Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning in North York
Kitchen exhaust cleaning is the removal of grease from the entire ventilation path serving a commercial cookline, not just the part visible from the kitchen floor. Elite Hood Cleaning North York cleans the canopy interior, the baffle filters, the plenum, every duct section an access panel allows reaching, and the fan on the roof, then documents each one. Single-hood kitchens start at $385 and are usually finished inside one overnight visit.
The system is one path, and it is only as clean as its worst section
Understanding the path is what separates a real quote from a cheap one, because the cheap quote is almost always cheap by leaving a section out.
Air leaves the cooking surface carrying vaporised fat, water and combustion products. It hits the baffle filters first, where centrifugal force throws the heaviest droplets out of the airstream and down into the filter trough. What gets past the filters enters the plenum, the void behind and above them, where the airflow slows and turns. Slower air drops more grease, which is why a plenum is often filthy behind a filter bank that looks acceptable.
From the plenum the air enters the duct. Every elbow, every transition, every horizontal run acts as another deposition point, and the deposit hardens over time into a varnish that a rag will not move. The air finally reaches the fan, which throws the last of the liquid onto its own housing and blades, and the remainder onto the roof.
A fire in this system does not start in the duct. It starts on the cooking surface, and the duct is what carries it. That is the entire reason cleaning is regulated: an unbroken film of fuel connecting a flame at the range to the roof of the building, running above a ceiling nobody can see into.
What gets cleaned, section by section
This is the scope of a full exhaust clean. Anything a quote omits from this list is a section still carrying fuel after you have paid.
Canopy interior and lower surfaces
Everything inside the hood, including the underside, the corner welds and the light housings. Cleaned to bare metal where the surface allows it rather than wiped to a shine.
Baffle filters and trough
Filters removed and washed off-line, then the trough and the drain point behind them cleaned out. Filter condition is recorded and reported, not silently ignored.
Plenum
The void behind the filter bank, reached once the filters are out. This is where the heaviest hidden deposit usually sits, and it is the section skipped most often on a fast job.
Accessible duct run
Every duct section that an access panel makes reachable, scraped and degreased along its length. Sections with no panel are measured, photographed and named on the certificate as unreachable.
Rooftop fan and housing
The fan lifted or tilted where it is safe, then the blades, the housing interior and the curb degreased. The fan is run and checked before the visit closes.
Documentation of the whole path
Before-and-after photographs of each section above, plus a signed certificate referencing NFPA 96 that names the sections cleaned and the sections that could not be reached.
What "accessible" means, and why it is the most important word in the quote
The standard requires cleaning to bare metal where the system can be reached. It does not require a contractor to cut open a duct that was built without access.
A properly built Type 1 duct has access panels at intervals along its length and at every change of direction, so a cleaner can physically get a tool onto every interior surface. A great many kitchens in older North York plazas and converted retail units do not have that. The duct was installed sealed, the ceiling went in underneath it, and no panel was ever fitted.
Two things follow from that, and an honest contractor tells you both. First, those sections cannot be cleaned, and any quote implying otherwise is either going to skip them or going to cut into your ductwork. Second, the sections that cannot be cleaned still accumulate grease, so the building carries a risk that cleaning frequency alone will not solve. The fix is access panels, fitted by a sheet metal trade, and it is worth knowing about early rather than at an inspection.
Every certificate issued names the unreachable sections explicitly. That is deliberate. A certificate that quietly implies whole-system coverage while the contractor knew a run was sealed is worse than no certificate, because it gives the operator false confidence and gives the insurer a reason to argue later.
Ask this: Ask any quoting contractor how many duct access panels your system has and where they are. If the answer is vague, the quote has not been surveyed.
A full system clean vs a hood-only visit
Both get sold as "hood cleaning". They are not the same purchase and they do not produce the same document.
| Full system clean vs hood-only | Full exhaust system cleaning | Hood-only visit |
|---|---|---|
| Canopy interior | Cleaned to bare metal where reachable | Cleaned, usually to a visual standard |
| Filters and trough | Removed, washed off-line, condition reported | Often washed in place or rinsed |
| Plenum behind the filters | Opened and degreased | Frequently untouched |
| Duct run | Every section with an access panel | Not included |
| Rooftop fan and curb | Lifted or tilted, degreased, run and checked | Not included |
| What the paperwork covers | The system, with unreachable sections named | The hood, whatever the invoice says |
If your reason for booking is an inspection, an insurance renewal, or a landlord request, the hood-only visit does not answer the question being asked. Read the NFPA 96 guide for what the standard expects the record to show.
Common questions about exhaust system cleaning
How long does a full kitchen exhaust cleaning take?
A single-hood kitchen with a short duct run and roof access is normally complete in one overnight visit of a few hours. Multi-hood kitchens run longer, and a tower site where the riser climbs several storeys can need the roof work coordinated with building management on a separate window. The walk-through gives you a realistic time, not an optimistic one.
Does the fan really need to come off?
The fan needs to be lifted or tilted so the housing interior and the blade faces can be reached, because that is where the last of the liquid grease collects. Where a fan is seized, corroded or fitted without a hinge, it is reported rather than forced. Elite Hood Cleaning North York does not perform fan repairs or hinge installations, so a fan that cannot safely be opened is documented for a mechanical trade to address.
What happens to the grease and the wash water?
Filters are washed off-line into contained equipment, waste is collected rather than sent down a floor drain, and the kitchen is protected with sheeting before any degreaser is applied. Grease reaching a municipal drain is a separate compliance problem for the operator, so creating one while solving a fire-safety one is not an acceptable trade.
Will the cleaning fix a hood that is not pulling smoke?
Sometimes, and it is the right first step. Heavily loaded filters and a caked plenum genuinely reduce airflow, so a clean often restores capture on its own. If it does not, the cause is mechanical, usually fan speed, belt condition, a duct restriction or make-up air, and that is reported with photographs so it can be quoted by the right trade. Diagnosis of capture problems is covered on the exhaust hood cleaning page.
Can this be done while the kitchen is open?
No, and it should not be. The exhaust fan is locked out, the filters come out, and degreaser is applied to surfaces directly above the cooking line. Visits run overnight, before opening, or in a genuine gap between service periods, which is why scheduling is agreed at the quote rather than assumed.
How much does kitchen exhaust cleaning cost in North York?
From $385 for a single-hood kitchen and from $725 for a multi-hood kitchen of two to four canopies. Institutional, campus and multi-tenant sites are quoted after a free walk-through, because duct length and access difficulty drive the number far more than the size of the kitchen does.