Restaurant Range Hoods: Buy New or Repair?

Range hoods are absolutely necessary in order to clear out odours and to ventilate cooking areas in homes and in restaurants. Although domestic and commercial range hoods used in restaurants serve the same fundamental purpose (ventilation), they are quite different in terms of cleaning and maintenance as well as for repairs and replacement.

One thing that all range hoods and most appliances have in common, however, is that owners must make a decision whether or not it’s worthwhile to have them repaired or replaced as they age and perhaps experience faults and problems.

Types of Commercial Range Hoods

Compared to domestic range hoods, commercial range hoods tend to work a lot harder as cooks use the range consistently throughout the day. Consequently, most commercial range hoods tend to be made of higher-quality materials that are more durable and efficient at clearing out the much higher quantities of smoke, grease, odours, and other condensate from restaurant kitchens.

There are two main types of commercial range hoods commonly used in kitchens today: grease hoods and condensate hoods. The former are designed to eject heat, smoke, and other byproducts of cooking such as grease. These hoods are ideal over deep fryers, grills, and BBQ grills. These hoods have grease traps but often contain their own ventilation systems as well to let fresh air back into the kitchen.

The latter hoods, condensate hoods, are ideally used in areas without grease or grease byproducts. These hoods remove heat, vapour, and odours from areas such as ovens, dishwashing units, and pizza ovens. These hoods generally do not contain grease traps but instead have galvanised ducts that are designed simply for ventilation purposes.

Cost of Buying a New Commercial Range Hood

Given that commercial range hoods tend to be much bigger and more durable than your typical home range hood, the prices can be expected to be much higher as well. Whereas a home range hood covering the surface area of your cooking range might cost about $1,000, commercial range hoods can easily run from around $12,000 to $20,000.

Buying new is therefore a serious financial consideration. If you operate a restaurant, there’s no getting around the fact that you need a working range hood, but buying a new range hood should only be done when installing a brand new kitchen rather than replacing an older one. If your old range hood isn’t working properly, it’s almost always better to repair it than it is to buy a new one.

Is it Worth Repairing a Commercial Range Hood in Your Restaurant?

Most of the time, it’s better to repair your commercial range hood than it is to buy a replacement for your restaurant kitchen. There are many problems that can be fixed with a qualified appliance repairman, and many other problems that can be avoided altogether with routine cleaning.

Some of the most common problems that restaurant owners face with range hoods include vent hoods not clearing out smoke, no air venting outside, a loud or humming motor, and fans or lights not working properly. If you and your kitchen staff routinely deep clean, ensure that the vent hoods and grease traps are cleaned as this can avoid many of these problems in the long term. For the remainder, consider calling a reputable appliance repair technician near you.

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