HOOD FACTS

HOODMART BLOG

How a Commercial Kitchen Exhaust System Actually Works: From Hood to Rooftop
• October 02, 2026
Categories: HOOD FACTS
A commercial kitchen exhaust system is one of those things that gets specified, installed, and then largely ignored until something goes wrong. Which is fine, honestly - that’s exactly what a well-designed system should allow. But understanding how the full system works, from the moment heat and smoke rise off the cooking surface to the moment exhausted air exits the building, makes you a better-informed owner when it comes to maintenance, troubleshooting, and any future modifications. Here is the full picture, from the experts at HoodMart.
It Starts at the Cooking Surface
The exhaust process begins the moment cooking equipment generates heat, smoke, grease-laden vapor, or combustion byproducts. Those elements rise from the cooking surface in a thermal plume, a column of rising air carrying everything the cooking process produces.
• The plume rises and spreads as it moves upward, which is why hood overhang beyond the equipment footprint is required
• The hood is positioned directly above the cooking equipment to intercept the plume before it disperses into the kitchen
• Grease filters inside the hood capture grease particles from the airstream as it enters the hood cavity
Everything upstream of the hood is physics. Everything downstream is engineered to manage what the hood captures.
Inside the Hood
Once the thermal plume enters the hood, the exhaust system takes ove...

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Why Your Commercial Kitchen Loses Heat, Comfort, and Money Without Proper Makeup Air
• September 10, 2026
Categories: HOOD FACTS, Hoods
If your kitchen runs uncomfortably hot despite a functioning exhaust hood, your back door flies open on its own, or your energy bills seem disconnected from anything you can identify, there is a reasonable chance the culprit is not what you think it ...

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Why Your Commercial Kitchen Hood Is Failing a Health Inspection (And You Don't Know It Yet)
• August 24, 2026
Categories: HOOD FACTS, PRODUCT CARE
Health inspectors are not trying to surprise you. The violations they cite most often on commercial kitchen ventilation systems are the same ones, kitchen after kitchen, year after year. They are predictable, preventable, and almost always traceable ...

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The Complete Guide to Commercial Kitchen Ventilation Components
• August 19, 2026
Categories: HOOD FACTS, Hoods
A commercial exhaust hood is the piece of equipment everyone notices. The fourteen other components required to make it function are the ones nobody thinks about until a contractor is standing in the kitchen asking where the unistrut is. If you've e...

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The Role of Makeup Air Units in Balancing Airflow with Commercial Kitchen Hoods
• September 11, 2025
Categories: HOOD FACTS, Hoods
Why Makeup Air Units Matter in Commercial Kitchens In any busy commercial kitchen, good airflow is essential. Without it, you're left with hot, smoky conditions and overworked equipment. That’s where makeup air hoods come in. These systems wo...

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