At Omni Containment Systems, we design solutions for every aspect of maintenance on the rooftop. Many of these patented design solutions were created with the commercial kitchen exhaust cleaner in mind. The KEC community is our solution partner to keep properties, teams, and customers safe. In our last case study, we showed just how devastating neglect can be when you do not have a rooftop grease containment system installed. This poses serious risks to the facility. This month we are showcasing a facility that has safely contained their rooftop grease and how they can further safeguard their rooftop with our rooftop maintenance solutions.

Preventative Maintenance

The essence of preventative maintenance is to recognize potential problems and correct them before they happen. Rooftop preventative maintenance begins with complying with NFPA 96 standards and scheduling your kitchen exhaust system cleanings according to those standards. Recognizing the grease load and output within the kitchen exhaust system will dictate the cleaning frequency. If you are unsure, use a grease comb to check the levels within your system.

Even with regular kitchen exhaust cleanings, the NFPA states that you need to rely on a rooftop grease containment system to capture your kitchen’s liquid grease. This restaurant has safeguarded the rooftop with the High Capacity Grease Gutter on both fans. The Grease Gutters have contained a lot of grease from the grease drain spout and have reached a point for a filter exchange, a key preventative maintenance task for any grease containment system.

Regular Filter Exchanges

Many restaurants already have some sort of grease containment device on or around the exhaust fan. That is a good start, but most grease containment systems include an absorbent media or filter to hold the grease. This absorbent media or filter will reach their grease saturation capacity. The filters must be changed before that happens or else grease will end up wreaking havoc on the roof and the environment.

In this case study, only one absorbent filter needs to be exchanged due to the Grease Gutter’s design. It is just one of the top five reasons restaurants use the Grease Gutter as their preferred choice for rooftop grease containment. It was specifically designed with ease of maintenance in mind. As you can see, they only had to replace one hydrophobic filter. Typically, filters must be changed at least three to four times per year, or else grease will end up wreaking havoc on the roof and the environment.

Hinge Kit Installation

At this facility, they have performed an essential preventative maintenance item by changing out the filter media, which is great! However, this fan lacks a hinge. Hinges are not optional; they are an investment in safety. Everyone wants to prevent injury at work and hinges are necessary for the safety of service personnel involved with cleaning the exhaust system, the fan, and the rooftop. Exhaust fans are heavy, and if there is no hinge kit, then the fan must be lifted off the curb to clean the exhaust system properly. This could put personal injury and/or property damage at risk.

NFPA 96 states, “7.8.2.1 Rooftop termination shall be arranged with or provided with the following: (8) A hinged upblast fan supplied with flexible weatherproof electrical cable and service hold-open retainer to permit inspection and cleaning that is listed for commercial cooking equipment.” Neither fan above has a hinge. Hinges should cover at least 60% of the fan base to be considered safe for service personnel. These fans weigh anywhere from 80 – 400 lbs, so if these fans crash down on the service personnel while cleaning it could cause severe injury and even death.

Our patented Super Hinge is the only NFPA 96 compliant hinge on the market. We offer different sizes to provide fans of varying lengths the proper amount of coverage. As stated earlier, hinges should span across at least 60% of the fan base to be considered safe enough for service personnel to clean. This is not an NFPA 96 requirement; 60% is what Omni Containment Systems has found to be the best and safest length.

Conclusion

Maintaining commercial rooftops from the effects of grease contamination is imperative to preventing grease fires from spreading through restaurants and any potentially attached businesses. The key to maintaining rooftop grease is implementing these imperative preventative maintenance measures. You can stop problems before they even start and prevent small problems from becoming big ones. Contact us today to learn how we can help get your rooftop maintained and protect fires in your commercial kitchen!