Blog

Many companies offer kitchen exhaust hood cleaning Los Angeles CA. But how do you know which companies are going to do a good job? One way to virtually guarantee you are getting a thorough exhaust hood cleaning that will improve the safety of your commercial kitchen is to always use an IKECA member company.

What is IKECA?

IKECA (International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association) is a trade organization offering certification and continuing education resources for exhaust system cleaning professionals. IKECA member companies employ technicians who have earned IKECA certifications in their areas of expertise by passing written exams on the subject of exhaust system cleaning techniques, codes, and standards.

What Makes IKECA So Great?

Unlike other certification programs, IKECA does not award certifications for life. Instead, IKECA requires all technicians to keep up with advances in the industry in order to maintain their certifications. Technicians must earn “continuing education credits” every 12 to 24 months, depending on the type of certification that they hold. Because IKECA-certified technicians are forced to keep up to date with the latest tools, techniques, and code changes in the industry, you know that when you hire an IKECA-certified technician you will get superior kitchen exhaust hood cleaning Los Angeles CA.

How Often is Cleaning Needed?

The frequency of your exhaust system cleanings will vary based on the volume and types of food prepared in your kitchen. Generally, most restaurants and commercial kitchens require a basic cleaning, consisting of a hand-scraping of the exhaust hood and other prime targets for grease buildup, every 4 to 6 weeks. At Flue Steam, we can utilize a special IKECA comb to measure grease deposits and make sure that you are getting kitchen exhaust hood cleaning Los Angeles CA at the proper intervals. You never want to let grease build up to dangerous levels, so cleaning more often than you think you need to is usually your best bet. Monthly hand-scraping of exhaust hoods and ducts should be supplemented with thorough steam cleanings every few months for maximum effectiveness and safety.

Have you ever seen such a sparkling clean exhaust duct? Maybe your exhaust duct looked this good when your commercial kitchen first opened, but chances are time has taken its toll and now greasy buildup is coating every surface inside your kitchen exhaust system. If you’d like to see your exhaust ducts returned to a clean, like-new condition, just call Flue Steam for a professional kitchen exhaust system steam cleaning.

We Clean Places You Can’t Even See

Some contractors try to get away with just doing a cursory cleaning of your ducts. This means that they focus most of their effort on your exhaust hood and the first few feet of ductwork, because this is where you can actually see whether or not they are doing their job. When you hire Flue Steam, on the other hand, you will get an incredibly thorough cleaning of all parts of your system. This is because we use high-quality steam cleaning equipment to reach every nook and cranny of your duct work and effectively remove all that greasy residue. We recommend getting a steam cleaning every 3 to 6 months, depending on what kinds of foods you cook in your kitchen and how quickly grease builds up.

We Satisfy Inspectors and Insurance Agents

As a licensed exhaust system cleaning contractor, Flue Steam can help you comply with all that red tape related to your fire safety code obligations. We can provide convenient “Certificate of Performance” stickers with the date of service on them, so that after each job you will have proof that you have compiled with your exhaust system cleaning responsibilities. Both code inspectors and insurance agents will be happy to see our stickers because they indicate that your kitchen is cleaner and safer.

Bonus Services

Besides the fact that we deliver sparkling clean ducts, you will enjoy working with Flue Steam because we are true experts in every aspect of kitchen air control and fire suppression. During your cleaning appointment, we will also inspect your exhaust fan for wear and tear and offer to make any necessary repairs.

Four Houston firefighters died fighting a restaurant fire last week in what has been called the deadliest blaze in their department’s 118-year history.

Although the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials believe that the blaze began as a small kitchen fire in the Bhojan Restaurant, which was attached to the Southwest Inn. Shortly after noon on May 31, a restaurant employee ran into the hotel and began telling employees and guests to evacuate. By the time the fire department arrived, the flames had already spread to the hotel, and less than 15 minutes later firefighters were dealing with a “mayday” scenario. Believing there might still be civilians inside the hotel, firefighters courageously entered the building. Soon afterwards, the roof and one wall suffered a sudden and catastrophic collapse, resulting in the tragic deaths of four firefighters and injuries to 13 others.

The Bhojan Restaurant had a history of safety violations, including a recent citation for failing to properly clean grease traps, which was given by city officials in March. Could dirty grease traps have caused this fire?

While officials don’t have all the facts yet, the truth is that dirty grease traps, grease filters, and kitchen exhaust systems can pose a serious fire hazard. All that grease serves as fuel for fires that can ignite inside the exhaust system, where they are extremely difficult to put out and have the potential to spread to other parts of the building. Pair a kitchen blaze with other factors like an older or structurally unsound building, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Restaurant owners and operators can avoid fires in their kitchens by taking proper precautions in accordance with the requirements set up by state and city fire safety codes. Normally, these requirements include getting regular cleanings for grease filters, exhaust hoods, and exhaust systems, as well as installing an automatic fire suppression system and making sure portable fire extinguishers are kept fully charged and easily accessible.

An experienced commercial kitchen air control and fire suppression specialist like Flue Steam could definitely have helped Bhojan Restaurant keep up with grease removal requirements and reduce their overall risk of kitchen fires. Flue Steam’s services are very cost-effective, especially compared to the alternative – any number of lives lost or injuries sustained in a fire is too high a price to pay. It’s not worth saving a few bucks by skimping on your exhaust system cleanings when the consequences could be so dire.

Over time, kitchen exhaust systems can get coated with a flammable, greasy build-up that can pose a significant fire hazard. Just because you are protected by an automatic fire suppression system doesn’t mean that you can ignore grease build-up in the exhaust system! While a fire suppression system discharge will put out a fire, it will also bring activities in your kitchen to a screeching halt, require cleanup and re-inspection, and cost you money. Investing in regular kitchen exhaust system cleaning can help you prevent a fire as well as keep you in compliance with California fire safety codes. Here are some things to consider when choosing your kitchen exhaust system cleaning contractor.

Qualifications

Getting your exhaust system cleaned by a professional is essential. You need a contractor who possesses the necessary state certifications as well as a high level of technical expertise. Flue Steam meets both of these requirements. We can provide you with “Certificate of Performance” stickers which will be accepted by your insurance company and by code inspectors as proof that you are keeping up with your cleaning obligations.

As members of IKECA (International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association), Flue Steam is able to provide highly skilled technicians for your exhaust system cleaning needs. Our technicians have completed various certification courses through IKECA to provide them with the skills and expertise needed to utilize steam cleaning technology to clean your exhaust system from top to bottom.

Effectiveness of Cleaning

When you invest in a kitchen exhaust system cleaning, you obviously want to know you are getting your money’s worth. Try to choose a contractor that will be happy to offer you proof that their service works. For example, a contractor can use a tool called an IKECA Depth Gauge Comb in order to measure grease deposits before and after cleaning. Ideally, the comb should reveal that your grease deposits were at or above the danger level of 0.125” before cleaning, and down to the acceptable level of .002” after cleaning. When you hire a contractor who is able to take these measurements, you will also be able to tell if you need to increase the frequency of your cleanings to deal with rapid grease build-up.

Thoroughness of Cleaning

You also want to make sure that the cleaning is thorough. Some companies will just focus on the exhaust system hood, where grease is the most noticeable and the easiest to clean. Flue Steam can clean every inch of your system because we utilize steam cleaning. We will also clean and inspect roof fans, empty drip cups, and even install extra access panels in order to ensure that you receive the most thorough cleaning possible.

As the owner or operator of a commercial kitchen, you know that there is plenty of red tape to untangle when it comes to keeping your kitchen in compliance with various health and safety codes. Naturally you want to do everything in your power to keep your staff and your customers safe. Complying with the law regarding automatic fire suppression systems will help you achieve this goal.

Initial Set Up and Requirements

Automatic fire suppression systems are designed to detect and extinguish grease fires before they have a chance to spread into the ventilation system and cause serious damage to your kitchen and endanger customers and employees.

Therefore, all of the commercial cooking appliances in your kitchen that may produce greasy vapors must have their own automatic fire suppression nozzle. So for example two deep fryers placed side by side should each have their own nozzle.

In addition to these nozzles that spray an extinguishing agent, the system must be set up with automatic shutoffs for the electrical power and/or gas to the appliance, as well as with visible and audible alarms that will warn employees that the system has been activated and give them time to clear the area. A separate warning tone should begin when the extinguishing agent actually gets released.

Automatic fire suppression systems should also have a manual activation device, located 10 to 20 feet from the exhaust system and close to an exit.

When you trust a certified contractor like Flue Steam to install your automatic fire suppression system, you know that all the little details involved in complying with UL 300 and California state codes will be covered. We have the C-16 license required by the state to install, service, and inspect these systems.

Type of Extinguishing Agent

Different automatic fire suppression systems use different types of extinguishing agents, including carbon dioxide and dry and wet chemicals. For commercial kitchens, however, wet chemicals are often regarded as the best extinguishing agent. Dry chemicals can evaporate too quickly in a grease fire, enabling the grease to potentially reignite.

Inspections

Like any safety system, your automatic fire suppression system needs to be inspected regularly. California requires two inspections per year (one every six months), as well as an inspection after every system discharge. Flue Steam can provide these inspections as well as the paperwork needed to prove to your insurance company and other bodies that you have complied with your obligations and your system is in good working condition.