Five Practical Checks for Kitchen Exhaust Maintenance
A clear kitchen exhaust maintenance plan makes it easier to organise cleaning and retrieve evidence. These five checks help restaurant and café operators ask the right questions without relying on blanket compliance promises.
1. Identify the full system
A clean canopy does not prove that hidden ductwork has been cleaned. Review the plenum behind the filters, duct runs, bends, fan and discharge point within the agreed scope. Inaccessible sections should be identified, not silently omitted. Clean Air Filtration can supply and install duct access hatches where required, with placement and suitability assessed for the system.
2. Set the schedule from requirements and findings
AS 1851 provides the relevant routine-service framework for kitchen exhaust maintenance. The applicable requirements, inspection findings, cooking load and any insurer or building-specific conditions should inform the service plan. Do not assume one annual booking is suitable for every kitchen. Keep filter inspections separate from full-system cleaning.
3. Check filter condition and fit
Look for damage, gaps, heavy deposits or grease returning quickly. Raise concerns with the maintenance provider and use a suitable filter exchange schedule. Do not wait for the next booked full-system clean to report a known problem.
4. Confirm safe access and working arrangements
Discuss isolation, food protection, operating restrictions and any ceiling or roof access needed. Hatch work should be assessed and included in the quotation where required, not assumed to be part of an unrelated booking.
5. Retain the report and follow up limitations
Keep the agreed scope, service date, before-and-after photographs, PDF report, inaccessible sections and recommended follow-up together. A service report documents the work completed; the insurer, auditor or relevant authority determines whether it meets their requirements. Review any outstanding actions before the next service and ask the insurer or building manager about their documentation requirements.
Arrange a commercial service
Clean Air Filtration provides commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning in Melbourne and Victoria. Tell us your site location, system details, access restrictions and operating hours so we can discuss the cleaning scope. Call (03) 9303 9661 or email sales@cleanair.com.au.
Every client receives a client portal, including one-off services. Completed-service PDF reports and job photos are available there. See our service records guide for what to keep with your maintenance history.
Cover image: AI-generated editorial illustration of representative equipment or premises, not a client-site photograph.