Kitchen Hood Air Balancing

The kitchen hood captures smoke, grease, and other particles, mixed with air, above the kitchen appliance. An exhaust fan pulls the air from the hood through an exhaust duct. The amount of air exhausted must be replaced by air brought into the building from a make-up air unit, or through the air conditioning or heating system.

An improperly balanced kitchen can result in: (1) extreme discomfort, (2) higher than expected utility bills, (3) poorer quality food due to uneven cooking temperature, and (4) high employee turnover due to temperature and humidity discomfort.

Air balancing and diagnosing kitchen exhaust and other HVAC systems assures that the system is performing as it should. Air is invisible and so measurement is the only way to verify that a system is working properly.