Fire Sprinkler System Integration with Kitchen Hood Systems: Enhancing Fire Safety
Cooking operations in a commercial kitchen lead to many kinds of fire hazards. If you operate a food service establishment, it is your utmost responsibility to mitigate the risks for fire from heavy-duty kitchen equipment and appliances. Every year, the NFPA records structure fires in restaurants, cafeteria and community kitchens and other similar facilities. That is why it is mandatory for all kinds of commercial kitchens to install proper fire suppression systems. Unless you enhance fire safety in your facility, your employees and guests will not be safe. Your investment too will be at a high risk of sustaining damage during a fire. Installing a fire sprinkler system is crucial to enhancing fire safety in your commercial kitchen.
But is it important to integrate a fire sprinkler system with the kitchen hood system in your restaurant or cafeteria? This is exactly what we will discuss in this article, so that you are fully aware and informed.
What is a Fire Sprinkler System?
A fire sprinkler system is a crucial component of a commercial building or facility’s fire safety system. It uses a simple but highly effective method to enhance protection against the risk of fire. It consists of a water supply system that provides sufficient pressure and flow rate to a piping system for immediate and effective distribution of water. Fire sprinklers remain connected to the water distribution piping system, to be activated in the case of a fire emergency.
As soon as a fire is detected, the fire sprinkler starts to discharge water in order to control or extinguish the fire.
Today, you will find fire sprinkler systems installed in commercial buildings and facilities all over the world. There are different types of fire sprinkler systems used by commercial establishments including Wet Pipe, Dry Pipe, Deluge and Preaction. Each of these has some features of its own, but the method and the purpose are always the same. Fire sprinkler systems can be automatic or manual. In large buildings, these fire protection systems are activated automatically. Further research is going on to make these systems even more innovative.
Fire Sprinkler Heads – The Main Component of a Fire Sprinkler System
Fire sprinkler heads are specially designed components that make up a fire sprinkler system. Unlike conventional heads, these sprinkler heads are highly efficient at what they are meant to do. Whenever a fire is detected by the system, the fire sprinkler heads begin discharging water in a proper and efficient manner. The heads are designed to release water into the fire. The fire sprinkler head has a plug inside it, made up of a metallic mixture. In some sprinkler heads, there is a small glass bulb in place of a plug. At a relatively low temperature, the plug will melt or the glass bulb will shatter and water will release.
Not all sprinklers get activated at once. Sprinklers installed in the kitchen hood systems operate first and release water into the fire. In this way, the consumption of water comes down in a significant manner.
The Need for Kitchen Hoods
A commercial kitchen can’t operate without exhaust hoods. Kitchen hoods play a very important role by removing heat, smoke, steam, grease and other pollutants from the cooking facility. The hoods are installed to perform two crucial functions: fire safety and working comfort. You will need the help of experts such as those from Nationwide Fire Protection in Denver, CO, for proper installation of the kitchen hoods and fire sprinkler integration with the hoods.
All kitchen hoods are not designed the same. Based on the specific needs of a facility or building, professionals install the most ideal type and size of kitchen hood system in order to minimize the risk of fire.
The installation of commercial kitchen hoods should be carried out in accordance with the relevant codes and regulatory standards. Whether it is the installation of the kitchen hoods or the fire sprinkler system, there are specific code requirements that a facility needs to fulfill in a proper manner.
Integration of Fire Sprinkler System with Exhaust Hoods
Commercial kitchen hoods are typically integrated with an automatic fire safety system to control and extinguish fire. Although there are many other fire protection systems that facilities install, kitchen hood fire suppression is specifically designed to kill the fire at the point of its origin.
The integration of fire protection systems such as fire sprinklers with the kitchen hoods is highly essential, as it protects the entire cooking space from a variety of fire hazards created by heavy-duty kitchen equipment. When the system identifies a risk for fire, it will activate the fire sprinklers. Next, the fire sprinkler heads will start to discharge wet chemical extinguishing agents to control and contain the fire. Here, the role of the exhaust hoods are very important. Upon the detection of a risk for fire, the hoods will cut off the fuel supply to the cooking equipment and appliances to stop the fire. That is why the inspection and maintenance of the entire kitchen hood system is as important as that of the fire sprinkler system itself.
integration of the fire sprinkler system with the kitchen hoods
When it comes to the integration of the fire sprinkler system with the kitchen hoods, code compliance is of utmost importance. The NFPA has some specific guidelines that you will need to follow while setting up and integrating the two systems to enhance safety against various fire hazards.
Professionals are fully well-versed with the entire integration procedure and aware of all the regulatory standards in this regard, particularly NFPA 13 and NFPA 25. You should always rely only on experts for the installation of the fire sprinkler system and the kitchen hoods as well as their integration with each other in a proper manner. In the case of violation of any of the codes, you might face heavy penalties and legal hurdles. You may even be forced to shut down your commercial establishment altogether, if you fail an inspection or violate codes.
Commercial Kitchen Hoods Inspection
Just like you perform the inspection of other systems in your commercial kitchen, you should also conduct proper inspection of the exhaust hoods. You should pay serious attention to its inspection, maintenance and repair. The NFPA 96 is applicable when it comes to the maintenance of the vent hood or ventilation system installed in a facility or building. This is to ensure the protection of the people who work in or visit the property and the property itself.
Now, a question arises as to what is the right frequency for the inspection of commercial kitchen exhaust hoods. It depends on the type of cooking operations you run and your specific needs in this regard.
Monthly
Every commercial facility manager should carry out a basic inspection of the exhaust hoods in the facility. This is actually a general visual inspection, which is conducted by the staff themselves every month in order to find any kind of damage or wear and tear to the hoods. In particular, a basic inspection focusing on checking out if there is grease and clogging anywhere. Plus, the workers take a closer look at the nozzle caps to see if they are in good condition.
If you have a large commercial kitchen with solid fuel cooking operations, you should get a monthly inspection done by professionals. Trained professionals are quite well versed with the entire procedure.
Quarterly
Inspections on a quarterly basis are required for kitchen hoods installed in high volume, 24-hours cooking operations. If you operate a restaurant kitchen that uses char broiling or wok cooking, you will need to get inspections done every once every quarter of a year.
Semi-Annually
At the interval of every six months, you should call in a fire protection specialist to conduct a detailed inspection of your kitchen hood systems and the fire sprinkler system. During the inspection, the professional will use a set of equipment and tools to check out every equipment of the systems installed in your commercial facility or restaurant kitchen. Semi-annually inspections are required for hood systems installed in moderate-volume cooking operations.
Annual
For commercial kitchens with low-volume cooking operations, inspections are conducted on an annual basis. Examples of such facilities include churches, day camps and seasonal food service establishments among others. The hood inspection should be carried out by trained professionals.
So, the answer to “how often your kitchen hoods need to be inspected” varies based on what type and size of system you have. In particular, it depends on the type and volume of cooking operations conducted in your facility. To find out the right frequency of inspection for your own cooking operations, you should consult one of our experts at Nationwide Fire Protection in Denver, CO.
Commercial Exhaust Hood Cleaning
The proper maintenance of the kitchen hoods is important, as they don’t just keep the facility well-ventilated, but they also help reduce the fire hazards and help control fire in case of a fire breakout.
For the fire safety system to work in an efficient manner, it is extremely important for the kitchen hoods to remain clean. Due to the large volume of cooking, the exhaust hoods gather a lot of grease. Over time, the grease deposits increase and become a potential fire hazard in the kitchen. That is why you should develop a proper schedule for the professional cleaning of your entire ventilation hood system. Based on your exact needs, you may need hood cleaning on a weekly, monthly or bi-monthly basis. You may even need to create a daily cleaning schedule, if you operate a commercial kitchen with a high volume cooking operation.
If you want to find out what is the most ideal hood cleaning frequency for your cooking facility, you should consult one of our experts. Nationwide Fire Protection serves restaurant kitchens all over Denver, CO.
Always Rely on Professionals for Your Fire Sprinkler-Hoods Integration
Right from the installation of the fire sprinkler system and the exhaust hood system to their integration with each other, it is a job that requires sound knowledge and expertise as well as specialization.
Whether you operate a large restaurant kitchen or a low-volume cooking operation, you should always work with licensed fire protection contractors in or near your area. If you are in search of fire sprinkler companies near me, you should definitely choose a service provider that is known for its specialized knowledge and excellent reputation for doing a great job every time.
If you work with the right fire protection companies, you will be able to get the job done accurately and properly the first time. This will help you stay code-compliant and enhance safety against fire hazards.
Follow Best Practices for Commercial Hood Maintenance
Exhaust hood cleaning and maintenance should be done properly after the inspection has been conducted. It is important to adhere to the best industry practices in this regard to get the best results.
During cleaning, all the access panels and doors should remain open. If this is not done, it will not be possible to clean the internal areas. So, pay attention to practices such as these for proper cleaning inside-out. It is also a best practice to take photos of the equipment and the components. You should do it before cleaning starts and after cleaning has been completed. The date on which inspection and cleaning were done should be mentioned on the access doors of the system.
Likewise, bell-type fans should be tilted so that cleaning can be performed completely. In any case, you should never forget to turn off the gas supply when the contractor starts to perform their services.
Talk to a Commercial Kitchen Fire Safety Specialist
If you still have a question or are interested in learning more about our restaurant fire protection services, reach out to Nationwide Fire Protection. We specialize in the installation and hood integration of all types of fire sprinkler systems including deluge system, pendant sprinkler, esfr sprinkler, tyco sprinkler, upright sprinkler and pre action sprinkler system among others.
You can contact us via a phone call or an email. Use the contact form given on our website to write us an email.