Hood Filter Cleaning
Baffle filters are the first thing grease hits on its way to your ducts. We degrease and wash them on site at every hood cleaning, so they keep catching grease instead of passing it on.
Where filters sit in your exhaust system
- 1Hood
- 2Filters (this service)
- 3Plenum
- 4Ducts
- 5Fan
- 6Roof
Filter Cleaning at a Glance
Hood filters are the metal baffles that sit at an angle inside your hood. They force exhaust air to change direction, which knocks grease out of the air before it reaches the duct.
- What we do
- Pull every filter, degrease and wash it on site, empty and clean the grease trough, and put the filters back in the right way round.
- When
- With every hood cleaning, after close or before opening.
- Why it matters
- A filter packed with grease stops catching it. The grease goes up into the plenum and duct instead, where it’s harder to reach and burns hotter.
- What we check
- Bent baffles, gaps between filters and missing filters. We tell you if any filter is damaged.
Signs Your Filters Need Cleaning
- Grease is dripping from the filters or the trough is full
- You can’t see metal through the slots any more
- Smoke rolls out of the hood instead of going up
- The kitchen runs hotter and smokier than it used to
- An inspector flagged the filters
Any of these and it’s time. Text a photo of your filters to 720-808-3020 and we’ll tell you what we see.
Between Cleanings
Filters fill up faster than the rest of the system. Your staff can keep them working between our visits:
- Check them weekly.Busy fryer and charbroil lines load filters fastest.
- Soak and rinse when they look coated.Hot water and a kitchen degreaser in a sink or soak tank, then let them dry.
- Put every filter back.Running the hood with a filter missing pulls grease straight into the duct.
Filter Questions
Do you swap filters on a schedule?
Not right now. A-1 cleans your filters on site at every hood cleaning instead. If you’d like scheduled filter swaps, mention it when you ask for a quote. If enough kitchens want it, we’ll add it.
Is cleaning the filters enough to pass inspection?
No. Clean filters help, but NFPA 96 calls for cleaning the whole exhaust system: hood, plenum, ducts and rooftop fan as well. Filter cleaning is part of every A-1 hood cleaning.
Can mesh filters be used in a commercial hood?
Fire codes generally call for listed grease filters, such as baffle filters, in commercial cooking hoods. Mesh filters aren’t meant for this. If we find mesh filters in your hood, we’ll point it out.
Schedule Your Hood Cleaning
Free quotes, fast replies, and cleanings scheduled around your hours. Anywhere in Colorado.