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Imagine starting your day in the kitchen, ready to serve customers, only to discover a brownish liquid dripping from your exhaust hood. Whether it’s a grease leak or leftover cleaning water, identifying the source quickly is critical for protecting your kitchen, staff, and equipment.

Commercial kitchen ventilation systems work hard every day. Over time, grease buildup, weld issues, or duct seams can cause grease leaks that require attention. Here’s how to identify the problem and what to do next, straight from the experts at HoodMart.

So You’ve Spotted a Leak: Here’s What to Do Next

The first step when you notice liquid dripping from your hood is determining whether it’s grease or water.

If your system was recently cleaned, the liquid may be water. During manufacturing, exhaust hood systems are welded to create a watertight seal. Before inspection approval, fire marshals often perform light testing to check for gaps in weld seams. If light passes through, the hood fails inspection and must be rewelded.

Even with inspection protocols, minor imperfections can occur. During duct cleaning, water may accumulate and seep through small gaps in the weld points in the days following service.

However, if the substance appears thick and slow-moving, you may be dealing with a grease leak instead of water.

Pinpointing the Source of a Grease Leak

Grease leaks typically result from weak welds, failing seams, or buildup inside the grease vent system.