ACDC Lane – Duct Exhaust Fire Creates Havoc

Punters at a popular Melbourne restaurant were shaken ‘all night long’ in ACDC Lane last week due to a fire in exhaust ducts of the restaurant’s commercial kitchen.

In addition, residents in a connected apartment building were evacuated as smoke from the fire billowed up through the duct system shared by both the commercial kitchen and the apartment block.

Fire sprinklers and fire alarms were set off throughout the residential building, with damage to both the commercial kitchen and apartment block.

Clean Air Filtration does not know the details relating to this particular fire. However, more generally, it is another reminder for both Restaurant Owners and Owner Corporations of how important it is to regularly clean commercial kitchens.

Many stakeholders do not realise that insurance policies relating to fire damage to restaurants and commercial kitchens are invalid if the commercial kitchen does not comply with commercial kitchen cleaning regulations as per Australian standard A.S. 1851-2005.

So, as well as dealing with the short-term issues relating to the fire clean up, restaurant owners may also fall foul of insurance companies and their fire policies.

In many cases, this will result in the closure of the restaurant as repair bills mount for both the restaurant and surrounding apartment blocks.

Owners Corporations of residential apartment buildings with commercial kitchens operating within the building should also take note. Avoidance is a better outcome than having to work through a ‘can of worms’ relating to a non-compliant commercial kitchen cleaning strategy.

Owners Corporations are advised to be ‘hands on’ when it comes to ensuring all commercial kitchens under their control have a compliant kitchen cleaning process in place.

Although the obligation to comply with commercial kitchen cleaning regulations lies with the restaurant owner, this knowledge will be no consolation if a kitchen fire guts your building.

Australian standard A.S. 1851-2005 outlines that a commercial kitchen duct exhaust system must be professionally cleaned in a twelve month period in order to comply.

Clean Air Filtration’s extensive range of duct cleaning and commercial kitchen cleaning services include:

• Grease Cleaning and Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Service
• Full Commercial Kitchen Cleaning & Sanitising
• Kitchen Grease Filter Exchange Service
• Canopy and Duct Work System Cleaning
• Commercial high-pressure steam cleaning
• Programmed Maintenance Scheduling

<h4>Top 4 Reasons To Clean Your Air Ducts</h4>

1. Protect against sickness
2. Protect against litigation
3. Protect against fire
4. Reduce HVAC Operating costs

<h4>Our Preventative Maintenance Process</h4>

1. Systematic Video Inspection
2. Conduct Air Quality Tests
3. Make Recommendations
4. HVAC Cleaning
5. Present comprehensive Final Report

<h4>Benefits of Duct Cleaning</h4>

1. Reduction in Dust
2. Reduction in Bacterias and Allergens
3. Superior Indoor Air Quality