Routine Hood Cleaning Services Can Prevent Costly Fires in Restaurant Kitchens

August 14, 2007—Denver, Colorado—The owner of a local fire suppression system company that also specializes in hood cleaning services recently discovered a disturbing trend at several restaurants. Out of 20 restaurants and other facilities inspected or serviced by APS-Hoods in June and July, 12 of them had link lines in the fire suppression systems that were clogged with grease or systems that had been put together poorly or didn't meet current codes, said Massoud Farazandeh, chief executive officer of American Professional Systems (APS-Hoods).

Hood plenums and ducts filled with grease are the most common, yet most easily preventable issues, Farazandeh said.

"The maintenance and inspection of fire suppression systems is much more regulated than hood cleaning," he said. "All cities require they be inspected every six months."

Restaurant hood cleaning is not as heavily regulated in Colorado, however. But it's just as important, if not more important than the fire suppression system inspections, Farazandeh said.

“Hood, duct and fan cleaning on a regular basis done by a professional company is the cheapest, easiest and most practical way of preventing grease fires in the commercial kitchen,” he said.

Because of this, hood cleaning services account for a large portion of Farazandeh's business. However, there still are too many restaurants in Denver with fire hazards in their kitchens due to failure to clean and maintain their hood systems, he said.

There are several common problems Farazandeh sees when he inspects fire suppression systems and hood systems. Often, the fusible link line conduits are full of grease. Grease in the conduits can prevent the system from setting off properly in the event of a fire.

Another issue is when the cable doesn’t travel properly to set off the system. The cable is connected to the fusible link line and it sets off the mechanical head system, which discharges fire suppression chemicals in the event of a fire, Farazandeh said.

Electrical interlocking that isn’t in place also can prevent a fire suppression system from working properly. In case of fire, the electrical interlocking starts up the exhaust fan, shuts off the Makeup Air Unit and shuts off electrical appliances, outlets and lights in and under the hood. In some cases, the electrical interlocking shuts off the flow of gas.

"If that is not working properly, it keeps feeding the fire fresh oxygen," Farazandeh said.

Another common problem Farazandeh has seen lately is nozzle caps that are not on and nozzles that are full of grease. If the system goes off and the nozzles are clogged, the fire suppression chemical won’t be discharged properly.

“We usually do one or two system recharges every month due to a fire that was caused by a build-up of grease," Farazandeh said, adding that common locations for this grease are in hoods and filters and in, on or around equipment.

Frazandeh recommends that restaurants contact a reputable fire suppression system company to perform routine hood cleaning services to prevent kitchen fires. If you would like to learn more about hood cleaning services and additional services APS-Hoods provides, please call (303) 639-9399. Or visit their web site: www.aps-hoods.com.

About APS-Hoods
APS-Hoods is a full-service restaurant fire protection business that installs, services, repairs and performs routine inspections and cleaning for hood and fire suppression systems. Founded by Chief Executive Officer Massoud Farazandeh in 1989, APS-Hoods has grown into a national leader in hood cleaning and fire protection for restaurants and facilities. APS provides superior service, a quality guarantee and maintains a highly qualified and dependable staff. All crew members are professionally trained to comply with the National Fire Prevention Association Standards and state and local codes. APS-Hoods is fully insured and bonded. They are licensed in the mechanical and electrical fields, as well as fire protection contracting. APH-Hoods is affiliated with the National Fire Protection Agency and the Colorado Division of Fire Safety Fire Suppression Program.
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