Running a restaurant or commercial kitchen can sometimes be a grueling task. From the actual kitchen and food aspect of the business to handling the financial aspects of running a business, it can be hard to find ways to keep costs down. To help keep costs down business owners will often find cheaper replacements for temporary items that need to be replaced every few months, and one item we see in particular that gets added to the cheap replacement list are exhaust hood filters. While it may seem like an easy choice just to throw a cheap filter on your exhaust unit it could actually wind up costing you more money in the end.

What you get when you buy a cheap exhaust hood filter is poor quality. But why is this significant? If your hood filter does not properly do it’s job you could be putting your kitchen, staff, and equipment at risk. One of the main features of hood filters is preventing kitchen fires. Kitchen fires typically originate under the exhaust hood, and hood filters help to prevent a fire or a spark from being pulled through the exhaust system. A quality hood filter will be properly tested to stop grease fires from spreading, and as well as preventing sparks from igniting any grease buildup that may be within your system’s ductwork. If you are using a cheap hood filter you are put at risk on several fronts. A cheap hood filter may not be properly keeping grease from forming in your ductwork which puts you at a huge fire risk. If the cheap filter doesn’t keep out a potential fire or spark from beneath the unit from getting to that grease buildup you, your kitchen, your staff, and the building could all be at risk for a fast moving fire.

Quality exhaust hood filters are put through extensive testing to ensure they are up to par to dealing with potential fires, but they are also tested to ensure that they are sufficiently cleaning the air. Quality hood filters do a better job at catching smoke, grease, odors, and other compounds and chemicals that are released in your kitchen. A cheap air filter will not clean the air as well as a high quality air filter, not only producing poor air quality but leaving behind grease, dust, and other debris on your kitchen surfaces. These build ups can lead to cleanliness issues, as well as potential accidents from risk of fire to even employees slipping on grease buildup.

Kitchen appliance maintenance and replacement parts are not the most glamorous part of owning or operating a restaurant or a commercial kitchen, however it should not be overlooked. Regular replacement of exhaust hood air filters will help keep your restaurant or kitchen clean, safe, and operational. HoodMart provides our customers with a wide range of exhaust hood systems - from Compensating (Short Cycle) to Perforated Supply Plenum PSP - as well as all exhaust hood accessories such as no weld Grease Duct, hood filters, canopy hood lights, and curbs. If you still have questions regarding the purchase of your hood system, please feel free to contact one of our experts today by calling us at 1.800.715.1014 or by contacting us through our live chat system.