Adding a fryer or charbroiler under the wrong hood
Sliding a fryer or broiler into a spot meant for an oven often puts it outside hood coverage or past what the fan can pull. We check the length, the airflow and the suppression coverage first.
Serving Berwyn & nearby Oak Park, Chicago
Commercial Kitchen Hood Installation in Berwyn, IL
Type I and Type II exhaust hoods, grease duct, exhaust fans and makeup air installed for restaurants and food-service kitchens in Berwyn.
- Commercial kitchens across Berwyn ZIP 60402
- Nights, early mornings and closed days
- Coordination with the fire and health inspectors
Hood and ventilation problems we solve for Berwyn kitchens
We build commercial kitchen exhaust in Berwyn from the cook line up through the roof. That covers the hood itself, a liquid-tight grease duct with proper clearances, the exhaust fan, tempered makeup air and coordination with your fire suppression contractor, plus the drawings the village and fire department want to see.
Doors whistle and the kitchen is under heavy negative pressure
If the back door is hard to open or the front door whistles, the exhaust is pulling more air out than the building can replace. A properly sized makeup air unit corrects it.
Grease odor reaching neighbors
Cooking odor drifting into neighboring units or a patio usually means the discharge is too low or too close to air intakes. We review the fan location and termination.
Smoke rolls out past the hood
Smoke spilling into the kitchen means capture has failed. Common causes are too little overhang, a tired fan belt or a building starved for replacement air.
Grease dripping from the hood or fan
A hood should hold its grease until it's cleaned. Drips mean a seam, a duct joint or the fan's containment has failed, and we repair or replace that part.
School, church or daycare kitchen upgrade
Institutional kitchens often run old hoods that were fine for warming food but not for frying or griddle work. We match the hood to how the kitchen is used today.
Exhaust fan noisy, slipping or dead
Fans wear out from grease and heat. We assess whether a motor and belt will do or whether a new fan is the sensible move.
New restaurant needs a hood before opening
Build-outs stall when the hood is an afterthought. We size the canopy, route the duct and plan makeup air early, so the mechanical permit and final inspection line up with your opening.
What the job covers
- Site survey and equipment reviewA walk of the kitchen and roof with your equipment schedule in hand, to see what the system has to cover.
- System design and sizingWe size the canopy, airflow, fan and replacement air to match the appliances underneath.
- Permit drawings and plan reviewWe prepare the permit set and answer plan review comments from the building and fire officials.
- Hood hangingWe set the hood on threaded rod or brackets anchored to the structure, square to the cook line.
- Exhaust fan installationAn upblast exhaust fan on a hinged base with grease containment, wired to the hood controls.
- Makeup airReplacement air sized to the exhaust so the kitchen stays near neutral pressure.
- Start-up and airflow checkFans and makeup air started, balanced and checked so the hood captures smoke at full cooking.
What goes into the system
Type II hoodA heat and condensate hood for dish machines, steamers and ovens that don't produce grease.
Stainless and galvanized constructionExposed hoods are usually stainless steel; concealed parts may be galvanized where the standard allows.
Type I hoodThe grease hood for fryers, griddles, ranges and broilers, with listed baffle filters and fire suppression.
Makeup air unitUntempered or heated makeup air, depending on volume, climate and how the space is used.
Baffle filtersListed stainless or aluminum baffles that trap grease and keep flame out of the duct.
Kitchens like yours in Berwyn: before and after
Before
Installed
DetailBefore and after: a bakery kitchen in Berwyn
A bakery kitchen near South Berwyn, a typical kitchen for Berwyn. The reason for the call: an exhaust system that had been written up at inspection. The result: a new stainless type I exhaust hood with fire suppression nozzles over the cook line. The job covered site survey and equipment review, hood hanging, plus start-up and airflow check.
Before
AfterOak Park kitchen, cafe kitchen: commercial kitchen hood installation
A cafe kitchen near Ridgeland-Oak Park Historic District, a typical kitchen for Oak Park. The reason for the call: a hood that let smoke roll into the kitchen. The result: a new stainless type I exhaust hood with fire suppression nozzles over the cook line. On site this meant site survey and equipment review, permit drawings and plan review, plus exhaust fan installation.
Commercial Kitchen Hood Installation in Oak Park →
Before
AfterBerwyn kitchen, cafe kitchen: commercial hood cleaning
The same hood degreased to bare stainless with an inspection sticker area.
Commercial Hood Cleaning in Berwyn →
Before
AfterBefore and after: a bakery kitchen in Berwyn
Finished: the same interceptor pumped and the lid closed, service hose coiled on the truck.
Grease Trap Installation & Cleaning in Berwyn →
Before
AfterBefore and after: a prewar foursquare in Berwyn
Soft sage-green inset-style cabinets with unlacquered brass hardware, honed white marble-look quartz counters, a white handmade-look square tile backsplash, restored oak strip floor and schoolhouse pendant lights.
Kitchen Remodeling in Berwyn →From survey to sign-off
- Call with your equipment listSend the equipment schedule, floor plan or a few photos of the line and the roof.
- Site surveyWe walk the kitchen, ceiling space and roof to plan the duct route and fan location.
- Written proposal and permitsYou get a written, itemized proposal, then we prepare the drawings and file for permits.
- InstallationHood, duct, fan and makeup air go in, often scheduled around your build-out or off-hours.
- Testing and inspectionThe system is started, balanced and inspected, and you get the closeout paperwork.
Commercial Kitchen Hood Installation questions from Berwyn businesses
What code does a commercial hood have to meet?
The main standard is NFPA 96. Your village's mechanical code and fire prevention office set how it's applied and inspected locally.
Who installs and services the fire suppression system?
The suppression system is the suppression contractor's work. We build the hood to accept it and schedule our work around their installation and test.
Do I need a hood for my equipment?
Tell us the equipment list. Grease-producing cooking needs a Type I hood, steam and heat may need a Type II, and some listed ventless units need none.
Can you reuse the hood that came with my space?
Sometimes. We check its type, size, condition, duct and suppression against your equipment and tell you whether it can stay.
Do I need a permit to install a restaurant hood?
Yes. A commercial hood needs a mechanical permit with plan review, and the fire department reviews the hood and suppression system.
Who inspects kitchen hoods and fire safety in Berwyn?
Fire Prevention Bureau (Fire Marshal), (708) 749-6523. We schedule the inspection and have the paperwork ready.
Do I need a Berwyn-registered contractor for hood installation?
Contractors must be licensed and bonded with Berwyn; $10,000 surety bond and liability insurance naming the City per license (per licensing form. We take care of that before work starts.
What is the Berwyn building department phone number?
Permits go through Building Department, City of Berwyn, phone 708-788-2660. When your scope needs one, we prepare the application and schedule the inspections.
Do you work in my part of Berwyn?
Yes. Our crews work across Berwyn, including South Berwyn, South Oak Park area, Depot District, LaVergne — ZIP 60402 — and nearby Oak Park, Chicago, Oak Brook.
Working in Berwyn
- Kitchens in Berwyn keep cooking as long as possible: we schedule the noisy work for off-hours.
- When a permit is required, we prepare the submittal for Building Department, City of Berwyn and meet the fire inspector on site.
- Insurance certificates, site access and landlord requirements are sorted out before work starts.
South BerwynSouth Oak Park areaDepot DistrictLaVergneOgden Avenue
ZIP 60402
Commercial Kitchen Hood Installation nearby
Other kitchen services in Berwyn
Commercial Hood CleaningHood, duct and roof fan degreased to bare metal, after hours.
Grease Trap Installation & CleaningTraps and interceptors installed, cleaned and logged for inspectors.
Kitchen RemodelingFull kitchen remodels, from layout to last cabinet pull.
Kitchen Cabinet PaintingFactory-smooth painted cabinets without replacing them.
Cabinet RefacingNew doors and fronts on your existing cabinet boxes.