Kitchen Exhaust & Hood Cleaning
Grease Duct Cleaning in Hyattsville, MD
The duct between your hood and your roof is where most hidden grease collects. We clear it so a small kitchen fire cannot travel.
The part of the exhaust system nobody sees
Between the hood over your cooking line and the fan on your roof runs a metal duct, sometimes only a few feet, sometimes the full height of a building. Grease that passes through the filters coats the inside of that duct. Because you cannot see it, it can build for years, especially at elbows and along vertical runs where grease collects and hardens.
That is the reason grease duct cleaning gets so much attention from fire officials. A grease fire that starts on your line and reaches a coated duct can spread through the building quickly. A cleaned duct removes that fuel path.
Cleaning a duct depends on being able to reach it. Access panels let us open the duct at intervals along its run. When panels are missing or blocked, we will tell you, because a duct we cannot reach is a duct we cannot properly clean.
Signs your grease duct needs cleaning
- Nobody can say when the duct was last opened or cleaned
- Grease staining or dripping at duct seams or rooftop connections
- No visible access panels along the duct run
- An inspector or insurer has mentioned the ductwork
- The duct runs through a shaft, ceiling or upper floors of your building
How we clean a grease duct
Map the duct run
We trace the duct from the hood to the fan and find every access panel and clean-out.
Protect the area
Floors, ceilings and roof areas around access points are protected from grease and rinse water.
Open and scrape
Panels are opened and the duct interior is scraped to remove thick, hardened deposits.
Degrease and rinse
Remaining film is degreased and the duct section is cleaned as far as access allows.
Inspect and close
We look for leaks at the seams, close the panels securely and note any sections we could not reach.
What affects the price of grease duct cleaning
Duct cleaning is priced by how much duct there is and how easy it is to reach:
- Length and size of the duct. Long vertical runs and large-diameter ducts take much more time than a short horizontal one.
- Number of bends. Elbows are where grease pools, and each one adds time.
- Access panels. Good panels make cleaning faster. Missing ones may need to be added before the duct can be cleaned.
- Buildup. A duct that has not been cleaned in years takes more scraping than one on a regular schedule.
- Building layout. Duct that runs through finished spaces or upper floors needs extra protection and planning.
Why choose us for grease duct cleaning
A duct is only as clean as our access to it. We are straight with you about what we can reach, what we cannot, and what it would take to fix that, instead of cleaning the first panel and calling it done.
We work as an insured, registered company, which matters on a job that opens up the inside of your building.
We clean grease ducts for restaurants in and around Hyattsville, including Hyattsville, MD and Washington, DC.
Grease duct cleaning questions
How do I know if my duct has access panels?
They are small hatches in the duct, usually every few feet on a long run and at changes in direction. If you cannot find any, the duct may be unreachable, and we can inspect and recommend where to add them.
How often does a grease duct need cleaning?
It depends on cooking volume. Heavy fryer and charbroiler use fills a duct faster than a light menu. Your inspector and the NFPA 96 schedule for your cooking type are the guides.
Is the duct cleaned at the same time as the hood?
It can be. Doing the hood, duct and fan on the same visit is efficient, but each is scoped and quoted so you know exactly what is covered.
What if my duct runs through several floors?
Long vertical runs are common in multi-story buildings. We map the run, find the access points and plan the work, which may take longer than a single-story system.
What happens if you find a leak in the duct?
We tell you where and what we saw. Duct repair is a different trade, but we will document the problem so you can have it fixed.
Related services
Restaurant Hood Cleaning
Degrease the hood canopy and the exhaust path above your cooking line so grease never builds up unseen.
Learn more →
Hood Filter Cleaning
Degrease the baffle filters that catch grease first, the cheapest layer of fire protection in your kitchen.
Learn more →
Exhaust Fan Cleaning
Clean the rooftop fan that pulls grease-laden air out of the kitchen, where the heaviest buildup collects.
Learn more →Get your grease duct cleaned
Tell us where your duct runs and when it was last opened. We will scope and quote the work.