Greensboro Restaurant Hood Cleaning Requirements

Cleaning kitchen equipment might sound simple. However, standards apply for commercial kitchens, whether you use domestic or commercial equipment. Nonadherence to these standards can increase the risk of fire hazards and penalties.

Restaurant hood cleaning requirements differ depending on your kitchen setup and volume of cooking operations. In Greensboro, the most notable standards include the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)’s standards and North Carolina’s State Building Code.

What Is the Code for Cleaning Hoods?

Commercial and restaurant hood cleaning requirements in Greensboro come from:

NFPA 96: NFPA 96, or the Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations, aims to reduce fire hazard risks during cooking operations. It discusses how you can inspect and maintain commercial hoods properly. It also includes other requirements, such as labeling requirements, after inspection and maintenance.
North Carolina State Building Code: Restaurants in Greensboro must comply with the Fire Prevention Code in North Carolina, as outlined in the State Building Code. This code also refers to the requirements from International Mechanical Code (IMC), American National Standards Institute and International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association (IKECA).

Standard requirements get updated regularly, and updates may expand or clarify responsibilities and procedures.

NFPA 96 Cleaning Requirements

Cleaning is essential for maintaining kitchen exhaust systems and cooking equipment. Generally, NFPA 96 requires following the manufacturer’s instructions for inspection and maintenance. The entire exhaust system, including the hood, should be accessible for cleaning. Those inspecting these appliances must undergo training, qualification and certification from relevant authoritative bodies, such as IKECA.

General Cleaning Requirements

Cleaning hoods involves removing grease, oil deposits, creosote and other residue that risk combustion. As an equipment and restaurant owner, you are responsible for the inspection, maintenance and cleaning of your cooking equipment. However, you can also delegate the responsibility to a commercial cooking operator or management firm.

Before cleaning any appliance, you must first lock out the electrical switches that you might accidentally activate. Remember not to use flammable solvents or cleaning aids. Trained and qualified persons cleaning the equipment can work with inoperable fire extinguishing systems. However, fire suppression systems must remain operable.

The qualified personnel should inspect the exhaust system for grease buildup at intervals depending on your cooking operations:

Quarterly for high-volume cooking (24-hour cooking, wok cooking and char broiling)
Semiannually for moderate-volume cooking
Annually for low-volume cooking (cooking at churches, senior centers, day camps and seasonal businesses)

Inspection comes before cleaning. After each inspection, attach an adhesive label to the hood with the following information:

Service date
Personnel’s name
Service provider’s name, address and contact number

Keep the label on the hood until the next inspection or cleaning event. The personnel should also provide you with written reports after each operation — one for inspection and another for cleaning — within two weeks. The reports should include the same label information, plus the following:

Areas with excessive grease that need cleaning
Inaccessible, uninspected areas or inaccessible, uncleaned areas
Accessible, uninspected areas or accessible, uncleaned areas
Duct access panel locations
Leaking access panel locations
Visible leakages from ductwork

Submit the reports as needed to the relevant authorities in your jurisdiction.

Cleaning Requirements for Solid Fuel Cooking and Recirculating Systems

Solid fuel cooking and recirculating systems have specific requirements due to the type of buildup they create and a higher risk of combustion:

Solid fuel cooking operations: Cooking appliances that use solid fuel often work with wood, charcoal and coal, which creates creosote as a by-product. This by-product forms when unburned wood, smoke and water vapor rise and condense into the hood and duct system. It becomes highly flammable when combined with grease. For these operations, you must perform inspections monthly.
Recirculating systems: These systems don’t use ducts for discharges, making filtration essential. Clean filters according to the manufacturer’s instructions. You should clean electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) at least once per week. You should also clean the entire hood plenum and blower section once every three months. Keep a signed and dated maintenance log.

North Carolina State Building Code: Fire Prevention Code Requirements

The commercial kitchen hood cleaning code requirements for Greensboro also include North Carolina’s Fire Prevention Code requirements. The code states that your hood must comply with IMC, indicating that manufacturers should design hoods to allow for thorough cleaning.

Hood inspection involves watching out for grease accumulation. The responsible personnel should include the following in their inspection records:

Name and company
Inspection date
Inspection description

After inspection, they should provide a tag on a conspicuous location, which includes:

Service provider’s name
Address
Contact number
Service date

Cleaning records should also include the personnel and their company’s information, and the cleaning date. Similar to NFPA 96, North Carolina requires cleaning hoods, grease removal devices and other appliances at specific intervals:

Quarterly: High-volume cooking (24-hour cooking, wok cooking and char broili
Annually: Low-volume cooking (cooking at churches, senior centers, day camps and seasonal businesses)
Monthly: Solid fuel cooking
Every six months: All other cooking operations

You can also clean your equipment in intervals approved by a fire code official.

How to Keep up With Cleaning Requirements

Developing a system that accommodates your setup requirements makes the cleaning process smoother. Here are the steps you can take:

Know your hood and setup type: Understanding your hood type and its parts ensures you’re following the correct cleaning schedule and maintenance requirements. For instance, do you use ESPs or solid fuels? These cooking operations require stringent cleaning schedules.
Set a regular maintenance schedule: A qualified person must first inspect your kitchen equipment, including your hoods, before you can perform any cleaning. Make sure you contact the right personnel and that they’re available by the time the inspection is due. The same applies to scheduling cleaning services.
Work with professional cleaning services: Navigating the cleaning requirements on your own can be complex. Mistakes and violations can also increase the risks of fire hazards. As a family-owned business with a team of over 50 years of service experience, ExhaustCLEAN deeply understands the required standards.

Compliance Is Easier With ExhaustCLEAN

Greensboro’s restaurant hood cleaning requirements reflect different standards, such as NFPA 96 and North Carolina’s Fire Prevention Code. They’re generally based on your specific operations and cooking volume. Setups with higher fire hazards come with more stringent requirements. You can easily navigate these cleaning standards with the help of ExhaustCLEAN.

We specialize in exhaust kitchen hood cleaning and can offer the comprehensive service you need. We perform our services at night to ensure your daytime operations remain uninterrupted. You’ll also work a dedicated account manager for effective communication throughout servicing.

If you’re searching for complete restaurant hood cleaning in Greensboro, schedule an appointment today.