Catering Insight – February 2018

1

A Halton island

canopy complete

with built-in UV- C

for grease and

odour control and

a fire suppression

system to cover at-

risk appliances.

2

Mansfield Pollard

offers the demand-

controlled Eco-

Sense control panel.

What fire safety factors should

dealers consider when specifying

kitchen ventilation systems?

Mansfield Pollard, Scott Donoghue,

head of projects and kitchen ventilation:

The increasing popularity of catering

appliances that use solid fuel as a means

of cooking requires a level of ventilation

above and beyond that of a standard

commercial kitchen extract system.

The updated version of the BESA

Specification for Kitchen Ventilation

Systems – DW172 launched on 25

January 2018. This includes guidance for

ventilating solid fuel burning appliances

and it is essential that this document is

complied with in its entirety.

Creosote is an oily liquid produced

by the distillation of wood tar. In the

ventilation system, creosote behaves

like grease-laden vapours and has a

high flammability risk. It is essential

that the following criteria are met when

V

entilation systems

are crucial in most

professional kitchens, but

they can be a technical

minefield for distributors to pick

through. Therefore Catering Insight has

separated specification consideration

into four key areas: fire safety, cleaning,

control and energy efficiency, and

asked manufacturer experts to give

dealers a clear idea of what to look

out for.

This touches on subject areas such

as ensuring solid fuel-burning cooking

appliances remain safe, plus the

benefits of both demand-controlled

ventilation and UV canopies.

Responding manufacturers comprised:

Mansfield Pollard, HVAC Kitchen

Ventilation, Halton Foodservice,

Corsair Engineering and Britannia.

PROFESSIONAL KITCHENS ALMOST UNIVERSALLY REQUIRE SOME VENTILATION AND

EXTRACT SYSTEMS, BUT FOR DEALERS SPECIFYING THESE APPLIANCES, IT CAN BE

CONFUSING AS TO THE ELEMENTS THEY NEED TO BRING TOGETHER TO OBTAIN THE

MOST SUITABLE SYSTEM. CATERING INSIGHT HELPS TO CLEAR THE AIR ON THE ISSUE.

A FRESH TAKE

FIRE SAFETY

ventilating a wood-burning appliance:

• The appliance(s) shall be located
  beneath a stand-alone, suitably
  designed and equipped canopy
  and ventilation system.


• The canopy must incorporate
  some form of spark arrestor to
  discourage any burning embers
  from the appliance being drawn
  through the canopy and into the
  ductwork system where they
  could start a fire.


• All fans must have the motors out
  of the airstream and impellers
  must have metal blades.


• The complete extract duct system
  shall be manufactured from
  stainless steel, constructed to
  DW/144 specification.

HVAC Kitchen Ventilation, Ian Levin,

general manager: The main fire

safety factors for dealers to consider

are construction, materials, grease

separation, fan configurations, fire rating

of ductwork routes and fire suppression.

Obviously, extract systems are

the highest risk because of the

contaminants they transport but

considerations must also encompass

return supply-air to the kitchen space

as well. Materials and construction

of the ventilation system (canopies

and ductwork) are critical as poor

manufacture techniques can have a

detrimental effect upon the system’s

ability to contain fire and to be cleaned.

Grease separators ( filters) must be

properly sized for the canopy’s specified

airflow design such that they are

operating within the manufacturer’s

stated grease efficiency performance

band. If this is not achieved, the grease

removal efficiency can be seriously

affected and large quantities of grease

can pass through the filters and become

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VENTILATION / SPECIFICATION

C AT E R I N G INSIGHT / FEBRUARY 2018 / http://www.cateringinsight.com