LOVE MY PIZZA:
I’m in need of a pizza oven hood, and exhaust installer. Not sure if I need makeup air or not. Anyone know of anyone in the Lasalle county Illinois area, that has experience, and could do the job. Thank You
Any competent HVAC company can install a hood system
Ventilation is the type of equipment that you best spend a little more up front for or you will pay much more, every day, in operating costs. In addition to costs, comfort in the pizza shop is to a great extent dependent on a well designed ventilation system.
Four things have to be accomplished. First the hood system should be designed to remove all baking vapors and much of the heat generated by your ovens. The hood cannot extract radiant heat.
Second, by national building codes, you are required to replace every cubic foot of air you exhaust through your hood, through rest room ventilators or any other system that removes air from your building
The third thing to be accomplished is to have an environment that is comfortable for both workers and customers.
The fourth thing to be accomplished is to achieve the first three at reasonable cost but not so cheep that the costs of operating the system are to high.
Hoods can be built By any fabricating shop that has NSF approval and builds hoods that conform to the National Fire Protection Association’s standards.
After the above there are hoods built to the above standards but have also been submitted to UL or ETL and tested to determine the exhaust rates at which they can accomplish their tasks and have been so certified.
Hoods submitted and certified carry approved exhaust rates often half of the rates of exhaust required of not certified hoods. That saves a lot. A rule of the thumb is, the make up air will cost you at least a dollar for each CFM required. Lower exhaust rates equal lower make up air and savings in operating costs.
It is best to have your ventilation system make up air supplied through your HVAC system. It will be warm in the winter and cool in the summer and workers and customers will be more comfortable.
The cost of your ventilation system will depend on the physical dimensions of your oven and the amount of A/C needed to supply make up air.
Many hood people specify make up air units. Most of those type units warm incomeing winter air but do not cool summer air. You get superheated summer air off your roof dumped into your kitchen with that type of unit. That heat and often high humidity not only makes the work environment very uncomfortable but it also raises havoc with your dough.
George Mills
