It is the responsibility of the owner/operator of the kitchen to ensure that a system is fully accessible for cleaning and the responsibility of the exhaust cleaner to advise if there are any parts of the system that are not accessible and could not be cleaned. 

While this can mean many things, we often find many kitchen exhaust systems are not fully accessible to be cleaned.   This can result in years of build up within sections of the exhaust system.  This can cause odor issues and more importantly is a fire hazard.   Many systems have inadequate or unsafe access to the ceiling ducting. Therefore, the canopies may appear clean but a large portion of the system behind the canopies have hazardous build up.  To address this ceiling manholes (or ceiling hatches) need to be installed in the correct location along with duct access panels.  Depending on the ceiling space a suspended platform (or catwalk) may be required to allow workers to clean alongside the duct.  

In general, access panels are required every 3 meters or at every change in duct direction to allow full cleaning access. This is consistent with Australian Standards.  Access panels need to be sufficiently large to allow duct cleaners to reach scrapers and cleaning materials into the duct.  While not specified by Australian Standards, to be practically useful access panels should be at least 375mm by 250mm in size (usually defined as AP2).  The larger the access panel the more effective and thorough the cleaning can be.  One should select the largest possible access panel that can fit into the size of the duct. 

If a site has not had adequate maintenance parts, or all, of the system may need special care to bring them up to standard and good operating condition.  Canopies can get baked and covered with a hard black carbon material.  We can provide carbon removal services to bring them back to their stainless steel or galvanized surface.  Likewise inaccessible duct sections may be filled with many kilograms of grease and other debris that need extended service to remove the flammable material.  Exhaust fans require regular care to ensure fan blades are clean and balanced for optimal air flow.  We can provide deep cleans of fans that have been neglected to improve their operating efficiency and ensure they are not a fire hazard.

Yes, we offer customized solutions to meet the unique needs of your facilities. Each of our State Managers have over 10 years’ experience and will assess your facility, maintenance needs and will work with you to develop a plan that fits your requirements, and we always ensure 100% compliance with industry standards.