ventilation systems are intended to effectively evacuate smoke and grease that are harmful to the environment. However, it is your obligation to follow any environmental standards and legislation that apply to you when it comes to the correct cleaning and disposal of grease and other wastes collected by a kitchen exhaust. A professional kitchen flue cleaner can guarantee that these environmental requirements are satisfied, perhaps avoiding a fine from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The latter are obviously not something you want to go through, but they are, thankfully, avoidable. You may benefit from a safer cooking environment by having your industrial kitchen exhaust steam cleaned on a quarterly basis. To schedule your first exhaust cleaning call 800-700-FLUE now!

There are several regulations that must be met in order to open, operate, and maintain a commercial kitchen in California. These include maintaining correct license and certification, adhering to safe food handling practices, passing frequent safety inspections, and keeping appliances and plumbing up to code.

Aside from that, installing fire extinguishers in your commercial cooking area is not only a good idea, but it’s also a legal necessity in California. However, having a fire extinguisher or two in your commercial kitchen isn’t enough; the type, quantity, and location of your extinguishers are all important.

What California Commercial Kitchen Laws Require Fire Extinguishers?

The California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 8, Section 6151, specifies the fire extinguisher standards for California enterprises. Cal OSHA, the California State Fire Marshal, municipal fire marshals, and commercial and corporate liability insurance carriers are among the entities that monitor and enforce these requirements.

Class K fire extinguishers must be safely positioned every 30 feet in commercial kitchens and restaurants. Each extinguisher must be readily accessible at all times and must not be obstructed by furniture or other items. Additionally, all personnel must be instructed on how to use a fire extinguisher and be aware of where they are situated around the facility. Employee training should take place at the time of hire as well as once a year thereafter. Extinguishers should also be examined periodically, and hydrostatic testing should be done on a regular basis.

Are there any consequences if you don’t have fire extinguishers?

Failure to have the required quantity, type, and location of fire extinguishers on your business property may result in heavy fines from OSHA, which can cost thousands of dollars each non-compliant fire extinguisher. If you fail to teach your personnel on fire safety and/or fail to pass yearly inspections/testing, you may face penalties.

It’s vital to follow all rules and standards set by the state of California as well as your city in order to avoid these fines.

In Southern California, you may get a high-quality fire extinguisher supply.

You’ll want to be in compliance not just to keep your commercial restaurant or kitchen running smoothly, but you’ll also want to have excellent, dependable fire extinguishers on hand in case of a flash fire. But how can you know you’re getting high-quality fire extinguishers?

Flue Steam, fortunately, offers a large inventory of different fire extinguishers for companies in Southern California. For more information on how to safeguard your commercial kitchen or restaurant against a tragic fire, contact us today: Flue Steam.

If you’re the manager of a commercial kitchen, you may not realize how critical it is to keep your kitchen exhaust system clean. Because you have so many essential things on your mind at all times, your kitchen exhaust system may go unnoticed. However, your kitchen exhaust system is one of the most important components in keeping your commercial kitchen running smoothly and safely.

Why should you make cleaning your commercial kitchen exhaust system a priority?

However, keeping your kitchen exhaust system clean is critical since a clogged system can pose a fire danger. A kitchen exhaust system’s function is to remove hot air, smells, and vaporized oil that are naturally discharged into the air during the cooking process.

A dirty kitchen exhaust system will not only fail to function properly, but it will also significantly raise the risk of flash fires in your exhaust ducts.

If a fire occurs, the fire department will be summoned, resulting in public shame and a significant disruption to the restaurant’s business day.

Cleaning the commercial kitchen exhaust system yourself?

However, you might be wondering, “Can’t I just take care of my kitchen exhaust cleaning?” Is it truly necessary for me to hire a qualified kitchen exhaust cleaner? Yes, to put it succinctly. Only qualified kitchen exhaust cleaners are equipped with the necessary training and equipment to keep your kitchen exhaust system up to code and fire-free.

Flue Steam is a member of the IKECA (International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association) and is committed to providing high-quality kitchen exhaust cleaning services to commercial kitchens across Southern California.

Kitchen exhaust system cleaners who are certified

For commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning, our cleaners strictly adhere to the NFPA’s (National Fire Protection Association) 96+ rules and requirements. Anywhere in Southern California, we can perform regular hand scraping and steam cleaning services for your industrial kitchen exhaust system.

We’ll schedule a regular visit at a time that’s convenient for you, and you’ll never have to worry about the cleanliness of your kitchen exhaust system again. Flue Steam will take care of everything so you can concentrate on other things!

Find out more about our services right now.

To talk with one of our fire prevention and air control specialists about your commercial kitchen’s needs, call 800-700-FLUE. For almost 50 years, we’ve been serving commercial kitchens in Southern California—isn’t it time you joined our long list of happy customers?

When you join with Flue Steam today, you can cross one item off your to-do list for good: commercial kitchen exhaust system cleaning. You’ll never manage it without it again if you don’t have Flue Steam!

One of your most essential responsibilities as a commercial kitchen manager is to ensure that your kitchen is set up for safe cooking at all times. You don’t want to endanger your kitchen employees or clients by disregarding important safety rules. Furthermore, if a dangerous scenario occurs that damages your kitchen, you will be forced to close for repairs, which will cost your business money. Don’t take a chance!

Establish your cooperation with Flue Steam now to ensure safe cooking in your commercial kitchen in 2017.

Many managers of commercial kitchens in Southern California have successfully partnered with Flue Steam. We’ve been offering superior commercial kitchen air control and fire prevention services in this region for over 50 years, so we’re certain that we have the personnel and knowledge to keep your workers cooking safe. Call us at 800-700-FLUE to get started.

Safety, air quality, and energy efficiency are all factors to consider

Our services will significantly improve the safety of your commercial kitchen. Commercial kitchens may be dangerous places to work if they aren’t properly maintained, but you can rest easy when you collaborate with Flue Steam. Our services also enhance air quality, ensuring that your restaurant or hotel’s workers and guests can always breathe comfortably.

Your commercial kitchen will be more energy efficient as a result of forming a relationship with Flue Steam. A kitchen that is clean and grease-free is more efficient, which lowers utility bills and conserves natural resources.

Our products and services

We provide a variety of services for commercial kitchens in Southern California, including:

• Cleaning of the entire kitchen exhaust system (meticulous hand scraping and steam cleaning of fans, hoods, and ducts)
• Service for changing grease filters
• Upkeep of the swamp cooler
• Service for automatic fire suppression systems
• Sales and service of portable fire extinguishers

When you start working with Flue Steam, you’ll immediately realize how much easier it is to keep your hectic schedule when you don’t have to worry about any of these important duties. We give “Certificate of Performance” badges after every kitchen exhaust system cleaning appointment as confirmation that you have met your code responsibilities. Not only will code inspectors be pleased to hear them, but your insurance premiums may be reduced as well!

Let’s talk

We invite you to contact us now to discuss your commercial kitchen’s requirements and how we can assist you in making your day-to-day operations more efficient. Please contact us at 800-700-FLUE. Every day, we hope to make your commercial kitchen a safer place to cook. When you rely on Flue Steam for all of your commercial kitchen air management and fire prevention needs, you can cook up a storm while staying safe. We’re here to help!

Did you realize that cleaning your commercial kitchen’s flue on a regular basis is extremely essential? In general, a filthy flue and exhaust system may be unsanitary, inefficient, and potentially hazardous. This is because accumulated grease may quickly create a flash fire.

A single strike of a match or a single towel catching fire during the cooking process can cause a devastating flash fire, resulting in a call to the fire department, a major disruption in your operation, and the need to repair your expensive commercial kitchen appliances. Sign up for Flue Steam‘s commercial kitchen exhaust system cleaning services to avoid all of that. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and effort!

How often do you do it?

You might be asking how frequently the flue in your business kitchen should be cleaned to avoid a harmful situation. We recommend signing up for hand scraping services on a monthly basis for most commercial kitchens, and complementing with steam cleaning services 2-4 times a year.

Hand scraping entails scraping all grease deposits in accessible places using a simple, efficient hand scraper. While this approach is effective, steam cleaning, which uses hot, pressured water to reach every crevice of your commercial kitchen exhaust system, is more comprehensive. Steam cleaning necessitates more work at first and is more expensive, but it produces superior results.

Hand scraping services are preferred by most commercial kitchen managers on a weekly or monthly basis, with steam cleaning services augmenting it 2-4 times per year.

How will the flue in my kitchen be accessed?

This is a common inquiry we get from customers who are interested in flue cleaning services. Our flue cleaning specialists will get access to your flue through access panels. The exhaust hood is the most visible, followed by the duct access panels, which will be removed for cleaning and then reinstalled using a special fire-rated caulking compound.

The exhaust fan will be cleaned after that. It features a hinged base and additional electrical wire if it was installed according to fire code standards. For cleaning, our specialists will simply turn it on its side.

Are you concerned about the security of your access panels?

If your flue doesn’t have enough access panels or they’re not in the right position, we’ll gladly install them for you in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations, and materials, as specified by NFPA 96 and the California Mechanical Code.

Obligations under the Code

When you work with Flue Steam, you won’t have to worry about satisfying your exhaust system’s code requirements anymore. We’ll put a “Certificate of Performance” label on your system after each cleaning that shows the date of service, the frequency of service, and whether your system has any inaccessible places. We urge that you preserve this sticker as proof that you’ve followed the code’s requirements.

If you need help with flue cleaning, kitchen fire prevention, and other commercial kitchen needs, contact Flue Steam at 800-700-FLUE for help.