Commercial exhaust canopies are common in commercial kitchens. Thousands of litres of contaminated air, odours, toxic gases, and moisture are extracted per minute via a commercial exhaust canopy and when these huge volumes of air are displaced, it is best practice to have fresh air reintroduced into the kitchen. Here are five reasons why make-up air is important when you are using a commercial kitchen exhaust canopy in your hospitality space.
First things first, what exactly is make-up air?
In a bustling commercial kitchen, the efficient operation of the exhaust system is essential to maintain a clean, comfortable, and safe environment. One crucial component often overlooked is the "make-up air" system, which plays a vital role in supporting the functionality of the commercial kitchen exhaust canopy.
Understanding Make-Up Air:
Make-up air refers to the fresh, tempered air that replaces the air removed by the commercial kitchen exhaust system. As the exhaust canopy pulls hot and contaminated air out of the kitchen, an equal volume of fresh air needs to be introduced to balance the pressure and prevent negative air pressure. Without proper make-up air, the exhaust system's efficiency can be compromised, leading to potential issues such as poor ventilation, backdrafts, and reduced performance of cooking equipment.
Deep fryers, combi ovens, and BBQ char rotisserie systems are common in commercial kitchens, and they can be major contributors to heat, steam, and fumes. A well-designed make-up air system ensures that these equipment function optimally by preventing heat buildup and removing odours. It also enhances the overall air quality and comfort for kitchen staff and diners.
Here’s why make-up air is important when using a commercial exhaust canopy:
To replenish the air removed.
Building codes require cooking equipment over a certain kilowatt of output to be placed under a commercial exhaust canopy. This includes but not limited to deep fryers, chargrills, stoves, combi-ovens, and dishwashers regardless of their energy input being gas or electric. The canopy and its capacity to remove certain volumes per minute is then designed around this requirement.
A balancing act.
There is a balancing act to this. Commercial exhaust systems are often powerful. In the absence of a make-up air system, the air must be replenished from somewhere else such as the dining room. Most common signs would be when customers or staff find it hard to close the doors or the doors slamming shut “ depending on the orientation. Creating a very unpleasant dining experience for almost every patron. This is known negative air pressure.
If it smells.
Exhaust systems can be optioned with variable speed motors. This allows more control over the velocity. However, when used incorrectly such as that when the exhaust system is on a lower fan speed, the cooking plume created by the full use of the cooking line can escape outwards of the canopy itself rather than inward and extracted fully and allowing odours or smoke to escape into the kitchen or worse, into the dining rooms.
Stress less, more savings.
Once the balance has been achieved above, there is less stress applied to the exhaust system. Without make-up air, the subsequent lack of replenished air can add stress to the motors as the exhaust system tries to maintain its velocity. This same stress also applies to the HVAC systems such as air conditioning. This is a sure way to rack up higher energy bills. Make up air is generally delivered close to the exhaust canopy keeping the balance of supply and extraction contained to the extraction area and limiting an areas within the building of negative air pressure.
Quality matters
An increase in static pressure eventually lowers the amount of volume of contaminated air that can be removed. Meaning, greasy air from deep fryers will find its way to every nook and cranny of the kitchen. Vice versa, if the pilot lights keep going out due to strong fans. Chefs or back of house staff will have to work in poor comfort conditions if this is the case. The team could have the best quality of equipment in their kitchens, such as a full Mareno cooking line, a Rational combi-oven or even Frymasters with filtration systems. This would not matter if they are constantly bogged down with excessive contaminated air & pilot lights going out.