More Information on Vent Hoods

At Jean’s Restaurant Supply we strive to inform our customers of the changing legislation that affects the building codes and requirements for restaurants and commercial kitchens throughout the country.  Whether you are opening a completely new restaurant, or commercial kitchen, or simply refurbishing your existing kitchen, Jean’s Restaurant Supply can help!  Deciding on the proper commercial kitchen vent hood system for your business is key to both the short and long term success and profitability of your commercial venture. 

There are many different factors that need to be taken into account when deciding on your new commercial kitchen vent hood system. The first factor to consider is the length of the vent hood you will need. Hopefully you know what type of commercial kitchen equipment will be used under the vent hood system. If not, we at Jean’s Restaurant Supply will be happy to help you decide on the proper commercial kitchen equipment for your unique application. Once you know the dimensions of the commercial kitchen equipment you will be using under your new commercial vent hood system, a Jean’s Restaurant Supply representative can tell you the appropriate commercial kitchen vent hood system for your application. It is important to know what the type of the commercial kitchen equipment is for sizing the commercial vent hood, but if is equally important because that will dictate the CFM, or Cubic Feet per Minute requirements for the commercial kitchen vent hood system. We’ll talk more about that in a little bit.

The second factor to take into account when deciding on your new commercial kitchen vent hood system is whether it will be wall mounted, or what we at Jean’s Restaurant Supply call an “island style” hood. Wall mounted commercial kitchen vent hood systems need to have at minimum a 3 hour burn wall constructed from a sandwich of 5/8ths sheetrock, a thee inch metal stud and 5/8ths sheetrock. The only acceptable alternatives are a concrete block, or brick and mortar wall setup for your commercial kitchen vent hood system. Remember that if this is going to be corner mount situation, where your commercial vent hood will essentially touch two walls, than you will need to have a fire proof wall in both areas.

 At Jean’s Restaurant we have over 30 years of experience installing commercial vent hood systems.  This means that we understand the demanding requirements of your commercial kitchen environment. We have the ability to make the installation of you new commercial vent hood system seamless and painless. We know that being shutdown costs you money and we strive to have your commercial kitchen up and running at full capacity as quickly as possible.

Exhaust System

This hood will require an exhaust fan calculated to match the commercial kitchen equipment you are using.  It is important to match the correct size exhaust fan to your new vent hood, based on the equipment because you will need to exhaust the correct amount of heat, no more no less.  If you are not venting enough exhaust you kitchen and most likely your dining room will be uncomfortable for you cooks and your guests and this WILL cost you business, as well as the efficiency of your employees. No one wants to be uncomfortable when they eat and no one should have to be unnecessarily uncomfortable when they work. If you vent too much exhaust however, you will cost yourself money. Your commercial vent hood will then be exhausting your air-conditioned or heated air, thereby running up you energy bills to the extreme. This brings us to the return air, or make up air system.

Return Air System

Return air systems are designed to save you money by “returning” 80% or of the air you are exhausting through your commercial vent hood back into the building. So instead of exhausting air-conditioned, or heated air you are bringing air into the building to be used for exhaust.  The fact that this air has not been heated, or in most cases cooled provides a significant source of monthly energy savings.  In most of the United States it is now a requirement that all new commercial vent hoods be equipped with a return air system.

Fire Suppression System

All commercial vent hoods sold in the United States require a fire suppression system, or Ansul system. An Ansul system uses their specifically formulated R-102 Liquid Agent System to protect your kitchen from the extreme fire hazards that are associated with commercial kitchens.  The Ansul fire suppression system is configured specifically for your equipment set-up on-site by trained installation technicians. This is not included with this commercial vent hood. To learn more click on this link.