It depends. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) 96 Standard requires your kitchen exhaust system be professionally cleaned between once per month and once per year depending on the volume of food cooked, the type of food served, and the type of fuel used.

• Light use (2-6 hours/day) Per year
• Moderate use (6-12 hours/day) Every 6 months
• Heavy use (12-16 hours/day) Every 3 months

Anax Engineering technicians can be scheduled for any time of day or night from Sunday to Friday morning based on your kitchen, building, and neighborhood schedule. Rush cleaning and Saturday cleaning are also possible depending on technician availability. Most private sector customers find that cleaning after their kitchen closes for the night or a few hours before their kitchen opens for lunch or dinner to be the most convenient. Government and school system customers tend to prefer Sundays and holidays. If noise is a concern, please notify Anax Engineering so that we can use our quieter electric machines instead of our more powerful but noisier gas machines. Anax Engineering is ready to meet your scheduling needs in any situation.

NFPA 96 states that access panels (also known as cleanouts) should be located every 3,5m of horizontal duct work and at every 90 degree turn in the duct work. International Mechanical Code and International Fire Code state that access panels on straight horizontal duct work shall not be more than 6 meter apart. HADPRO follows NFPA 96 code as it is the more stringent requirement (every 3,5m  instead of every 6m) and is guaranteed to satisfy all fire marshals, insurance inspectors, and other relevant authorities.

First, tape is used to cover electrical outlets and sheet plastic is used to cover all cooking services and equipment in the immediate vicinity of the hood. This protects these surfaces from grease water spray back and chemical spraying during service.

Next, the hood’s filters are removed for separate cleaning and sheet plastic is attached to the hood to create a funnel system that channels grease water into large trash cans. Smaller hoods may only need one trash can, while medium or large hoods may require 2 or more funnels and an equal number of trash cans.

Then, Anax Engineering applies a chemical degreaser to the hood, allows it to soak into the grease for a couple of minutes, and pressure washes the grease and chemical off the steel surface of the hood. This process is repeated as necessary depending on how heavy the grease buildup is. If necessary, technicians will also use a spatula to clean out grease troughs and other areas that are not easily accessible with a pressure washer.

When the hood (and the rest of the system) has been cleaned to bare steel, the plastic is removed, and the technician cleans any spots that were missed by the pressure washer by hand using a towel with chemical degreaser or a spatula. Finally, the hoods are polished to a high shine using a stainless steel polish, and the floors are mopped clean.

Fan cleaning technique varies according to the type of fan installed at the facility. Anax Engineering technicians are trained to clean all fan types, such as upblast fans, in-line fans, utility set fans, etc. In cleaning a fan, technicians always clean the entire accessible portion of the fan, as well as the duct work below the fan or feeding into the fan. Chemical degreasing, pressure washing, and magnetic scraping are all used according to the fan type, amount of grease buildup, fan condition, and the technician’s discretion.