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Business
Opportunities in Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning
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Diversification is the name of the game, and kitchen exhaust cleaning may just be the way to go for contract cleaners and distributors looking to branch into a new area of specialization or to simply make an addition to their current offerings. Not to be taken lightly, however, kitchen exhaust cleaning requires a tenacity and conscientiousness not necessarily required by other applications. Dealing with a potential fire hazard (grease build-up in vents and hoods), kitchen exhaust cleaners must be aware of fire codes and specifications, as well as of the significance of their task. Not only must they complete the job in a timely manner to ensure that the restaurant or place of business is able to open for business, but they must also complete the job thoroughly and safely, both for themselves and for the owners of the business and their customers. Rod Getz,
president of Getz Fire Equipment Company, a fire protection business
of over 42 years, in Peoria, Ill., explains, "Exhaust cleaning
is absolutely a requirement, especially in restaurant grease exhaust
systems. Grease build-up in these exhaust systems can be excessive
and can lead to a severe fire hazard due to the amount of fuel load
present. Kitchen exhaust cleaning is a form of fire prevention and
reduces the risk of a severe fire in the hood and duct work
tremendously if cleaned at the proper frequencies." With these
points in mind, read this article as simply an overview of the
market. If you find that kitchen exhaust cleaning is something that
you are interested in pursuing, please refer to the associations
listed at the end of the article and seek proper training. The Market Just take a
good look around you as you drive through your hometown. There must
be fast food restaurants on every corner. Or, if you live in a
smaller locale, there are surely independent restaurants with
booming businesses or even retirement homes or hospitals in the
area, all of which contain kitchens and all of which need their
exhaust systems to be cleaned and maintained. Getz notes, "The
most obvious market for exhaust cleaning is kitchen grease exhaust
systems. This type of system is found in restaurants, hospitals,
nursing homes, prisons, large hotels or any place which has a
commercial cooking operation." He continues to explain that
dishwasher exhaust hood cleaning is another opportunity for
cleaning, although it is not needed as frequently as is the grease
exhaust cleaning. Industrial exhaust hoods also require exhaust
cleaning services, as Getz notes that his company cleans a number of
hoods in an automotive assembly plant on an annual basis. Why
shouldn’t you be the one to take care of these necessary tasks?
Bob Manning of Chem Spray International, Inc., in Englewood, Colo.,
a manufacturer of chemicals used in kitchen exhaust cleaning, says,
"The kitchen exhaust cleaning market is growing because of the
growth in restaurants. They all have to have their kitchens cleaned,
and we generally recommend that it be done every three to four
months, depending upon the type of restaurant." This growth in
the restaurant industry means that there is opportunity for repeat
business, as well as for multi-task jobs. By that, there are
multiple services that can be performed while on a job site to clean
an exhaust system. Jake Jarvis of B & J Cleaning & Coatings
in Montgomery, Ala., has learned to offer as many services as
possible while at one location. He says, "We do flat concrete
cleaning for some of our customers — sidewalks, drive thrus, etc.
We also do appliance cleaning, and we have done some ceiling
cleaning." Another add-on service is preventative fan
maintenance, which, according to Getz, includes replacing the fan
belts and greasing the fan bearings (if applicable) on a semi-annual
basis. It’s all a
matter of establishing a client base, of obtaining accounts and
keeping them, that builds a successful business. To get started, you
must make an initial marketing effort and continue to follow up
consistently. Jarvis’ marketing program consists of sending
mailers periodically to restaurants located within a 70-mile radius
of the city of Montgomery, Ala., followed by a visit to the
restaurant and a meeting with the manager. During the early part of
the company’s four-year tenure, Jarvis says that he would simply
make the rounds of various possible clients, trying to make an
appointment with the manager with whom he would explain who he was
and what his company could do. Don Kallhoff
of Don Kallhoff Mobile Wash in Omaha, Neb., markets the kitchen
exhaust cleaning portion of his services through a one line bold ad
in the Yellow Pages, as well as through flyers followed up with a
phone call. Although he only cleans hoods as an add-on to help his
company remain busy throughout the harsh Nebraska winters, Kallhoff
thinks the market for the service is viable, if one if persistent
enough to pursue it. Other marketing possibilities that Getz
utilizes in his business include using a tri-fold flyer as an
envelope stuffer and becoming active in a local restaurant
association, of which he is on the board of directors. Flexibility
may be one of the key elements in running a successful kitchen
exhaust cleaning operation, due mainly to the fact that most
restaurants need to be cleaned during late night hours when closed.
Jarvis says, "Our normal work week runs Sunday through Thursday
because most restaurants are open later on the weekends, so it makes
it tougher to get in. All of this work is done after the restaurant
is closed."
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Getting Started
Before
starting any job, however, you must certainly be aware of the
guidelines in your particular area. The National Fire Protection
Code 96 (NFPC 96) Standard is what most counties, cities and states
adopt as their fire code, according to Jarvis. Chapter 8-3.1* and
8-3.1.1 in NFPA 96,
Standard
for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking
Operations 1998 Edition state the following: 8-3.1*
Hoods, grease removal devices, fans, ducts, and other appurtenances
shall be cleaned to bare metal at frequent intervals prior to
surfaces becoming heavily contaminated with grease or oily sludge.
After the exhaust system is cleaned to bare metal, it shall not be
coated with powder or other substance. The entire exhaust system
shall be inspected by a properly trained, qualified and certified
company or person(s) acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction
in accordance with Table 8-3.1 (See Figure 1). 8-3.1.1
Upon inspection, if found to be contaminated with deposits from
grease-laden vapors, the entire exhaust system shall be cleaned by a
properly trained, qualified, and certified company or person(s)
acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction in accordance with
Section 8-3.
To learn more
about NFPC 96, consult the kitchen exhaust certification programs
available through various industry associations. As is stated in the
information presented above, certification is now required per NFPA
96, 1998 edition, and the programs available through the
International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaners Association (IKECA) and the
Power Washers of North America programs provide the information and
tools necessary to responsibly work in the kitchen exhaust cleaning
field. In addition, Getz, who serves on the IKECA board of
directors, reports, "A new program which will be available this
fall at the IKECA Technical Program in Dallas, Texas, will be an
inspectors certification program, as required in Paragraph 8-3.1.
Education
provided by such training and certification programs may very well
be the most important tool a kitchen exhaust cleaner can have. When
asked what equipment is necessary to get started with this type of
work, Jarvis wisely notes, "The biggest thing in my mind is
training. Anybody can go out and buy a pressure cleaner. They
don’t necessarily know how to clean hoods. As far as equipment
goes, it doesn’t take a lot — you get a pressure cleaner, some
wands, plastic and a mop bucket, and you can clean a hood. Whether
it’s cleaned correctly or not is another thing."
But with a
little training and education under your belt, you’re ready to get
started with just your basic equipment. However, "basic"
can get a little complex, depending on the circumstances of each
job. Getz explains, "The basic equipment needed to clean
kitchen exhaust systems can be extensive and expensive depending
upon the size and types of kitchen hoods and exhaust systems that
you decide to clean. For example, if you market yourselves into the
large hotel business, a lot of times they will have multiple floors,
large exhaust ducts which require the OSHA approved devices to lower
technicians into the duct work in order to properly clean the inside
of the duct. This equipment can be expensive and a lot of training
is necessary." Getz advises the use of a hot water pressure
washer with ratings of approximately 3000 psi at 5 gpm, which range
in cost from $4000 to $7000. In addition to a pressure washer,
necessary equipment includes ladders, tools and other miscellaneous
equipment —the cost of which totals approximately $12,000, plus
vehicle costs. (Reference the Exhaust Cleaning chapter in the Power
Washer’s Guidebook for a complete listing of necessary equipment).
Chemicals are
also an important tool in cleaning an exhaust system. There is a
variety available, many specially formulated according to the
severity of the grease buildup. Cardinal Chemical, a chemical
manufacturer in Toledo, Ohio, actually makes a product that can be
used for applications such as flatwork cleaning in parking lots and
drive thrus, as well as any type of exhaust cleaning, including the
tough buildup found in the kitchens of Chinese food restaurants.
This could be useful for those interested in performing as many
applications as possible at one location.
As was
mentioned earlier, one type of grease that is particularly difficult
to remove is that found in the exhaust systems of Chinese food
restaurants. Manning explains, "I think the primary reason that
grease from Chinese food cooking is so difficult to remove is
because the woks that they use [to cook with] are very hot. They
probably cook at a higher temperature than what normal grills cook
at. So, the heat generated and the vapor from the oils will rise and
that causes it to accumulate on the hoods and the vents. And then,
based on the heat, it will adhere just like glue."
There are
products available that will cut through this tough Chinese grease,
and those exhaust cleaners who are willing to tackle the job can end
up reaping great financial rewards. Don McGraw of Cardinal Chemical
explains, "Chinese oil is something that a lot of kitchen
exhaust cleaners avoid. The guys that are able to do that type of
job pretty much have the corner on the market because a lot of the
other exhaust cleaners don’t want to do it." Other types of
restaurants may also experience more grease buildup than will
others, depending on what is being cooked and the temperature that
it is being cooked at.
Because many
of these chemicals are caustic (meaning they will burn skin), it is
important to wear protective clothing, including (at the very
minimum) rubber gloves, chemical safety goggles and shoes with
rubber soles. Jarvis notes, "We wear chemical resistant
wet-type rain suits, hard hats with full face shields and chemical
resistant gloves to keep the chemicals off of our workers, as
well."
The Process
There are
certain steps to be followed in the process of cleaning a kitchen
exhaust system. Jarvis explains that when they first arrive on a job
site, the first thing they do is check in with the management,
letting them know that they’re there and ready to begin working.
After they take all of their equipment out of the van and get their
hoses stretched out, they go inside the building to move all the
appliances, if possible. If it is not possible to move the
appliances, then plastic sheeting is used to cover all the remaining
exposed surfaces. This protects surfaces from overspray — many of
the chemicals used in the cleaning process are not safe for surfaces
other than stainless steel of which most systems are constructed.
The next step
is to set up a funneling system, which funnels wash water into big
trashcans. The trashcans are then taken and dumped into the grease
traps. Since the water doesn’t leave the building, it does not
have to recycled as long as it is disposed of in a sanitary sewer,
the contents of which will eventually be treated. Getz notes,
"Depending upon the geographical location of your market,
different states and communities are more strict with environmental
concerns with any type of pressure washing. It is our policy to dump
any grease deposits and the wash water into the customer’s drain,
which goes through their grease trap. However, each individual
company should check their local community’s requirements through
their sanitary district or EPA for their particular
regulations."
The next step
in the kitchen exhaust cleaning process is to go up onto the roof
where the fan is taken apart and sprayed with chemical. After the
chemical has been given time to penetrate, the fans are cleaned, and
the ductwork is cleaned down to the bare metal. While one person is
on the roof cleaning, another person remains inside to monitor the
funnels — ready with a wet vac in case the funnels happen to
break. Once the roof is clean, all come inside to clean the inside
of the hood, after which one person takes the filters outside to
clean and another remains inside to remove the plastic coverings and
to take care of any water that was captured. That same person will
also wipe down and dry the hood and clean any areas that could not
be reached with the pressure washer. A stainless steel polish is
then used to shine the hood. The final step is to uncover the
appliances, remove the plastic from the building and mop the floor
to clean up any overspray.
The entire
process can take from three to five hours for a two-man team to
complete, with set up being the most time consuming part of the
process. However, some time can be saved, according to Kallhoff, by
arranging a filter exchange program with the customer. With the
filter exchange service, the filters are removed and replaced by
clean ones instead of being cleaned on-site. He says, "You take
the old filters back to the shop and soak them in the dip tank. You
then bring back the clean filters, take back the old ones, reversing
the process. That seems to save a lot of time."
Hazards and Safety
In addition to
the potential fire hazards involved with kitchen exhaust cleaning,
there are other dangers and precautions that must be taken. One of
the most obvious is the threat of electric shock that exists any
time water and electricity enter the same environment. In kitchen
exhaust systems, most of the hoods have lights in them and there is
electricity that goes through the fans. To prevent electric shock,
Jarvis explains that he actually places a locking mechanism over the
electric breaker that controls the hood switch. This prevents the
switch from being accidentally flipped back on — the person who
placed the lock is the only one who can remove it.
Another hazard
exists because of the work that must be performed on rooftops, with
the danger of falling off. To prevent ladders from tipping over,
Kallhoff recommends securing the ladder with a rope or bungee cord
to a fixed object on the building. Ladders that aren’t cleaned on
a regular basis may also pose a risk. There is also the possibility
that fans will tip over and pull wires out. To prevent this, a fan
hinge kit can be installed by the business owner. Appliances, as
well as cleaning inside the hood, may also present hazardous
situations. Getz says, "A fire retardant treated plywood may be
required to cover the appliances in order to stand on the appliance
to properly clean the inside of the hood." Care should also be
taken not to accidentally step into the hot oil of the deep fat
fryer, and technicians should be conscious of the possibility that
the appliances haven’t cooled sufficiently to the touch by the
time they start the job. Also, hazards are to be noted if it is
required that technicians be lowered into the ductwork.
Working
outside can also bring on some dangers. Common sense must be
practiced when working in extreme cold, heat or stormy conditions.
Opportunities Abound
With the
number of restaurants and other kitchen facilities growing by the
day, the opportunity for kitchen exhaust cleaners is growing, as
well. But others in the industry can also benefit from the growth.
Distributors looking for new products to add to their lines should
consider taking on chemicals and other products specific to kitchen
exhaust cleaning. There certainly seems to be enough opportunity to
go around in this expanding pressure washing sub-market.
For more
information on opportunities and training in kitchen exhaust
cleaning, contact the International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaners
Association (IKECA) at 312-923-8500 or the Power Washers of North
America (PWNA) at 800-393-7962.
SOURCE
Cleaner Times is a monthly trade journal serving
the pressure washing/water
blasting industry. For more information, log on at:www.cleanertimes.com
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