Frequently Asked Questions
The factors influencing the control of odours coming from cooking activities include:
1. The size of the kitchen: this influences the intensity of the odour and the necessary ventilation;
2. The type of cooked food: this influences the chemical composition of the environment air;
3. The type of cooking and the equipment used: this influences the quantity of grease, of water drops and the temperature inside the environment;
4. The characteristics of the suction hood;
5. The presence of an air filtration system;
6. smoke evacuation duct;
7. height and structure of the chimney;
8. territorial context of the emission and specifically the proximity to residential areas and the location in city centres.
If you would like to discuss your commercial kitchen ventilation needs or to arrange a site survey, contact us today.
– Fire Safety Standards:
If the duct coming from the kitchen canopy needs to pass through another compartment to exit the building it should meet the EN standards for fire safety EN 15871, EN13501-3 and EN1366-1 (in the case of access doors).
– Cost of Fire-rated Ducts:
Fire-rated duct costs are multiples of standard ducts.
– Valuable Space Lost Due to the Size of Fire-rated Ducts:
Depending on airflow requirements the space required for the duct alone can be very large, often posing challenges for installers when they try to suspend large size duct from ceilings while trying to maintain safe passing headroom below.
Unfiltered kitchen ventilation systems are required to discharge minimum 1mt above the roofline of the building by way of a vertical duct riser.
– Vertical Duct Risers may be Required Within a Building:
Often it is not possible to direct the duct horizontally out of the building before exhausting above the roofline. In this situation, the vertical duct riser might need to be installed within the building.
– Fire Shafts are Required In Some Cases:
This riser may pass through various compartments of the building. This is a fire hazard which could mean a fire shaft would be needed to be constructed to house the duct.
While some savings may be made by housing other necessary services in the fire shaft, it should be noted that a minimum distance of 1.5m between the fire duct and all other services is required.
These are just some of the issues that lead, in turn to other issues such as:
– Design Time: additional design time is required
– Loss of Space on the Premises: space lost to a back of house service that could be used to generate income as front of house space,
– Expense: excessive capital expenditure on expensive fire duct and fire shaft construction.
Contact us for a free consultation on the best ventilation system for your needs.
Below we list the Regulations Governing the Equipment being Specified for Commercial Kitchen Ventilation/Extraction.
Section 24 – Air Pollution Act 1987
Under section 24 of the Air Pollution Act 1987, it states; “The occupier of any premises shall use best practicable means to limit, and if possible, to prevent an emission from such premises.” &
“The occupier of any premises shall not cause or permit an emission in such a quantity, or such a manner, as to be a nuisance.”
In terms of the regulations of the system itself, to assist food businesses in selecting an appropriate system, Irish Local Authorities use the DEFRA guidance document.
DEFRA Guidance Kitchen extraction systems Document
DEFRA Guidance Kitchen extraction systems Document, Guidance on the Control of Odour and Noise from Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems January 2005 is a UK guidance document but is accepted as general compliance with the Irish Air Pollution Act 1987.
BESA (Building and Engineering Services Association) DW172 Specification for Kitchen Ventilation Systems
The BESA (Building and Engineering Services Association) DW172 Specification For Kitchen Ventilation Systems document sets out minimum requirements in terms of ventilation extract rates and canopy details to ensure that odours and grease from cooking activities can be captured and treated prior to discharge.
Ecodesign of Energy Related Products Directive 2009
The Ecodesign of Energy Related Products Directive 2009 is European Legislation aimed at improving the Environmental Performance of products that use energy or are related to energy consumption. This should be considered when selecting fans with an electrical power input between 125W and 350kW.
Why Ventilation Systems for Larger Buildings May Cause Extra Difficulty
Specifying ventilation systems for larger buildings (or buildings with a complex layout) may cause extra difficulty. Siting of External Louvre Grilles is a consideration because of the location of windows, air intake grilles etc that would give way to the expelled air re-entering the premises. Kitchen ventilation systems are often required to exhaust above the roof line. Depending on the location of the kitchen within the building this can be an expensive exercise. Additional building elements such as vertical duct risers that meet the EN standards for fire safety EN13501-3 and EN1366-1 (in the case of access doors) and fire shafts may need to be installed which are not only expensive and time consuming, but they also waste a lot of space that could be better served being dedicated to the customer experience. Where a fire shaft is not available, the ductwork should be insulated as it passes through other compartments of the building to mitigate the risk of fire in these other locations.
Contact us for a free consultation on the best ventilation system for your needs.