Kitchen Hood System Installation Requirements

To operate your kitchen officially, you must abide by all local commercial kitchen hood code requirements. Though most of these rules states and metropolises follow the International Mechanical Code as the basis for their rules, still certain specifications and code requirements can be different and that depends on the city you live in. Before you make any decisions regarding how to determine your exhaust system, it is very important to check with local officials.

Here are the hood requirements for both types of hoods.

Type I Hood Requirements

There are many differences between Type I and Type II hoods, so any of these types is supposed to offer its own unique set of rules and regulations and they cannot be used in place of each other. Since Type I hoods tend to collect flammable materials, they must be constructed, designed, and laid out exclusively in your kitchen area.

Below, we will examine the requirements for Type I hoods:

• Avoid combustibles: You must install your hood at least 18 inches away from combustible material.
• Use only approved materials: Any hood that is there in the kitchen must be made of steel with a minimum thickness of 0.0466 inches of stainless steel with a minimum thickness of 0.0335 inches.
• Always label your hood: Each hood should have a label that must indicate the minimum exhaust flow rate in CFM that is cubic feet per minute or per linear foot.
• Try to construct proper support: You should always make sure that each hood is secured in place by incombustible supports.
• It protects joints, creases, and penetrations: Any sort of external joints, creases, and penetrations should be made by using any continuous external liquid-tight weld or braze to the lowest outermost boundary of the hood.
• Always keep joints coated and sealed: Internal joints are not always needed to be welded or brazed but should always be sealed so that lubricant cannot break out in any situation.

Kitchen Hood System Installation

Elevation Required for Type I Hoods

All of your type I hoods should be outfitted with a lubricant filter. Its height above the cooking surface defines how well it operates, and it depends on the type of machine below it.

The height requirements are as follows:

• 1.5 feet above: cooking surfaces without a bare flame
• 2 feet above: cooking surfaces with an exposed flame or burners
• 3.5 feet above: Piece of equipment with exposed charcoal or a charbroiled

Type II Hood Requirements

Ever since Type II hoods tend to remove condensation and every kind of odor from your kitchen’s environment, they do not normally follow the same code requirements as Type I hoods do. However, they tend to fulfill an essential function in your kitchen, and it has to be built accurately. Following are the code requirements for your Type II hood:

• Construct durable supports: It is very important that your hood support should be able to hold the load of the entire hood system, unsupported ductwork, discharge load, and possible weight of any personnel working on the hood.
• Seal joints on the inside: Joints, seams, and penetrations for Type II hoods should be sealed on the inside of the hood. The interior should always provide a flat and smooth surface that is easily cleanable and does not let the water out.
• Use suitable materials all over: Type II hoods should be built from steel with a minimum thickness of 0.0296 inches, stainless steel with a minimum thickness of 0.0220 inches, and copper sheets that weigh at least 24 oz. per square foot.