Two restaurants can run the same cooking line under the same size of hood and still get kitchen exhaust cleaning quotes that are far apart. The hood is what everyone sees when they ask for a price, but most of the work sits behind it, above the ceiling and on the roof, and that part changes from one building to the next far more than the hood does.
Key takeaways
- When two quotes for the same hood are far apart, they often describe two different jobs.
- In buildings with shared exhaust, the common system and each tenant’s branch duct are separate scopes, and the quote should say which one it covers.
- The first clean after years of skipped service takes much more work than the visits that follow.
- Bends, offsets and vertical risers add more work than straight length does.
Where the duct goes, and whose it is
At Yorkdale Shopping Centre, one quarterly visit covers the common pollution control unit (PCU) ductwork, the ductwork between the units and the branch ducts of 20 food service tenants. A quote built on one tenant’s hood would describe a small part of that job.
If your kitchen ties into shared exhaust, check the lease for which sections are yours before you compare quotes.
The shape of the route matters more than its length. A long straight run takes less time than a shorter one with several bends, an offset around a beam and a riser up to the roof, because grease settles unevenly at each change of direction and each of those points has to be reached from an opening nearby. Our article on what happens when grease builds up inside ducts explains where it collects.
Getting the crew to the duct
In an office tower or a mixed-use property, someone has to clear security, book the service elevator, unlock the mechanical rooms on each level the duct passes through and arrange roof access. Some properties allow noisy work only after hours. A quote for a standalone plaza unit carries none of that time.
At the CN Tower, Pressure Kleen cleans the full system four times a year, from the PCUs and filter compartments to the ductwork, hoods and fans, at the ground-floor food service and at the restaurant at the top. The work at the top has to fit limited access routes and the tower’s security protocols, and the equipment travels through public and service areas without disturbing guests.
In an older building, a unit that has gone from restaurant to bakery to takeout kitchen has often had its exhaust altered without updated drawings, and then the crew has to trace the route before the job can be priced.
Access doors and the fan
A crew can clean only the sections it can reach. NFPA 96 sets out how grease ducts must be opened for cleaning, and Article 2.6.1.13 of the Ontario Fire Code requires these exhaust systems to be maintained in accordance with NFPA 96. Renovations are where access most often goes wrong: a new ceiling closes over an opening, equipment ends up in front of an access door, or the existing door is too small to work through. The contractor should then either install an additional access door, which should appear as a line on the quote, or record the section as not cleaned in the service report. Our guide to the signs a system is not being fully cleaned shows which sections get missed.
The fan raises the same question at the top of the system. An upblast fan on a working hinge tilts open so the crew can reach the housing, the blades and the duct connection below. If the hinge is missing or damaged, it has to be replaced first, and the quote should show whether that work is included. Our article on rooftop exhaust fans covers what collects there.
What the kitchen cooks
High-volume frying, charbroiling, wok cooking and solid-fuel equipment leave heavier deposits than a kitchen that mostly steams or bakes, and repeated heat hardens grease into a layered coating that takes more labour to remove. That explains why one job takes longer than another, but it does not set the cleaning interval. NFPA 96 sets how often a system is inspected according to cooking volume and type, and the inspection findings decide when cleaning is due. Our guide to NFPA 96 covers the schedule.
The first clean and the visits after it
Expect the first cleaning after years of partial or skipped service to take much more work than the visits that follow. Grease builds in layers, the older deposits harden under heat, and each section needs several passes before it reaches bare metal.
On a neglected shared system the gap is widest: the first clean at Commerce Court in Toronto removed more than 1,600 pounds of grease.
Less build-up means less work on later visits, and how that shows in the maintenance price depends on the system and the contract. If you have taken over an existing kitchen, the previous operator’s service reports (the last cleaning date, listed deficiencies and photographs) give a contractor a firmer basis for both figures.
What to check in the quote
When two quotes differ, ask how each was priced. Often one contractor has walked the route from hood to fan and the other has worked from kitchen photos and a hood count. A site survey gives the firmest basis for a price, especially in a shared or multi-storey building.
Then read the quote for what the price covers:
- Which sections are included, and in a shared building, which are yours and which are the landlord’s?
- What is excluded, and is each exclusion written down?
- Which items are priced separately, such as new access doors, hinge replacement or containment equipment?
- Are after-hours work, building access and roof access included, or charged on top?
- When can the price change once work starts, for example if the crew finds heavier deposits or a section it could not see during the survey?
- Does it say how sections that cannot be cleaned will be recorded in the service report?
Frequently asked questions
Is the rooftop fan priced separately in a quote?
Fan cleaning should be part of any full-system quote. Work the fan may need first, such as a replacement hinge, and installing or replacing grease containment equipment are often priced separately. Ask which of these the quote includes.
Should the first cleaning and regular maintenance be quoted separately?
It helps. A first clean after a long gap removes hardened, layered grease and takes far longer than the visits after it, so a single blended figure makes both hard to judge. Two figures let you compare the initial job and the ongoing cost between contractors.
Can the price change once the work starts?
Only if the quote allows for it. The common reasons are heavier deposits than expected and a section of duct the crew could not see during the survey. A clear quote states the conditions for a change and how you will be told before any extra work goes ahead.
How do I compare quotes that are priced in different ways?
Bring them to the same scope first. A price per hood and a flat price for the whole system can describe very different amounts of work, so list the sections each quote covers, from hood to fan, and what each one excludes. Compare the totals only once the scope matches.
What should I send to get an accurate quote?
A hood count and kitchen photos are a start, but the duct route matters more. Send photos of the roof and the fan, the building’s access rules (security, service elevator, roof hatch, permitted hours) and the last service report if you have one. In a shared building, add the property manager’s contact so the contractor can confirm which sections are yours.
Pressure Kleen cleans commercial kitchen exhaust systems across Ontario, from the hood interior through horizontal and vertical ducts to the rooftop fan and its grease containment. Where a system cannot be fully cleaned as built, the crew installs access doors and replaces fan hinges. Every job is documented through Absolute Proof®, with a service report, before-and-after photographs and a record of any deficiencies found.
Request a quote for kitchen hood and exhaust cleaning and get a full-system clean, from the hood to the rooftop fan, documented for your records.
