Hood Cleaning Questions

Colorado fire codes follow NFPA 96, which sets the cleaning schedule by cooking volume. Kitchens that cook with wood or charcoal need their exhaust system cleaned monthly. High-volume kitchens, such as 24-hour operations, charbroiling and wok cooking, need it quarterly. Moderate-volume restaurants need it every 6 months. Low-volume kitchens, such as churches, day camps and seasonal businesses, need it once a year.

If you’re not sure where your kitchen falls, A-1 recommends a schedule with your free quote.

NFPA 96 is the National Fire Protection Association’s Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations. It covers how commercial kitchen exhaust systems are built, inspected and cleaned, including how often the hood, ducts and fan must be cleaned. Fire departments across Colorado use it when they inspect kitchens. A-1 Hood Cleaning cleans to NFPA 96 standards.

Your local fire department has the final say, using the NFPA 96 frequency for your type of cooking. In Denver that’s the Denver Fire Department. A-1 recommends a schedule when we quote, based on what you cook and how much, and you can ask your inspector if you’re unsure.

No. NFPA 96 calls for cleaning the whole exhaust system: the hood, filters, plenum, all accessible ductwork and the rooftop exhaust fan. Grease left in the duct and fan is the hardest to see and the most dangerous. Every A-1 hood cleaning covers the full system.

Hood cleaning prices depend on the number of hoods, the length of the duct run, how many rooftop fans you have, what you cook and how much grease has built up since the last cleaning. A-1’s pricing is competitive with other Colorado hood cleaners, and every quote is free with no obligation. Kitchens on a regular cleaning schedule get the most predictable price, because the system never gets badly built up between cleanings.

Your city, what you cook, how many hoods you have and roughly when the system was last cleaned. Photos of the hood and the fan on the roof help. You can send them by text to 720-808-3020 or fill in the quote form.

Yes. Every A-1 quote is free with no obligation, for hood cleaning and for every other service.

Yes. A-1 works 24/7. Most jobs are done overnight or before opening, so your kitchen keeps every shift, and we can respond fast after a failed inspection or a grease problem. The office answers scheduling questions from 7 AM to 12 PM, and you can call any time for urgent service.

Turn off your cooking equipment and let it cool before we arrive, and make sure we can get onto the roof. We cover your equipment, contain the water and grease, and leave the kitchen ready to cook.

No. Before we start, A-1 covers your equipment and hangs plastic around the hood to channel water and grease into containment. When we finish, the plastic comes down and the kitchen is left ready to cook.

A dated service sticker on the hood plus before and after photos of the hood, ducts and exhaust fan. That’s the documentation fire inspectors, health inspectors and insurance companies ask for.

Yes. A-1 Hood Cleaning carries general liability, umbrella liability, commercial auto and workers’ compensation insurance, so your business is protected while we work in your kitchen and on your roof. We send a certificate of insurance (COI) to you, your landlord or your property manager on request.

Yes. When a rooftop exhaust fan or its motor wears out, A-1 replaces it. Signs include smoke rolling out of the hood, a fan that won’t start, and squealing or grinding from the roof. See exhaust fan and motor replacement.

Not right now. A-1 degreases and washes your baffle filters on site at every hood cleaning. If you’d like scheduled filter swaps, mention it when you ask for a quote. More on hood filter cleaning.

Yes. A-1 degreases fryers, griddles, charbroilers, ranges and conveyor ovens, usually the same night as the hood cleaning. See kitchen equipment cleaning.

Yes. A-1 pressure washes driveways, sidewalks and house siding at homes, as well as dumpster pads, loading docks, drive-thrus and patios at restaurants and businesses. Home jobs are in the Denver metro, including Aurora. Quotes are free. See pressure washing.

All of Colorado. Most of our work is in the Denver metro and along the Front Range, from Fort Collins to Pueblo, and we also clean kitchens in mountain towns like Aspen and Estes Park and out on the Eastern Plains. Trips outside the Front Range are scheduled in advance. See the full list of areas.