Aussie Filters provide kitchen canopy, grease filter, duct, fan, and full exhaust system cleaning services from Joondalup, North of Perth, down to Bunbury and regional areas. Our fully insured & certified services also cover the design and install of new canopy and filter systems, a grease filter exchange program and ventilation maintenance programs.
Fundamentals of Kitchen Exhausts
Ventilation is the single most important factor in the design, construction and operation of commercial kitchens. Without adequate ventilation and an ample supply of clean makeup air, no kitchen will operate efficiently. While an exhaust hood serves that purpose, the key question becomes what is the appropriate exhaust rate?
The answer always depends on several factors; the type of food, the cooking methods, what cooking equipment is used, the style and geometry of the hood itself, and how the makeup air is conditioned or otherwise introduced into the kitchen.
Fire Facts
Duct fires can be intense and reach temperatures of 1000°c degrees in minutes, which is hot enough to melt some metals and ignite surrounding combustibles. Vast fire statistics show that the majority of restaurant fires start in the kitchens. The ignition of cooking materials account for almost half of all commercial kitchen fires and almost all make their way into the duct system. After suffering losses from fire damages, many restaurants never re-open. Insurance companies may refuse claims if it is found that the kitchen ventilation system was not maintained and grease accumulated in the exhaust ducts. Many insurance companies are aware of the fire risks, are you?
Canopy and Duct Cleaning
Ongoing Inspection and Maintenance
Kitchen hoods and associated ductwork are considered fire safety systems in all states of Australia. Owners and operators also have a duty to keep systems clean and safe under work health and safety (WHS) Regulations and under the food safety standards for commercial kitchens.
Australian Standard AS 1851-2012 outlines a series of minimum inspection, maintenance and record keeping activities for the fire and smoke control features of air handling systems. It includes protocols for kitchen exhaust systems.
Kitchen operators need to provide access to the kitchen exhaust system, and shut down cooking operations long enough to allow cleaning service procedures to take place.
Duct Cleaning
Ductwork cleaning is vitally important for the cleanliness, hygiene and overall efficiency of your commercial kitchen.
If moisture and grease are present there is also the potential for mould and bacteria to grow, which can be released into the kitchen and restaurant environment – causing all sorts of smells and other fumes.
Aussie Filters only uses safe, environmentally friendly and biodegradable cleaning products and follow Occupational Health & Safety procedures, ensuring that the your exhaust system meets all health and fire safety standards and requirements.
Methods of Duct Cleaning
The best method for cleaning a duct is hiring a professional with specialised tools to dislodge the grease and debris, plus hard manual labour. Aussie Filters can get rid of all types of grease and build-up, and remove all contamination and disinfect where necessary.
Cleaning Method Options
Careful control of water and chemicals is required. In all cases, systems must be shut down for cleaning and kitchen operators need to accommodate for this. The canopy needs to be dry scraped and all excess grease to be extracted, and surfaces chemically washed and polished. All exhaust fan covers will be removed and extension pole scrapers will be used to scrape the duct from above. Fans blades also need to be scraped and chemically washed. After completion of the job the fans will be secured back to their normal position.
Upon completion of the job, 6 monthly service stickers will be placed on the canopy. An insurance certificate will be issued every 6 months.
Scheduled Maintenance and Keeping Systems Clean and Safe
It’s the responsibilities of state regulatory authorities, local council permits, insurance companies, building owners, facilities managers and landlords to impose maintenance responsibilities on the owners and operators of commercial kitchen exhaust systems. The maintenance routine is for the canopy, exhaust duct, exhaust fans and grease filters. The routine maintenance should comply with the minimum requirements set out in AS1851.
Aussie Filters determine the routine schedule based on the volume and frequency of cooks which the exhaust system services.
| Frequency of Cooks | Hours per Day | Service Frequency |
| Heavy Use | 12 to 16 Hours | Three Monthly |
| Moderate Use | 6 to 12 Hours | Six Monthly |
| Light Use | 2 to 6 Hours | 12 Month |
Grease Filters
If the cooking process generates grease or oil and most do, AS1668.2 requires that grease filters or grease removal devices are provided to reduce grease entering the exhaust duct. Grease filters will capture a percentage of oil and grease, depending on their performance efficiency, installation quality and cleanliness management. No filter will capture 100% of the grease and any grease that passes through or around the filters will build up on the internal hood, duct and fan surfaces. It is generally accepted that grease filters can reduce the amount of grease that enters the exhaust duct, reduce the average ‘’fuel load’’ in the duct and extend the length of time required between duct cleaning.
Why Install Kitchen Exhaust Hood Filters?
The purpose of a kitchen exhaust grease filter is;
- Particle Filtration: To reduce the amount of grease and oil in the exhaust duct
- Fire Safety: To prevent flames from entering the duct
The most commonly used metal grease filters within the Australian Market are;
- Aluminium honeycomb filters
- Stainless steel honeycomb filters
- Stainless steel baffle filters
Grease particles can be broken down into three size categories;
| Particle Type | Particle Size |
| Smoke Particles | 0.03 to 0.5 Microns |
| Grease Steam Particles (Grease with moisture particles) | 0.5 to 6.0 Microns |
| Grease Spatter (Larger visible particles) | 6.0 to 150 Microns |
Different filter designs work better for different particle size ranges, and not all devices can capture all particle sizes effectively.
Grease Filter Cleaning
We exchange your dirty filters with clean ones, the filters are brought back to our fully licensed facility where we use modern processing equipment that cleans the filters. The residual oils are disposed of via approved, environmentally friendly methods.
Filter Exchange Program
At Aussie Filters, with our Filter Exchange Program you’ll never have to clean filters or replace worn out or damaged ones. We regularly remove your systems’ dirty filters and replace them with clean ones. We’ll provide you with two sets, one set we’ll exchange to clean and another clean set to install. You’ll never have to worry about their condition or replacing them.
Using our Filter Exchange Program your exhaust hood will run more efficiently allowing the fan to draw air evenly across your cooking line. Clean filters will help you save on energy costs. By using our service you’ll save by not having to buy harsh chemicals and soaps. You’ll also save on staff hours. Replacing the greasy filters, you’ll have cleaner surfaces, your hood will have more efficient air flow and by removing the grease there’s less chance for fire.
Schedule your Filter Exchange when it is convenient for your operation. You decide on the time you want whether it is 1 week rotation or it is 2, 4 or 8 we will come in to remove the soiled filter and replace with a clean one.
Contact us to get more information on our Filter Exchange Program or to setup a Filter Exchange schedule that is convenient for your operation to keep your system running at its peak performance.
Products
Baffle Grease Filters
Baffle style filters are typically manufactured from stainless steel. They function by forcing grease-laden air to quickly and repeatedly change direction as it rises through the filter. Because the grease droplets cannot change direction as rapidly as the air carrying them, they end up condensing to the metal blades and then subsequently draining into the filter tray. This method drastically reduces the risk of spreading flames should a fire break out on the cooking surface below (as dangerous amounts of combustible material are unable to build up on the filter face). Additionally, because grease is filtered into a tray and not retained in the filter face, there is no build-up to risk grease dropping back from the baffle filter onto the cooking surface below or to hinder exhaust airflow and function over time.
This unique design creates a superior, highly efficient single stage baffle filter that is able to remove a high percentage of the total grease particulate emissions produced during commercial kitchen cooking operations. With 3 times the grease capture efficiency of standard baffle filters, the Captrate® Solo can significantly reduce duct contamination and cleaning frequency and help to extend the life of downstream particle and odour control filtration.
Honeycomb Grease Filters
The Honeycomb Grease Filter is designed for use in kitchen exhaust systems. The aluminium construction ensures easy handling and cleaning. The honeycomb design splits the incoming air into approx. 32,000 separate airstreams per sq/m of filter surface. This causes the grease laden air to change direction, the inertia of the grease causes it to impinge and condense onto the aluminium surface thus preventing grease from entering the exhaust system.
The filter media uses a metal honeycomb 50mm thick, manufactured from aluminium. This 50mm wide aluminium foil strip is fomed into a system of double compound curves so that when folded back on itself it forms a non nesting system of smooth walled honeycombs. The frame is fitted with wide handles on the vertical plane of the filter.
Installation
When installed the filters must not be at an angle greater that 30 deg from the vertical. The sides to which handles are fitted must be in the vertical plane. Do not use caustic cleaners.
