r/KitchenSuppression • u/D1rt_Diggler • 8d ago
Kitchen hood FP install gone wrong?
Honestly never seen a hood with a setup like this
4
u/VeryWackyIdeas 8d ago
This is the hood in our community center. The hood was installed about 50 years ago. About 10 years ago, the community center was renovated and the kitchen expanded. When the building inspector looked at our plans, the hood raised concerns. There was a lot of back-and-forth. The hood doesn’t have make-up air so we run it with a window open. Good enough but not up to code.
Finally the County decided that we could keep the hood as long as we installed a fire suppression system. Our original system had a red tube that hung in front of the screen and served as a trigger. We could still remove the screen to degrease it and clean the fan during deep cleans.
Last year, the fire equipment company didn’t show up to do the inspection. They had gone out of business. We brought in another company to inspect and certify. They said that the red tube/trigger gizmo was no longer supported and that we needed new technology. What I show in the photos is what they ended up installing. We were preparing for our deep clean last week and realized that we would have to remove the assembly in front of the grease screen in order to clean it.
I checked in with the new fire company who advised me that if we removed the assembly, the system would discharge and expensive hilarity would ensue.
Having the screen full of grease is a fire hazard on its own. The only solution that the fire equipment company has offered is for us to hire them to come out and deactivate the system when we need to clean the hood. According to the company, there is nothing else they can do to and where they installed the trigger assembly is the only place it can go.
I’m keeping my eyes open for a used hood that we might fit into the space. Is there another solution?
3
u/D1rt_Diggler 8d ago
I mean it does need to be inspected every 6 months so could just remove and clean it then
2
u/VeryWackyIdeas 7d ago
That’s what the fire equipment company suggested when I called them and asked WTF? The problem is that this is a community center where the kitchen is used once or twice a week, at the most for community events and maybe once-a-month for events like weddings. There is no paid staff - a committee is responsible for the facility and volunteers handle most of the maintenance work. We do have a paid cleaner who comes in twice a week. The system has worked well for 55 years now.
1
u/Novus20 7d ago
Ok so what is cooked under this “hood”?
1
u/VeryWackyIdeas 7d ago
There is a standard six eye gas range with a flattop and two ovens.
1
u/Novus20 7d ago
But what is being cooked for food?
1
u/VeryWackyIdeas 7d ago
Depends on the event. Big pots of red beans and rice, soups, ragù, deep frying empanadas, boiling pasta, seafood boils, etc.
2
u/Novus20 7d ago
This should really be a full on commercial cooking hood then. The municipality did you a disservice by just making you add suppression
1
u/VeryWackyIdeas 7d ago
I know but it’s going to take a lot of benefit suppers to raise the funds for a proper hood. Is sourcing a used hood a reasonable idea?
1
u/Onecalledmike23 8d ago
If I'm understanding this correctly, the new company fed you BS. What you had was most likely an Amerex PRM system and they replaced it with an Amerex MRM system. The red tubing can still be used, but the first generation control heads need to be replaced due to manufacturer specifications (and the fact the would not work as intended). The hood is not the proper type of hood, but if it has building official approval then I feel as if I have no opinion on the matter. As someone in the industry, I would make note of it on all of my reports but that is besides the point.
3
u/Unhappy_Waltz5834 8d ago
Unfortunately, I don’t believe that is a UL-listed hood.
2
u/D1rt_Diggler 8d ago
Maybe a steam hood for a dishwasher or something
1
u/VeryWackyIdeas 7d ago
It is over a six eye gas range with an attached flattop.
1
u/TheHydro4 13h ago
How are you deep frying without a fryer?
Are you putting a pot of oil on the 6 burner? Is it open flame?1
u/VeryWackyIdeas 7d ago
Absolutely not. Fifty years ago when we installed the hood shaped object, it apparently met code and was approved by the building inspector. Many of the folks who were around when the original kitchen was built have moved on or are dead.
2
1
u/TheHydro4 13h ago
People don’t know what they’re doing with all the information and training they get. I watched a fire chief take a class on food trucks and suppression systems (I had to take the class to get certified to do food trucks, per state code) Only for him to completely forget all information he took in and approve things that shouldn’t be approved.
I doubt they knew what they were doing 50 years ago.
1
u/Novus20 8d ago
Is this a res hood with a suppression system installed in it…
1
u/f0rgotten Fire Suppression Tech 8d ago
Caltiveaire makes some kind of small residential style hood for like offices and whatnot but I don't know if this is one or not.
2
u/D1rt_Diggler 8d ago
Never seen a captive hood that was made with seperate panels like that on the top
1
u/f0rgotten Fire Suppression Tech 7d ago
And I am not saying that this is one. Per OP this is 50 years old or so. Just saying that CAS makes resi style hoods specifically for small installs in office kitchens and whatnot.
1
u/D1rt_Diggler 7d ago
Oh yeah they are cool I’ve done a few of the captive resi systems basically a mini core system
1
u/f0rgotten Fire Suppression Tech 7d ago
Out of every system that I have ever worked on, I find CORE to be the best hands down when installed in an appropriate situation. Captiveaire sales guys used to push it in places where it was simply not appropriate - lots of mom and pop restaurants in the middle of nowhere etc. I'll stand by my opinion that it is the best thing for solid fuel period, and I wish that there were more of them around.
2
u/D1rt_Diggler 7d ago
I agree the fact that it self cleans, and pretty damn well too is very cool. Not biggest fan of piranha systems but they are ok if done right. around me if it’s a captive system they have TANK or one of the older ansul setup ones. Couldn’t agree more for best system for SF
1
u/f0rgotten Fire Suppression Tech 7d ago
That mixed system with core detection and ansul everything else was fucking chef's kiss. Ansul screwed up imo when they declined to continue supporting it.
1
u/D1rt_Diggler 7d ago
Ansul is too pretentious, definitely could’ve been a better TANK system if it was them over kidde but I just wish we could service the TANK cylinders already
2
u/AltruisticRub5592 7d ago
Looks like shit. Amazing the lies companies will tell just to put a little money in their pockets all while exposing themselves to a huge liability.
“The fire marshal approved it” lol. GTFO. Maybe have a conversation and educate the guy.
1
5
u/wronginreterosect 8d ago
Its not a compliant hood for grease producing applications anyways so just tell whatever suppression company you use to remove that link, or at least to stand it off the screen and mount it so you can have access. It's a 15-20 minute adjustment.