Extractor Fans
Extractor fans are an integral part of any commercial kitchen, a ventilation system needs to be powerful and efficient enough to remove heat, grease and potentially harmful gasses, to make sure your business is a safe and comfortable place to work in.
No matter how big or small your kitchen, SEM Electrical can provide a range of services to deliver great ventilation, from design and installation to maintenance and repair. Whether you need a complete duct-work extraction and ventilation system, or a simple fan and fan speed controller. SEM Electrical can also provide you with a gas safety interlock, to shut off the gas supply to your appliances if your canopy extraction or in-air supply fail.
What the law states
Employers most provide effective and suitable ventilation in every enclosed workplace. This includes kitchens, which need ventilation to create a safe and comfortable working environment. Catering and cooking can produce significant amounts of fumes and vapours, as well as large amounts of heat. Mechanical extraction, via a canopy hood installed over the cooking appliances, can remove these fumes and vapour and discharge them to a safe location.
The objectives of an effective kitchen ventilation system are to:
- Remove cooking fumes at source, ie at the appliance.
- Remove excess hot air and bring in cool, clean air, so the working environment is comfortable. Inadequate ventilation can cause stress, contributing to unsafe systems of work and high staff turnover.
- Make sure that the air movement in the kitchen does not cause discomfort, eg from strong draughts.
- Provide enough air for complete combustion at fired appliances, and prevent the risk of carbon monoxide accumulating.
- Be easy to clean, avoiding build-up of fat residues and blocked air inlets, which lead to loss of efficiency and increased risk of fire.
- Be quiet and vibration free.
The ventilation system design needs to take account of the:
- Cooking load
- Amount of cooking equipment used
- Layout and shape of the kitchen
- Number of staff
- Need for easy cleaning and maintenance
