Why is my kitchen canopy leaking grease?

Disaster strikes – your commercial kitchen has been booked out for a function, the chef and his staff are in the kitchen over the stoves preparing the banquet when suddenly, all hell breaks loose, literally! Dirty smelly grease and goop starts dripping from the canopy and goes into the pots on the stove! The food is ruined – the event is no more than a few hours from starting, and… – you wake up in a cold sweat, grab your notepad from beside the bed and make a note to call the fat buster experts at Grease Busters first thing in the morning to meet you at your business to set up a kitchen maintenance schedule.

Thankfully this is not a daily event – but it does happen, and sometimes as noted above it can be at the worst time! We do get phone calls from people who have exactly this problem.

We arrive onsite to inspect the canopy culprit and ask the customer about their cleaning program for the kitchen exhaust, canopy, duct and exhaust fan. If no cleaning plan is in place it probably is grease running down and we can get to work inspecting how really grotty the duct and exhaust fan are and advise time and cost involved to get system up to code. Thankfully our services are very reasonably priced and we offer prompt, efficient, guaranteed work.

When kitchen exhaust systems are not inspected, maintained or cleaned regularly, they will have issues with a buildup of oil, grease and other inflammable materials within the duct, filters, gutters, and on the internal surfaces of the Canopy. Exhaust systems that are not properly maintained present a higher risk of a significant fire event. The kitchen exhaust and fan systems cannot be adequately inspected, maintained or cleaned if access to the internal duct surfaces is compromised. AS 1668.2 requires that access panels “large enough to enable cleaning of ducts” are provided in the ductwork at every change in duct direction and at least every 3m for horizontal duct runs. If access cannot be achieved, the duct cannot be cleaned, and this will generate a significant and ongoing fire hazard.

Most Australian states now have legislation in place that requires building owners to maintain fire-safety systems and submit a performance assessment to the relevant authorities each year. Kitchen canopies and associated ductwork are considered fire-safety systems in some states. Owners and operators also have a duty to keep systems clean and safe under work health and safety (WHS) regulations and under the food safety standards for commercial kitchens. AS 1851-2012 outlines a series of minimum inspection, maintenance and record-keeping activities for the fire and smoke-control features of air-handling systems. It includes protocols for kitchen exhaust systems and any associated fire-protection sprinkler systems.

At Grease Busters we can ensure that your business is up to code and stays there. When we have finished cleaning, your system will look new and you will have certified paperwork to prove it.

So, call Grease Busters today and stop the nightmares by knowing that an integral part of your business maintenance is in good hands!