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Designing a commercial kitchen ventilation system can be daunting. Code requirements around fire safety, smoke exhaust, and making up the air that has been exhausted are at the forefront. Beyond code, the system must provide value to both the owner and kitchen staff by ensuring proper ventilation and maintaining a comfortable environment in a precise and efficient manner. To help overcome these challenges, Accurex offers a full range of kitchen ventilation equipment. An Accurex system provides a properly ventilated, safe and comfortable kitchen while being customizable and simple to operate.
Kitchen Ventilation Essentials
Exhaust Hoods
This crucial piece of equipment goes above the cooking appliance and removes smoke, heat, and other byproducts of cooking. The most widely used hood type is the wall-mounted canopy hood, which is available with Auto Scrubber™ self-cleaning technology. The single island canopy hood is ideal for cooking in open space, such as show cooking. Meanwhile, backshelf or crossover hoods are ideal for low-ceiling or other applications where space is crucial.
Exhaust Fans
Exhaust fans are connected to the kitchen hoods through grease-rated ductwork. They are the heart of a kitchen system and pull exhaust air from the kitchen to discharge it outdoors. Accurex offers a wide variety of exhaust fans to meet the needs of any application. Many of these fans can include Greenheck Vari-Green® motors, which are capable of an 80% turndown for added efficiency and operating cost savings.
Upblast and sidewall exhaust fans: These can exhaust either from the roof or from the side of the building. They are often constructed of aluminum but can be made of steel for heavy grease and high-heat applications. These centrifugal fans are the most common options for kitchen ventilation due to their low cost, high efficiency, ease of installation, and low maintenance.
- Utility set exhaust fans: These use a backward-inclined centrifugal wheel for high efficiency and high-pressure capability.
- Inline exhaust fans: These compact fans fit directly into a duct system for lower sound and a low installation cost.
- Downblast exhaust fans: In clean air applications, commonly over a dish hood, where air is discharged down toward the roof surface, these roof-mounted fans include advanced motor cooling for long-lasting durability.
XCUE Direct Drive Upblast Exhaust Fan with Vari-Green Motor
Make-Up Air
Make-up air units supply the kitchen with fresh outdoor air to make up what was exhausted through the hood(s). If the air is not made up, there will be negative pressure in the space, making doors difficult to open and decreasing the effectiveness of the exhaust hood system. Beyond maintaining air balance, make-up air units are key for ensuring comfort by heating or cooling the air being brought into the space.
Options for tempering in make-up air units include:
- Direct Gas Heating: These units heat the air over an ultra-efficient burner with tight temperature control and the ability to turn down airflow by up to 50% to reduce energy costs.
- Packaged DX Cooling: This direct expansion (DX) cooling feature is available with Accurex’s XDGX direct gas-heated unit. These units have been industry-tested for safe use with R-454B refrigerant, which has a low global warming potential.
- Other Heating and Cooling: Indirect gas-heated make-up air units use a heat exchanger instead of a gas burner and can also turn down airflow by 50%. Non-gas-heated or cooled units can be configured with electric or hot water coil heating and can provide cooling with direct expansion, chilled water coils, or evaporative coolers.
- Untempered: These would be used when you only need ventilation from a make-up air unit. They feature a high-efficiency fan with a direct drive motor.
Fire Suppression Systems
A kitchen fire is a restaurant’s worse nightmare, and an effective fire suppression system is the first line of defense against it. Fire suppression systems differ in installation style and how they monitor and detect when a fire occurs.
- Electronic Detection: Accurex offers two types of electronic detection systems that send an electronic signal to the fire suppression system once the temperature in the exhaust hood reaches a certain level. One is the Amerex® Zone Defense system for heavy-duty cooking lines, and the other is the Amerex® KP system for kitchens with fixed appliances.
- Mechanical Detection: These systems use mechanical detectors (known as fusible links) that heat up until they reach their breaking point. When the fusible links melt, a signal is sent to the system actuator, releasing fire-suppression solution onto the appliances.
Adding Comfort, Efficiency, and Safety
Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems (DOAS)
These rooftop-mounted systems help commercial kitchens meet ASHRAE’s recommendation of a temperature between 70º F and 75º F with 50% relative humidity, which is optimized for comfort. They pull in outdoor air and control its temperature and humidity before it enters the kitchen and dining spaces. In some cases, a single DOAS unit can replace both the make-up air and rooftop units. With demand control ventilation, the DOAS modulates its fan speed to adjust outdoor airflow based on building occupancy, which saves energy and operating costs.
XRV Dedicated Outdoor Air System
Controls
The more powerful and efficient your kitchen ventilation system is, the more important it is to have an easy-to-use control interface. Accurex PCB-based control packages are easy to install with plug-and-play connections and feature a standard full-color touchscreen for clear user interfacing.
- Constant Volume Controls: These allow single-point control of hoods, make-up air, exhaust fans, lighting, and more. They automatically activate the exhaust fans as soon as the hood-mounted temperature sensors detect cooking.
- Variable Volume Controls: These controls automatically modulate airflow based on demand to reduce energy consumption and costs. They can incorporate optics sensors that detect smoke and steam much more quickly than temperature sensors and adjust airflow accordingly.
Learn More
Accurex combines the many elements of a kitchen ventilation system to create one simplified solution. Let an Accurex ventilation expert walk you through how to customize a full system to your budget and needs.
You can also learn more about these topics in the following Accurex articles:
Accurex’s Advanced Controls Help Make Kitchens Safer and More Efficient
Direct Gas-Fired Make-Up Air Units with R-454B Refrigerant Pass Rigorous Safety Testing
Understanding Certifications, Regulations, and Codes in Commercial Kitchens
Properly Equipped Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems Maximize Indoor Air Quality
Overcoming Uncomfortable Kitchen Environments
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