What would you do?
- Thread starter Dave Olson
- Start date
Dave Olson
Workin North of 60
Dave Olson
Workin North of 60
Dave Olson
Workin North of 60
Dave Olson
Workin North of 60
When do you Blow the Whistle?
We received a call from an Oriental restaurant. The health inspector was there and the manager of the restaurant wanted me to come over right away to give them a bid for cleaning! We assumed the exhaust systems along with walls, equipment, etc (very hard to understand these folks). We have never done work in this kitchen before; they apparently got our name from the yellow pages.
When I arrived and talked with the owner, he said they needed the walls, and some shelving cleaned and the floor behind the woks. The walls are somewhat yellowed.
I asked about the exhaust system and was told that it just had been cleaned. I looked and sure enough there is a national contractors tag showing that it had recently been serviced. Filters were not cleaned and are grease bound (they have another service that exchanges them once per month)!
The owner explained that the health inspector instructed him to have the walls and shelving cleaned and then have a pest exterminator come in and get rid of the Bats that are in the kitchen! I asked to see the exhaust fan.
I believe that this is an example of a gross failure of the enforcement system (AHJ) to handle the ventilation of grease generating equipment.
All of my questions begin with WHY?
Why would it be designed this way? Why would the AHJ sign off when it was installed? Why would a national cleaning contractor only clean the plenum? Why didn’t the health inspector look outside the building? Why hasn’t the Fire Marshall inspected this system?
The yellowing on the walls (in my opinion) has been caused from lack of draw from the exhaust system. The bats probably are entering the kitchen via the exhaust system.
This building is a combination of shops, restaurants and apartments. When it catches fire I believe there will be loss of life!!
I have never contacted a fire department regarding any kitchen before, but this may be my first!
What would you guys do? Hard to just walk away and forget about it!
Oh, by the way, they didn’t want the fan and duct cleaned just the walls and stuff in the kitchen! They said the fan and duct are uncleanable!
Dave Olson
We received a call from an Oriental restaurant. The health inspector was there and the manager of the restaurant wanted me to come over right away to give them a bid for cleaning! We assumed the exhaust systems along with walls, equipment, etc (very hard to understand these folks). We have never done work in this kitchen before; they apparently got our name from the yellow pages.
When I arrived and talked with the owner, he said they needed the walls, and some shelving cleaned and the floor behind the woks. The walls are somewhat yellowed.
I asked about the exhaust system and was told that it just had been cleaned. I looked and sure enough there is a national contractors tag showing that it had recently been serviced. Filters were not cleaned and are grease bound (they have another service that exchanges them once per month)!
The owner explained that the health inspector instructed him to have the walls and shelving cleaned and then have a pest exterminator come in and get rid of the Bats that are in the kitchen! I asked to see the exhaust fan.
I believe that this is an example of a gross failure of the enforcement system (AHJ) to handle the ventilation of grease generating equipment.
All of my questions begin with WHY?
Why would it be designed this way? Why would the AHJ sign off when it was installed? Why would a national cleaning contractor only clean the plenum? Why didn’t the health inspector look outside the building? Why hasn’t the Fire Marshall inspected this system?
The yellowing on the walls (in my opinion) has been caused from lack of draw from the exhaust system. The bats probably are entering the kitchen via the exhaust system.
This building is a combination of shops, restaurants and apartments. When it catches fire I believe there will be loss of life!!
I have never contacted a fire department regarding any kitchen before, but this may be my first!
What would you guys do? Hard to just walk away and forget about it!
Oh, by the way, they didn’t want the fan and duct cleaned just the walls and stuff in the kitchen! They said the fan and duct are uncleanable!
Dave Olson
cgibson
facilisales Machine
Great photos!!!!!
I see stuff like that frequently. It is typical of many Chinese Restaurants.
I would walk away.
If they were interested in having the exhaust thoroughly cleaned along with the stuff in the kitchen then maybe and only maybe you should get involved.
Is this job worth your valuable time?
I see stuff like that frequently. It is typical of many Chinese Restaurants.
I would walk away.
If they were interested in having the exhaust thoroughly cleaned along with the stuff in the kitchen then maybe and only maybe you should get involved.
Is this job worth your valuable time?
Dave - Chris,
Both of you present some excellent photos. I need to start protecting myself with a photographic record. Could you please offer some hints - what camera? flash? zoom lens for 'creative' photos? I am a real novice so please use terms a novice can understand.
Tnx, Richard
Both of you present some excellent photos. I need to start protecting myself with a photographic record. Could you please offer some hints - what camera? flash? zoom lens for 'creative' photos? I am a real novice so please use terms a novice can understand.
Tnx, Richard
Phil Ackland
KEC Expert
Dave
I would enquire of the Fire Inspectors locally, whether they have any interest in exhaust systems. They may not and you are then wasting your time. Go find another job.
If you do find a listening ear, show them your pictures and give them the address of this place.
Personally I would have no qualms about timing the enquiry just after the exhaust cleaner has been there again.
Either you will begin to find some Inspectors that take an interest, or you will know a little better that they do not care. Either way you can then judge yourself accordingly when bidding jobs; and how hard you are going to try to get them cleaned right.
I would enquire of the Fire Inspectors locally, whether they have any interest in exhaust systems. They may not and you are then wasting your time. Go find another job.
If you do find a listening ear, show them your pictures and give them the address of this place.
Personally I would have no qualms about timing the enquiry just after the exhaust cleaner has been there again.
Either you will begin to find some Inspectors that take an interest, or you will know a little better that they do not care. Either way you can then judge yourself accordingly when bidding jobs; and how hard you are going to try to get them cleaned right.
Dave Olson
Workin North of 60
Camera used & software used for these pictures
Hello Richard,
The camera that I use is a Sony. Model MVC-CD250.
It uses small rewriteable CD’s. I use the highest setting that makes large pictures (800 Kbs or so). I then can resize it to fit my needs.
I can download from the camera direct to my PC. I try to put them in files for easy reference. We use Paint Shop Pro 5 to resize and or adjust the pictures.
More and more we use email to make proposals. Giving a client a picture can really help in presentations. I recently got a color printer. Now we can include color pictures with our snail mail proposals.
Got the camera at Wally World. Like all things there is a learning curve but it is really a great tool. Another thing I’ve done with it is view the interior of ducts. The camera has a zoom feature so at times I’ve taken a picture of the interior of a duct that I was unable to look at directly. The zoom allows you to view parts of the duct up close that are maybe 20 feet away!
Dave Olson
Ps: You can also use it to take pictures of your Boys Toys. Here is a few of mine.
Hello Richard,
The camera that I use is a Sony. Model MVC-CD250.
It uses small rewriteable CD’s. I use the highest setting that makes large pictures (800 Kbs or so). I then can resize it to fit my needs.
I can download from the camera direct to my PC. I try to put them in files for easy reference. We use Paint Shop Pro 5 to resize and or adjust the pictures.
More and more we use email to make proposals. Giving a client a picture can really help in presentations. I recently got a color printer. Now we can include color pictures with our snail mail proposals.
Got the camera at Wally World. Like all things there is a learning curve but it is really a great tool. Another thing I’ve done with it is view the interior of ducts. The camera has a zoom feature so at times I’ve taken a picture of the interior of a duct that I was unable to look at directly. The zoom allows you to view parts of the duct up close that are maybe 20 feet away!
Dave Olson
Ps: You can also use it to take pictures of your Boys Toys. Here is a few of mine.
Attachments
kmjt1021
Member
Uncleanable! That means they are not willing to pay for the work it will take to get it cleaned.
My worst fear on this one would be that if I started talking (educating) people I might end up doing the work. This is extreme though and someone needs to be told about it. I can't believe the property manger hasn't gotten involved, they are often the people with the power to get this kind of thing done.
My worst fear on this one would be that if I started talking (educating) people I might end up doing the work. This is extreme though and someone needs to be told about it. I can't believe the property manger hasn't gotten involved, they are often the people with the power to get this kind of thing done.
Dave Olson
Workin North of 60
Well I Did It!
Yesterday, I talked with the AHJ where this system is located. On the way to their office I went by the kitchen to see if the stack was still in the same condition (it was).
He asked where it was located and told me he would look at it that afternoon.
I will contact him in a week or two (to get Phil's video back that I loaned him) and of course try to find out if they did anything.
Dave Olson
Yesterday, I talked with the AHJ where this system is located. On the way to their office I went by the kitchen to see if the stack was still in the same condition (it was).
He asked where it was located and told me he would look at it that afternoon.
I will contact him in a week or two (to get Phil's video back that I loaned him) and of course try to find out if they did anything.
Dave Olson
Scott Miller
Member
Good Job, Dave.
Nobody likes to rock the boat, but let something bad happen and you would resent not speaking up. Sometimes getting the AHJ is the only way something will get done. Please let us know what their final decision is.
Nobody likes to rock the boat, but let something bad happen and you would resent not speaking up. Sometimes getting the AHJ is the only way something will get done. Please let us know what their final decision is.