PADUCAH · KY
Kitchen Hood Suppression Inspection in Paducah, KY
We keep up with the due date so you don't have to.
If you cook with grease under a hood, there's a fire suppression system up there. Most days nobody thinks about it. Then the fire marshal walks in, or the insurance company calls, and they want proof the hood isn't past due for service.
We inspect and service kitchen hood systems out of our Paducah shop at 1333 N 8th St. The Class K by the line gets done on the same visit. We've been on North 8th since 1984, so the truck that shows up is coming from across town. We're 5-Star Rated on Google. Call 1-800-348-9604 when you're ready to get on the calendar.
How a hood system works
A cable runs across the hood over the cooking appliances. Along that cable are fusible links — small metal pieces held together with solder that melts at a set temperature. When a grease fire gets going, the heat melts a link, the cable goes slack, and that trips the release.
The release lets gas from a cartridge push wet chemical out of the tank, up the pipe, and out the nozzles. There's a nozzle aimed at each appliance, plus nozzles in the hood and up in the duct. At the same time, the gas to the cook line shuts off. On electric equipment, the power shuts off.
The wet chemical reacts with the hot grease and turns the top of it into a soapy layer that holds the fire down. It also cools the grease so it doesn't light back up. Every one of those parts has to work, in order, the one time you need it.
What we check on every visit
Once we're there, we go through the whole system. Grease builds up on the links and changes how they react to heat, so we replace them every service. Each nozzle has to be clear, capped, and pointed at the right appliance. If somebody slid the fryer or added a griddle, the nozzles may not cover it anymore, and we catch that.
We check the tank and cartridge. With the cartridge out so nothing discharges, we trip the system and make sure the release works and the gas valve actually closes. The pull station has to be easy to reach on the way out of the kitchen, not behind a rack. If the system is hooked to the building's fire alarm, we check that too.
Then it gets reset and sealed, and we leave a report on site. Between meals is easiest, but we can work while you're cooking. We don't shut you down.
Call 1-800-348-9604 and we'll put it on the calendar.
The Class K by the line
A hood system needs a Class K extinguisher close to the cook line. Class K is wet chemical too — the same kind of agent as the hood, in a hand unit. Pull the station first and let the system go. When the hood system goes off, it kills the gas and the power to the cook line. That matters, because Class K agent is about 1,257 times more electrically conductive than water. Use the K after the system has already cut the power, if there's still fire. The K backs up the hood. It doesn't replace it.
We inspect and service the Class K on the same visit as the hood. The ABC extinguishers around the kitchen, the office, and the dining room can be done on that visit too. More on fire extinguisher service in Paducah.
How often it has to be done
A kitchen hood system gets inspected and serviced every six months. The fire marshal wants proof. Your insurance company wants proof. Some landlords and franchise owners want it too. We leave a report. After that, we keep the due dates. You don't have to think about them.
If something on the line changes — a new fryer, a moved appliance, a remodel — call us before you run it. A system set up for the old layout may not cover the new one.
Paducah kitchens
Our headquarters is at 1333 N 8th St, Paducah, KY 42001. We've been on North 8th since 1984, over 40 years. The techs who work Paducah run out of this building.
We take care of restaurant kitchens downtown and in Lower Town, the chain kitchens out on Hinkleville Rd and US 60, church fellowship halls with a real hood over the stove, school kitchens, and hospital kitchens. A lot of our Paducah customers already have us on the hood over the cook line, not just the extinguishers.
From the same shop we also work kitchens in Mayfield, Murray, Calvert City, Benton, Clinton, Metropolis IL, and Marion IL. More on commercial kitchen fire protection and suppression systems.
Still got an old dry chemical system up there?
Older hood systems used dry chemical. They were built before today's cooking oils, which burn hotter and hold heat longer. UL 300 is the fire test kitchen systems are held to now, and most old dry chemical systems weren't built to pass it. Not sure what's up there? We'll tell you when we look. More on the difference: wet chemical vs. dry chemical.
If it goes off
Once a hood system discharges, you can't cook under it until it's recharged and back in service. Call 1-800-348-9604. We offer 24-hour emergency service, so if you need us, we come. We'll recharge the system and get the line going again.
The wet chemical leaves a soapy film on the appliances. That film has to be cleaned off before you cook again.
Paducah kitchen questions
- Can you take over a system somebody else put in?
- Yes. We'll walk it, tell you what shape it's in, and put it on your calendar.
- Do I have to close the kitchen?
- No. Between meals is easiest, but we can work while you're cooking. We don't shut you down.
- We moved our fryer. Does that matter?
- Yes. The nozzles are aimed at where the appliances used to be. Call us before the fire marshal finds it.
- Is hood cleaning the same as a suppression inspection?
- No. Hood cleaning gets the grease out of the hood and duct. A suppression inspection makes sure the fire system works. You need both. We don't do hood cleaning. That's a job for a hood cleaning company. We take care of the suppression system.
Get your hood on the calendar
Call 1-800-348-9604. Tell us where the kitchen is and what's cooking under the hood, and we'll get you scheduled. Or send it through the free quote form.
Free quote
Tell us what you need.
Tell us what you’ve got and where it is, and we’ll call you to set up a visit. If you’re not sure what you need, that’s fine. We’ll walk it and tell you.
Name, phone, email, company / site name, and what you need. It goes to sales@firstlinefire.com.