Hood filters are key components in the kitchen ventilation system, requiring service that can fall under either the responsibility of the hood/duct cleaner, the kitchen staff, or a filter exchange company.
As a service company we have found that over the past decade, properly cleaning hood filters has become more important and more difficult. This is due to the grease extraction efficiency increasing across the styles of filters many manufacturers are using in their current hood system designs. Higher grease extraction efficiency comes at a price. In regards to service, this price is that they are a lot harder to clean.
When hood filters are not cleaned properly, excess grease accumulates between the baffles and three things happen:
1) Exhaust airflow at the hood decreases resulting in lower system performance in regards to smoke and heat capture.
2) The greasy filters become a fire hazard, by suspending pounds of fuel directly above the cooking surfaces. The potential for grease-duct fires is greatly reduced when the fuel source is removed from the hood filters.
3) The filters become noisy, making it difficult to communicate on the cook-line.
Our Advice:
- Assess the current condition of your hood filters. Most importantly: Are the filters being brought back to completely bare metal inside the baffles? It is the less apparent grease on the inside of the filter that causes the most problems. Are your filters getting damaged by the current cleaning process?
- Compare the price of having the filters cleaned onsite with your own staff, verses offsite by a professional company. Keep in mind all costs when making the analysis. This includes labor, utilities, insurance discounts, cleaning products, etc. Most restaurants can get by with only having their filters professionally cleaned once a month.
Kitchen Air Inc’s Method of Hood Filter Exchange:
- Instead of using the traditional method of cycling your filters through a community pool where they are damaged and used in other restaurants as well, we utilize your own secondary set. This spare set is provided at an extremely discounted rate (on average 58% of standard market price). This spare set is securely stored offsite at our local facility. This is the most efficient method, most cost effective long term, and allows you the comfort of knowing that you are always receiving your own filters each time they are cleaned.
- We offer the most competitive pricing on hood filter exchange. Our cost is a flat rate, regardless of size, style or quantity being exchanged.
- Our standard exchange cycle is 1 month. We offer other flexible scheduling based on your hood system’s usage and filter grease loading.
- We never use your filters in any other person’s restaurant.
- We protect your hood filters. We have invested in heavy-duty specialized containers and vehicles to adequately prevent damage, contain grease, and efficiently transport/store your hood filters.
- Our proprietary method of cleaning filters is the most efficient and proficient in the industry. We use a non-caustic solution that does not damage your filters.
CALL US TODAY FOR A QUOTE ON OUR HOOD FILTER EXCHANGE SERVICE! 1.800.524.7352
