Know when the hood is due — and what a real clean includes.

IKECA certification What CECT/CECS/CESI prove about a person — and what they don’t prove about the company or the job. Before/after photos Why canopy vanity shots fail insurance review, and which path photos to demand. Solid-fuel monthly check Wood/charcoal kitchens: monthly inspection floor, creosote, spark arrestors, full-system proof. Fryer-line quarterly planner Map a heavy fryer bank to the high-volume row and lock a 90-day inspection/clean plan. Moderate-volume semi-annual Sit-down restaurant 6-month inspection planner — and when you must upgrade the row. Low-volume / church annual Annual inspection floor for church, camp, seasonal, and senior kitchens. Rooftop fan access & quotes Missing hinges, hard roofs, and surprise rooftop add-ons that inflate bids. Missing duct access panels What to ask when openings are missing, blocked, or undersized. After-hours premiums When night/weekend surcharges are worth it — and when to push daytime. Reinspection fee research How to find your city’s fire marshal reinspection fee schedule. Hood cleaning & insurance What loss-control files usually want — label, reports, schedule, photos. Not insurance advice. Class K placement FAQ 30 ft travel, mounting, placard — portable backup vs hood system and cleaning. Hood filters: clean vs replace When baffles can be washed and reused — and when warping, gaps, or mesh mean replace. Grease cup / rooftop containment 1-gal receptacle, drain path, UL 710A containment — roof inspection points. Questions before signing a contract Scope, COI, photos/report, cancellation, multi-hood — ask before you lock in. Red flags: uninsured & too-cheap No COI, canopy-only, fake NFPA company claims — walk-away list. Multi-hood systems pricing Line-item vs lump sum, shared duct/fan, what belongs on a multi-hood quote sheet. Food truck / trailer hoods Compact Type I systems, AHJ cadence, mobile permit patterns, docs to keep aboard. Hotel banquet vs QSR frequency Volume/fuel drive the tier — not the business label; event spikes vs steady fryers. Documentation binder on-site Label, reports, panel tags, suppression + extinguisher tabs — marshal-ready stack. Vendor after an AHJ violation Read the notice, split grease vs suppression vs access, rebid with reports — not sticker-only. Suppression vs hood cleaning NFPA 17A ITM vs NFPA 96 KEC path — who resets nozzles, what tab holds which reports. Comparing 3 local quotes Spreadsheet template: scope and docs first, price second — no invented ranges. Grease depth thresholds Secondary 0.002 / 0.078 / 0.125 in split — verify your AHJ’s NFPA edition. Inspection vs cleaning Table 12.4 inspect cadence ≠ automatic clean — depth thresholds trigger the job. Phil Ackland vs IKECA Training school vs association credentials — neither certifies the company. Service label on the hood Date, technician name, provider contact — sticker fields vs the written report. Two-week report windows Secondary ~14-day written report clock after inspection/cleaning — demand the PDF. Verify cleaner insurance & WC ACORD 25 checklist — call the insurer; certificate holder ≠ additional insured. Staff filter wash vs pro deep clean Nightly baffles are staff work — they do not replace duct/fan professional cleans. Wok line exhaust cadence Table 12.4 high-volume quarterly for wok cooking — tighter than sit-down semiannual. Charbroiler quarterly calendar Q1–Q4 visit windows for gas/electric char lines — grease + carbon, not canopy-only. BBQ / smokehouse creosote + grease Solid-fuel monthly — grease + creosote, long ducts, spark arrestors, ash vs grease waste. Wood-fired pizza oven schedule Monthly solid-fuel row for wood ovens — spark arrestors, vertical creosote, not quarterly restaurant contracts. 24-hour diner exhaust planning High-volume quarterly for 24-hour cooking — staged cleans, after-hours windows, staff filters vs pro deep clean. Ghost / shared kitchen hood duties Lease vs owner default, shared risers, certificate custody — verify the agreement; not legal advice. Landlord vs tenant who pays Pay vs schedule vs certificate custody — §4.1.5 owner default, strip/CAM patterns; verify lease. Franchise brand vs local NFPA Brand facilities cadence vs adopted edition — stricter wins; dual docs for auditor and AHJ. What “bare metal clean” means Outcome vs canopy wipe — verify plenum, duct, fan with photos and report language. Chemical runoff & grease waste What to ask before the clean: storm vs sanitary, SDS, hauler vs interceptor. Rooftop grease containment systems Cup vs UL 710A pad — what containment does/doesn’t do; when to add it. Exhaust fan hinge checklist Hinge + hold-open for upblast fans — retrofit vs lift-off; work-order language. Vertical duct sections that get skipped Multi-story risers crews skip — floor-by-floor access vs hood-only cleans. Horizontal duct runs & panel spacing Direction changes, ≤12 ft openings, high doors — walk the run before you bid. Makeup air & exhaust balance Door slam / smoke spill — when it’s HVAC/TAB, not another hood clean. Post-clean fan spin & suppression checks End-of-job: fan spin, belts, hinge; who resets suppression vs cleaner. Photo evidence for insurance renewals Renewal-prep pack: match report + label + path photos before the broker asks. Digital vs paper certificates What to keep in cloud vs print for the binder; label still on the hood. How long to retain cleaning records AHJ / carrier / lease keep-periods — secondary 3–5 year patterns; ask the longest. Emergency cleaning after a flare-up Safety first, then AHJ / suppression / hood cleaner triage — not DIY duct fighting. Scheduling around health inspections Health vs fire calendars — what each looks at near the hood; pre-inspection week checklist. Grease trap service with hood day Same-day FOG pump vs separate nights — pros/cons, sequence, what to ask each vendor. Used cooking oil pickup vs hood vendor Yellow grease recycle vs exhaust clean vs trap pump — three jobs, what each contract covers. School / cafeteria low-volume schedules Break windows, summer shutdown, fryer tier shifts; facilities vs food service owns the cadence. Senior living dining kitchen annual plans Senior center footnote vs SNF/AL three-meal lines; campus calendars; facilities vs dietary. Stadium / arena concession hood cadence Event-driven fryer load, dark windows, concourse vs commissary; owner vs concessionaire. Airport / travel plaza high-volume notes No airport NFPA carve-out; lease overlays; secure access; landlord vs concessionaire. Brewpub kitchen vs taproom-only (no fryers) Type I vs Type II; fryer brewpub ≠ beer-only taproom; solid-fuel pizza monthly floor. Catering commissary exhaust multi-user issues Event-spike grease, shared path pay/schedule, certificate custody; not a ghost-kitchen pod. Cost ranges: single hood (vendor-reported) Sourced vendor bands; regional Unknown outside cited markets — not a quote. Cost ranges: multi-hood systems (vendor-reported) Per-visit bands by hood count from named vendors; NYC sources disagree; regional Unknown. What drives quote variance Published add-ons for grease load, duct length, access, panels, rush work — and what to ask.

What a full-system clean includes Hood, filters, plenum, ducts, fan, grease containment — component by component. Quote checklist Questions to ask before you sign. Scope line items. When to omit prices.