Grease accumulation in kitchen extract systems is one of the leading causes of commercial kitchen fires in the UK. Here's why — and what reduces the risk.
Why grease is dangerous
Every service, the extract system pulls grease-laden vapour off the cooking line. Some is caught by the filters, but the rest condenses and hardens inside the canopy and ductwork. Over weeks and months this builds into a thick, highly flammable layer lining the system.
All it takes is a flare-up at the cooking line — a flame catching fat in a pan, a fryer overheating — and that flame can be drawn up into the grease-coated ductwork, where it has fuel running the length of the building. A fire that starts as a small flare can spread fast through a neglected extract system.
How cleaning manages the risk
Regular TR19 extract cleaning removes that fuel. Stripping the canopy, ductwork and fan back to bare metal at the right frequency means a flare-up at the cooking line stays a flare-up, rather than becoming a building fire. It's the single most effective thing you can do to manage extract fire risk — and it's what your insurer and fire-risk assessor expect to see documented.
Request a free quote for a documented clean across Cardiff and South Wales.
Frequently Asked Questions
Doesn't my fire alarm cover this?
Detection helps, but prevention is better — a clean extract system removes the fuel a fire would spread through in the first place.
How does cleaning help my fire-risk assessment?
Documented TR19 cleaning is evidence for the catering section of your fire-risk assessment, showing you're managing the grease risk.