Hello,
City of Denton is telling us we are required to have a Vent Hood system, was curious if anyone else ran into this issue. Seems weird to have both a vent tube and hood system. Or would you just eliminate the tube all together. City code(s) really don’t describe anything for a WFO, just anything that emits grease vapors or smoke. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
~Chad
Just curious, what kind of cooking equipment are you running?
An Acunto…
Sound like my ex wife, bazinga
Seriously tho, every county is different although most now require a type 1 hood for a conveyor oven if that’s what an Acunto is. Haven’t heard of any county needing you to use atype 1 for a deck oven yet but I’m sure it’s not far off as theyre much more safe than type 2, but sadly much more expensive for us restaurant owners. Mine is top of the line 10 ft captive air and cost $17k fully installed with permits. Good luck.
I think that what type of hood is required depends on the type of oven and output. Our city uses the national building code but many places have their own. Where we are we were able to have a couple of small electric conveyors (like lincoln 1100 series) with no hood at all back when we had that location. Switch to gas and we would have needed a hood. Higher heat output and we needed a hood.
My guess is that George will chime in here with good info soon.
The national cod dictates that all ovens must be under a hood. Local jurisdictions can add additional requirements but they cannot reduce them.
I think that perhaps just a hood over the oven entrance would take care of your problem.
If you do not have a contact with a hood company we can draw a plan for you to submit to your Building Department.
Note to the gentleman with the electric ovens. I can only guess that your use is grand fathered in as now electric ovens must be under a hood. The object of the ventilation system is to remove grease laden vapors. It makes no difference if the vapors are created by gas, electric or any other system.
George Mills
Actually that location is closed now but it operated from 1994 to 2009. Maybe it was grandfathered back then? I know that when we added a third oven to the stack the rules changed.
It’s actually a WFO that will be used in a Food Truck. The oven will have a vent tube that extends up and out the roof of the enclosure. We’re a little confused because we don’t see why or how we would actually use both. If we eliminate the vent tube and just go with a hood system, it’s going to be extremely hot inside our truck.
I do not suggest that you eliminate the vent tube, only that a small eyebrow hood be added to satisfy your inspector.
George Mills
Have them cite the code they are referring to, read it thoroughly, and I can almost guarantee that this person is misapplying it.
You cannot have negative pressure with a WFO, Plus a WFO does not create “Grease Laden Vapors” so a hood and fire suppression system is not required.
I’ve played this inspector game multiple times, when I hear 'What I’d like to see" from an inspector it immediately puts me in attack mode and I get them to try to show my the statute, funny how they can never do that and I always win.
What i would like to see … is a Health inspector who actually knows what they are saying.
I’m gonna need to disagree, because my experience is that when that sentence is said by a regulatory agent, they are making up their own rules instead of enforcing the laws as written,
I think what he is saying is he would like to see a health inspector that knows the real regulations not an interpretation of the rules.
The code states that is the minimum a jurisdiction must in force but they can add any local requirements they find necessary
True, But it is outside of an inspectors scope to make up their own regulations as they go. There must be some basis in law through elected officials otherwise we have a tyrant situation.
Damn the Man! Damn the Empire!!!
Health Inspectors do not approve hoods it is the building departments jurisdiction.
George Mills
Correct,
The point that I am trying to make is that some inspectors will say things must be done a certain way, but if “That certain way” is not written in the codes that they are tasked to enforce, where would the basis in fact be?
The only instance where someone can legitimately make demands with no basis in fact is the insurance underwriters, government agencies can be fought to adhere to laws as written, insurance companies can simply say no, and you must either meet their demands, or find another insurer. This basically spells out the differences between private market and government entities.