Range hoods are required in restaurants, food joints, hotels, and other business establishments serving food to customers. Food and health regulatory boards require such kitchen appliance to be up and running in good condition to ensure that operations are smooth and at par with local standards. Operations must also pass fire and safety codes, thus the importance of well-maintained and good quality commercial equipment. But, what are range hoods for anyway?
Range hoods have vent fans that are used to pull in smokes, grease, oil, steam, and odor into the hood to keep the air clean and odor-free. All the grease, oil, and smoke released when cooking can fill the air, stick to cabinets, kitchenwares, and any other item in the area including people. The smoke can be a hazard to people and the environment. This can easily be managed and removed through vent hoods. There are two types of range hoods – the vented hoods and the ductless type. The most efficient and high-performance hood commonly used for commercial use are the vented type. This sucks in smoke and grease into the hood and sends it outside through a duct. The ductless hood, on the other hand, simply filters the air and sends it back to the kitchen, which can be less efficient than the former.
Kitchens at home need range hoods. Restaurants and hotels, on the other hand, need higher-grade equipment for heavy duty cooking and food preparation. If you are planning to put up a new restaurant, always go for commercial-grade vent hoods that have the sufficient capacity to match everyday cooking. The downside, however, is that the more powerful vent hoods tend to emit more sound or noise when it runs. This can be inconvenient when you want to cook and prepare food in a good environment. And most range hoods become noisier after years of use without proper maintenance. But you can always go for more expensive brands if you have the budget to spend on a range hood with less noise.
Next to consider is the CFM or the cubic feet per minute capacity of the range hood. The higher the CFM, the better it performs in terms of pulling in smokes and grease during cooking. This is related to the heat output of your stove, burners, and boilers in the kitchen. The higher the heat output, the higher the CFM required. You can check the total wattage of all your burners, boilers, and other cooking appliances. Multiply this by 3.5 then divide by 100 to get the CFM. This will help you select the most suitable range hood for your kitchen based on CFM.
Always check your fire and safety codes to see whether you are abiding by those codes and using the required equipment. You can get help from professionals in selecting the range hood and installing it as well. Wall-type designs are common in commercial kitchens, and professional installers can do the job for you. Some would even offer to do regular maintenance and provide recommendations on how to properly maintain and use the equipment. You can check
www.getprice.com.au for more info on what type, size, and brand to buy.