How Often Should Kitchen Exhaust Systems be Cleaned?

In North America, kitchen exhaust systems must be in compliance with NFPA 96 (National Fire Protection Association Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations). According to NFPA 96, the following schedule shall be followed:

NFPA 96-11.4 Exhaust System Inspection Schedule

Solid fuel cooking operations--Monthly

High-volume cooking operations--Quarterly
24-Hour Cooking, Charbroiling, Wok Cooking

Moderate-volume cooking operations--Semi-Annually

Low-volume cooking operations--Annually
churches, day-camps, seasonal businesses, senior centers

Keep in mind that NFPA 96 requires the COMPLETE system to be cleaned, not just the visible areas. More often than not when we clean a restaurant for the first time, we find that the areas that are not visible or hard to reach have been neglected for years! Maritime Hydro Shine ALWAYS takes before and after pictures of the ENTIRE exhaust system they clean. Our customers can rest assured that we do the entire job.