Spotting A Grease Leak In Your Exhaust Hood

You wake up, get out of bed and get started with your morning routine. You hit the road, grab a fresh cup of coffee, and get to the kitchen early to begin prepping for the day. Turn on the lights and start looking around and then it catches your eye - a brownish liquid coming from the exhaust hood! 

Your next steps if you’re noticing anything ‘leaking’ from the exhaust hood is to check if it’s grease, or if it’s water. If the hood has been cleaned recently it’s very possible that it is a water. When the exhaust hood systems are built they are welded throughout the assembly which in theory should be water tight, however that is not always the case. Usually before an exhaust hood passes inspection the fire Marshall will do a light test to see if any light can be seen coming through the welds - if so, the hood fails inspection and the weld must be redone and another test done. But even with these tests it’s still possible for human error to occur. With that said, when cleaning the ducts water may build up and seep through these leaks for a few days after the cleaning. 

Grease leaks occur the same way that a water leak does, so if it’s not a water leak the first thing you should do is check the weld points to see if you can spot the weak weld. You’ll be able to spot the grease leak right away as the liquid grease will often be significantly thicker than water and the grease will be moving much slower than a water leak. If you can find the leaking weld point you may need to call in a repairman to rebuild the weld and patch the leak. If you cannot find the weak weld point it’s possible that the leak is coming from another area such as an access door located in the duct, duct work, grease trough that captures excess grease from the filters.

If you do notice a grease leak, or even a water leak, it is suggested you first contact the hood manufacturer to see if the unit is covered by a warranty. If not, you should call in a professional to look and determine the best course of action to repair the leak. While it may not seem significant, a grease leak can become a fire risk or cause other forms of damage. HoodMart exhaust hoods all come with a limited warranty which covers workmanship and material defects for two years from date of shipment (with proof of purchase).  HoodMart provides our customers with a wide range of exhaust hood systems - from Compensating (Short Cycle) to Perforated Supply Plenum PSP - as well as all exhaust hood accessories such as hood filters, canopy hood lights, and curbs. If you still have questions regarding the purchase of your hood system, please feel free to contact one of our experts today by calling us at 1.800.715.1014 or by contacting us through our live chat system.