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Make 2018 Easier with Commercial Kitchen Exhaust System Cleaning Services from Flue Steam Inc.

January 6, 2018

Make 2018 Easier with Commercial Kitchen Exhaust System Cleaning Services from Flue Steam Inc.

How did 2017 go in your commercial kitchen? Did you always feel like you were like a chicken with its head cut off, running around like crazy? Did you frequently get stressed out with so many items on your To Do list every single day? Then it’s time to take a deep breath, step back, and start brainstorming ways to make 2018 easier.

Here’s an idea! Sign up for commercial kitchen exhaust system cleaning services from Flue Steam. You won’t ever have to worry about keeping your exhaust system up to code. You also won’t have to stress out about making sure no flash fires occur in your commercial kitchen with routine cleaning services from Flue Steam.

How it works

There are 2 ways in which we’ll clean your commercial kitchen’s exhaust system. Both ways are effective in eliminating grease and dramatically decreasing your risk of a flash fire. Our technicians clean commercial kitchen exhaust systems by hand scraping and steam cleaning methods. Many other companies just focus on cleaning your range hood, but our technicians strive to reach every single inch of your commercial kitchen exhaust system. Our technician will start by cleaning the hood, then also clean the exhaust ducts, drip cups, and exhaust fans. If you don’t have access panels on your exhaust system, we’ll be happy to install them for you according to code requirements.

Flue Steam technicians use the following methods to clean exhaust systems in commercial kitchens:

Hand scraping is a simple and affordable way of cleaning your exhaust system. The technician will remove grease deposits from all accessible areas. We recommend signing up for hand scraping services from Flue Steam once a month. If your commercial kitchen utilizes lots of oil by frying and broiling food, you may require more frequent cleaning.

Steam cleaning is a more expensive method for cleaning your exhaust system, but it’s also more thorough. The technician will utilize hot, high-pressure water to remove grease from every nook and cranny of your exhaust system. We recommend supplementing hand scraping with steam cleaning services 2-4 times per year.

Certificates of Performance

After each cleaning, we provide “Certificate of Performance” stickers which not only keep code inspectors totally satisfied, they can also help you save money on insurance bills.

Bonus services

The safety of your commercial kitchen is important to us! As a result, every regularly scheduled cleaning of your exhaust system will include an exhaust fan inspection. Our technician will also check the belts and other parts of your exhaust system and grease your fan bearings. If a belt has become worn out and you have a replacement on hand, our technician will be glad to install it at no additional charge. We want to make sure your exhaust fan is doing its job so that your entire system will stay cleaner longer.

Ready to schedule exhaust system cleaning services for your commercial kitchen? Just call us at 800-700-FLUE or email contact@fluesteam.com.

Are Your Automatic Fire Suppression Systems in Good Working Order?

December 23, 2017

Are Your Automatic Fire Suppression Systems in Good Working Order?

Do you own or manage a commercial kitchen? Then you know that you always have to been on top of all the government rules and regulations so your staff and equipment stay safe. One essential way to keep your commercial kitchen compliant with the laws is to enlist the expertise of Flue Steam. We’ll make sure your automatic fire suppressions are always in good working order and always in compliance with all local, state, and federal laws.

Importance of your automatic fire suppression systems

Commercial kitchens always must have automatic fire suppression systems in good working order to maintain the safety of employees, patrons, and to protect equipment from fire damage. Commercial automatic fire suppression systems are specially designed to detect and extinguish grease fires before they can spread into the ventilation system. If a fire is allowed to spread into the ventilation system, significant damage can result, and you may endanger your customers and employees’ safety.

As a result, all commercial cooking appliances that could produce greasy vapors much have their own fire suppression nozzle. Even if cooking appliances are side-by-side, each one should have its own fire suppression nozzle. Each nozzle sprays an extinguishing agent and has an automatic shutoff for the electrical power and/or gas for the appliance. The system also has visible and audible alarms that provide warnings when the system has been activated so people can clear the area. A separate warning tone should begin when the extinguishing agent is actually released as well.

In addition to these components, automatic fire suppression systems include a manual activation device, which is located 10-20 feet from the exhaust system, close to an exit.

Worried about keeping up with your automatic fire suppression systems?

It’s clear that automatic fire suppression systems are essential for the safety of your commercial kitchen, and keeping them in proper working order should be a top priority. But as an owner or manager of a commercial kitchen, you already have so many pressing tasks on your mind on a daily basis.

That’s why you should enlist the expertise of Flue Steam. We can take care of all your automatic fire suppression systems needs in your commercial kitchen. We’re a certified contractor that’s been serving Southern California for over 55 years. We’ll take care of all of the little details involved in complying with UL 300 and California state codes. We have the C-16 license required by the state to install, service, and inspect these automatic fire suppression systems.

Like any safety system, it’s important to have your automatic fire suppression systems inspected on a regular basis. The state of California requires 2 inspections per year – one every six months – as well as every system discharge. Flue Steam can handle these inspections as well as all the necessary paperwork needed to comply with all necessary laws and to provide your insurance company with proof that your automatic fire suppression systems are in good working condition.

Call Flue Steam at 800-700-FLUE to start working with us today!

How often should grease filters be replaced?

December 15, 2017

How often should grease filters be replaced?Grease filters are an essential part of your commercial kitchen. Grease filters within your kitchen exhaust system serve to reduce the amount of vaporized grease within your exhaust system ducts, where it can cause a flash fire. When your grease filters are clean, they can trap 70-80% of the grease that passes through them. But when grease filters become saturated with grease, they simply don’t work anymore. As a result, grease accumulates in your exhaust system and not only does it operate in an inefficient manner, it’s super dangerous. Dangerous grease accumulates right above your cooking appliances, and your risk of a flash fire increases every day.

Lowering the risk of flash fires in your commercial kitchen

Dramatically reduce your risk of flash fire with regular grease filter replacement and cleaning from Flue Steam. Prevent the damage to your business that would result from a flash fire. If a flash fire occurs in your commercial kitchen, your equipment will become damaged, plus you’ll have to close for awhile to make repairs, so you’ll use valuable revenue. Your bottom line might even be messed up. Make sure this doesn’t happen by signing up for regular grease filter replacement and cleaning services from Flue Steam.

Now to answer the question right at hand. How often should grease filters be replaced?

In most cases, filters should be cleaned or replaced every 2 weeks. However, restaurants that don’t use much grease or oil (restaurants that don’t fry or broil much, or at all) can extend the life of their filters for up to 4 weeks.

It’s easy to sign up for grease filter replacement and cleaning services from Flue Steam. Just call us at 800-700-FLUE and we’ll set up a regular schedule so you’ll always have fresh, clean grease filters on hand. You won’t have to worry about it ever again! One of our technicians will deliver clean filters to your kitchen at preset intervals of your choice (recommended every 2 weeks). The technician will install the new filters for you as well as haul away the old filters for thorough cleaning.

We also offer name brand grease filters for purchase. We carry most sizes of Kason and Flame Guard brand grease filters. Our prices are excellent because we buy grease filters in bulk, so we pass the savings on to you.

Contact us today

We’re here to make your commercial kitchen safer and more efficient. Sign up for our grease filter cleaning and replacement services today, as well as regular kitchen exhaust system cleaning services. We also provide exhaust fan maintenance, automatic fire suppression system, and portable fire extinguisher sales and services. Start your partnership with Flue Steam now by calling 800-700-FLUE.

Find out how we can make your commercial kitchen safer

November 22, 2017

Find out how we can make your commercial kitchen safer

It’s no secret that commercial kitchens can be pretty dangerous. There are so many people working at once, plus there are sharp knives and hot oil to contend with. If you’re not careful, serious accidents can happen. But there are effective ways of preventing accidents and making sure no one gets hurt in your commercial kitchen.

One way to make your commercial kitchen safer is by partnering with Flue Steam. Our mission is to make cooking commercial kitchens safer and more efficient. We offer various services to commercial kitchen to achieve this important goal including:

  • Complete commercial kitchen exhaust system cleaning (including hand scraping and steam cleaning of fans, hoods, and ducts)
  • Grease filter exchange services
  • Exhaust fan maintenance
  • Automatic fire suppression system service
  • Portable fire extinguisher sales and service

Set up exhaust system cleaning services today

One of the most essential steps you must take to make sure your commercial kitchen is safe and protected from the risk of flash fires to sign up for kitchen exhaust system cleaning services on a regular basis. We provide both hand scraping and steam cleaning services for commercial kitchens throughout Southern California. Hand scraping is an effective, affordable way of removing grease deposits in your exhaust system, whereas steam cleaning is a bit more of an investment, but it provides a thorough cleaning. We recommend businesses sign up for hand scraping on a monthly basis and steam cleaning on a quarterly basis. We’ll be happy to discuss your kitchen’s needs and your preferences to set up an ideal cleaning schedule to protect your kitchen well. Call us at 800-700-FLUE or email contact@fluesteam.com to setup cleaning services for your kitchen exhaust system with Flue Steam.

Grease filter exchange services

Having to change the grease filter in your commercial kitchen is cumbersome, time-consuming, and it can be very messy. Skip the hassle by signing up for grease filter exchange services from Flue Steam. A quality technician will deliver fresh, clean filters right to your business at preset intervals of your choice. The technician will install these new filters for you and haul away the old ones for cleaning. This will reduce your risk of fire and free up your staff for other, more interesting tasks. We recommend that most restaurants have their grease filters replaced every 2 weeks. Simply call us at 800-700-FLUE or email us at contact@fluesteam.com to initiate services today.

Exhaust fan maintenance

Since the safety and efficiency of your kitchen is important to us here at Flue Steam, our technician will inspect your exhaust fan every time he or she comes to clean your exhaust system. If your belts are worn out and you have a replacement on hand, our technician will gladly install the new belt for you at no additional charge.

Automatic fire suppression system and portable fire extinguisher sales and services

Because preventing fires in commercial kitchens is our mission, we also provide automatic fire suppression system services and portable fire extinguisher sales and services throughout Southern California. We hope you’ll never need them, but just in case, it’s essential that you call Flue Steam or email contact@fluesteam.com to make sure they’re in solid working condition.

Contact us today and enjoy a safer commercial kitchen tomorrow.

Prevent Flash Fires with Flue Steam Inc.

November 11, 2017

Prevent Flash Fires with Flue Steam Inc.Did you know that the flue is an integral part of your kitchen? That’s because it removes hot exhaust gases that are created when you cook. When food products are heated up during cooking, natural oils and fats become vaporized and are then drawn into your exhaust system. About 70% of this airborne grease will be trapped by the grease filter, but the rest of It passes through that filter and attaches to the walls of the exhaust duct and the blades of the exhaust fan. As time goes on, the grease builds up more and more, and the efficiency of the exhaust system gets worse and worse. Temperatures start to increase, to the grease deposits liquefy. If the grease gets hot enough, a flash fire can occur.

What happens during a flash fire

If the flash fire springs from the grease filters or the area right behind them (the plenum), the automatic fire system will automatically discharge to put the fire out. But if the fire occurs above the automatic fire system’s sensors, then the fire department will have to be called. On average, it takes the fire department about 6 minutes to arrive in a metropolitan area. During those 6 minutes, serious damage to your property can result. You may have to close to make repairs, losing precious income and putting your bottom line at risk.

Flue Cleaning Services from Flue Steam

Dramatically lower your risk of flash fires by partnering with Flue Steam. Our primary focus is on flue cleaning – we offer both hand scraping and steam cleaning services. Hand scraping is the most common method using for flue cleaning because it’s the simplest. It involves physically scraping the accumulation of grease from the walls of an exhaust system. This method is effective but it’s also limited by the technician’s ability to access every inch of the flue. Steam cleaning, on the other hand, is more labor-intensive, but it’s also more thorough. A technician will set up specialized equipment and use high-pressure hot water to reach every inch of your flue.

We recommend that most restaurants have the flue cleaned at least every 3 months, though fast food restaurants and other restaurants that fry and charbroil frequently will need to be cleaned monthly. Plenty of restaurants sign up for monthly hand scraping and steam cleaning every 3 months.

Ready to sign up?

Now is the perfect time to begin your partnership with Flue Steam. Give us a call at 800-700-FLUE. We’ll gladly talk to you about your commercial kitchen and recommend the best plan for optimal safety of your kitchen. We’re on a mission to prevent flash fires throughout Southern California – partner with us today!