If your commercial kitchen is equipped with an exhaust hood ventilation system, there are several accessories necessary to ensure everything runs properly. So much so that some accessories are required by law. Other accessories help make maintenance and cleaning easier, while others help with safety for personnel and maintenance workers. 

If you have an exhaust fan installed in your kitchen you are more than likely familiar, or have at least heard of, the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) fire code and International Mechanical Code (IMC). In a nutshell, the NFPA 96 fire codes require any commercial kitchen running an exhaust fan system to have a grease box, a hinge kit, and an access panel on all of the exhaust fans. The grease box is used to capture fats, oil runoffs, and grease from the fan, and is located under the downspout of a hood system fan. The grease box is required by law due to grease runoffs being an extremely dangerous fire hazard, and grease and oil build up on the roof surface can also put your roof at risk for damage and leaks. Exhaust fan hinges are installed to allow the exhaust fan doors from opening too far, protecting the components of the fan as well as acting as a safety precaution during fan maintenance and cleaning. Hinge kits, in particular, allow for fans to be opened without having to actually remove the fan from its base. If the fan is open the hinge allows for the fan to open on the base and then rest on a plate that is mounted on the fan stack. Locking pins and chains are used to help prevent the fan from opening too far or slamming shut. Lastly are the exhaust fan access panels. NFPA 96 requires for all exhaust fan systems to have a clean out port that is easily accessible, which allows for direct access to fan blades. The direct access to the fan blades allows for full cleaning to occur, and if the fan blades are not fully cleaned it can lead to fans becoming unbalanced as well as causing a fire hazard. 

Aside from the exhaust fan accessories required by law it is highly recommended you consider the purchase of the following in order to make servicing your exhaust fan system a bit easier. Every exhaust system runs off fan belts and bearings so be sure to keep a few fan belts and bearings handy in case of an emergency. Another suggested item is woven ceramic gasket tape. This tape is made from flexible, yet strong, woven ceramic fibers that won’t irritate your skin like regular fiberglass. Both woven ceramic gasket tape and extra belts and bearings could be the difference between your kitchen being shut down for a few hours versus a few minutes. To help make working on the exhaust system even easier you can also implement a safety handle. A safety handle used with a hinge kit allows for maintenance workers to easily open and close a fan lid without the risk of the fan door accidentally closing or slamming shut. 

If you are unsure of what exhaust fan accessories you may need you can contact our support staff at any time. Our expert support staff can help you find the right accessories for your exhaust fan system, and answer any questions you may have regarding your hood system.