Commercial kitchens
Kitchen extract cleaning – well worth your energy
Gary Nicholls, managing director of Swiftclean explains the importance of regular cleaning of the canopy, fan and extract ductwork in compliance with TR19 Grease against the backdrop of rising energy prices, as well as fire safety.
T
he key reason for compliance with TR19 Grease is clearly the fire safety aspect of specialist ductwork cleaning in every
commercial kitchen. Even the healthiest menus involve cooking food which gives rise to airborne fat, oil and grease particles, which, as they travel through the extract ductwork, cool and create greasy deposits. Unfortunately, it is very well documented that these greasy deposits represent a major fire hazard, providing fuel for a fire, while the ductwork itself provides a chimney through which the fire can travel. All too often, fire, once established within the ductwork, spreads either within the building or to neighbouring properties, including other businesses and residences. However, energy prices should now also serve as a serious prompt to ensuring compliance with TR19 Grease, issued by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), and now a specification in its own right. As a normal by-product of the cooking process, grease is deposited on all the metal
surfaces of the kitchen extract system, including the hood, canopy, filters, canopy plenum, fan and ductwork. Grease deposits undoubtedly slow up the fan and cause it to consume more energy than a clean fan. A compliant extract system is cheaper and more efficient to run than a non-compliant one. With the alarming rises in energy prices that we are already experiencing, with further yet to come, this is an important consideration, as it will be an unplanned expense on many maintenance contracts. Cleaning the system in compliance with TR19 Grease, in contrast, should already be a predicted fixed cost in a PPM schedule, so now is certainly not the time to skimp on it. Grease deposits don’t have to be particularly thick to pose a fire risk or to slow up a fan, consuming more energy than necessary. TR19 Grease stipulates that the grease layer must be controlled to within an average of 200 microns across the entire surface of the kitchen extraction system. This is about half the thickness of the average business card. In reality, a barely visible thin film of grease may be enough to increase your energy consumption and pose a fire safety risk to your staff, customers and any adjoining residents. It was the risk to life and property that first led us as an industry to introduce first TR/17, then TR/19 and finally TR19 Grease, all issued by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA). The advent of TR19 Grease, made this, for the first time, rather than simply expert guidance, a specification with which specialist contractors cleaning commercial kitchen extraction systems to TR19 Grease must comply. Non-compliance can have disastrous
consequences. Firstly, should you have a fire which causes considerable damage, you will wish to claim on the insurance. However, increasingly, insurance providers will not pay out on a policy if it can be
14 May 2022
demonstrated that the kitchen extract ductwork was not compliant with TR19 Grease. Worse could be in store especially if serious
injury, or a fatality, has occurred. The Responsible Person, appointed in accordance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, can be prosecuted for negligence and, if convicted, may face a custodial sentence. Clearly, what is needed is robust evidence that
you have done all that you can to comply with TR19 Grease. The first step should be to appoint a ductwork cleaning provider. Members of the Vent Hygiene Elite (VHE) scheme must provide fully qualified, competent technicians who are trained to BESA GHT level. Critically, a VHE member will be able to provide post-clean certification through BESCA. This provides essential evidence of compliance which you can use to demonstrate to insurers or investigating authorities that you have not been negligent. The small additional charge which post clean certification incurs is one that you should consider building into any maintenance contract as it protects not only the facilities manager, but also the owner and the manager of the property.
In the current climate, commercial kitchens all need to ensure compliance, fire safety and business continuity. Energy consumption is by no means a new consideration, but it has arguably rarely been less of an uncertain quantity or such a pressing concern. Minimising energy consumption in your extract system by ensuring that you use a fully qualified and competent technician to achieve and maintain compliance with TR19 Grease should be a part of every building services strategy.
www.heatingandventilating.net
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