A kitchen can look busy and successful while its extraction system is quietly falling behind. Smoke drifting beyond the canopy edge, grease collecting around ceiling voids, persistent odours in the dining area and hot, uncomfortable cook lines are not minor annoyances. They are signs that the system needs assessing as a whole, rather than simply fitting a larger fan.
This restaurant ventilation upgrade checklist is designed for owners, kitchen managers, contractors and facilities teams planning a practical upgrade. It focuses on the components that determine whether an extraction system captures contaminants at source, moves air safely through the building and remains maintainable after handover.
Start With What Has Changed in the Kitchen
Ventilation requirements follow the cooking equipment, not the name above the door. A kitchen that has added chargrills, fryers, wok ranges or a higher-output combi oven may now produce substantially more heat, grease-laden vapour and smoke than the original system was designed to handle. Even a change in menu can alter the load placed on the canopy and extract fan.
Walk the cook line during a busy service and record which appliances create visible plume, grease vapour or strong odours. Note their position, their operating hours and whether they sit fully beneath the canopy. Equipment that projects beyond the canopy front edge or sits too close to an open side will be harder to contain, regardless of fan size.
Also check whether the kitchen layout has been altered. New partitions, a lowered ceiling, a pass-through opening or relocated doors can affect the air movement around the canopy. A system that once worked adequately can lose capture when cross-draughts pull cooking fumes into the room.
Check Canopy Coverage and Construction
The canopy is the collection point. If it is undersized, poorly positioned or fitted with unsuitable filters, increasing extract rate alone may create more noise without solving the problem.
A useful canopy review should cover the following:
- Canopy length, depth and height relative to every cooking appliance beneath it.
- Overhang at the front and ends, particularly around high-heat or grease-producing equipment.
- Filter type, condition and accessibility for routine cleaning.
- Drainage arrangements for grease and whether grease is escaping around filter frames.
- The canopy's stainless steel grade, thickness and condition, including seams, corners and mounting points.
Standard stainless canopies are commonly supplied in 0.7 mm 430-grade stainless steel, which is suitable for many commercial applications and provides a cost-effective finish. Where the kitchen environment is particularly demanding, or where a specified finish is required, 304-grade stainless steel can be a better choice. It costs more, so it should be selected for a clear operational reason rather than assumed to be necessary on every project.
A made-to-measure canopy is often the right route where cooking equipment is non-standard, the wall is out of square or the available ceiling height is restricted. Trying to make a standard size fit can leave gaps exactly where capture is most needed.
Inspect Ductwork Before Specifying a New Fan
Replacing a tired fan without reviewing the duct route is one of the most common upgrade mistakes. The fan can only perform as well as the ductwork allows. Crushed sections, excessive bends, poor joints and unnecessary restrictions all add resistance and can leave the canopy short of effective extraction.
Trace the route from the canopy spigot to the discharge point. Look for grease staining around joints, unsupported runs, damaged access panels and sections that are difficult or impossible to clean. Ductwork should be planned and fabricated in line with DW144 requirements, with properly formed joints and a suitable arrangement for inspection and cleaning.
Pay close attention to changes in duct diameter. A smaller section may have been introduced to pass through a tight void, or an improvised fitting may have been added during previous works. These bottlenecks can become the controlling restriction in the entire system. The answer is not always to increase fan duty. In some cases, correcting the duct route produces a more balanced and quieter result.
Discharge location also matters. Check that extracted air is leaving at an appropriate point and is not being drawn back towards doors, windows, air intakes or neighbouring premises. Restrictions imposed by the building, planning conditions, landlords or local authorities should be identified before equipment is ordered.
Select the Fan for the Complete System
Fan selection should be based on the complete system resistance and the extraction requirement created by the cooking line. A fan sized only from a duct diameter or a rough rule of thumb may underperform once filters, bends, attenuators and discharge terminals are included.
The first decision is often whether the existing fan is genuinely undersized or simply suffering from poor maintenance, blocked filters or damaged ductwork. Check for vibration, bearing noise, grease build-up, worn belts where applicable, loose electrical connections and signs of weather damage. A maintained fan may still be suitable if the kitchen load has not changed.
Where replacement is required, consider the mounting position, access for maintenance, electrical supply and speed control from the start. An industrial extraction fan needs to suit the duct system and duty, but it also needs to be serviceable. A fan placed where nobody can safely inspect or clean it will become a future problem.
Soler & Palau fan and speed-control options can provide a practical route where reliable, matched equipment is required. The suitable model still depends on the system design. Speed control can help tune extraction to actual demand, but it is not a substitute for correct canopy coverage or a clean duct route.
Do Not Forget Replacement Air
Every litre of air extracted from the kitchen has to be replaced. If replacement air is ignored, the kitchen can become excessively negative in pressure. Doors become difficult to open, cold air is pulled through gaps, gas appliances may be affected and canopy capture can become unstable.
Assess where incoming air currently enters the space. It should support the canopy rather than blow the cooking plume away from it. A supply grille directed across the face of the canopy can be counterproductive, while uncontrolled air entering through a rear door is rarely a reliable long-term arrangement.
The right approach depends on the building and kitchen layout. Some sites may need a planned supply-air solution; others may need existing air paths corrected or balanced. This is one area where a site-specific assessment is more useful than copying a layout from another restaurant.
Review Odour, Grease and Noise Controls
A ventilation upgrade may be prompted by complaints rather than visible smoke. If odour affects neighbours, or if the discharge route is constrained, filtration may need to form part of the specification. Electrostatic precipitator units can be considered where grease and smoke control is required, but they need proper access and a realistic cleaning regime. An ESP unit that is not maintained will not continue to perform as intended.
Noise needs the same practical thinking. Higher fan speed can increase sound at the fan, in the ductwork and at the discharge point. Where noise is a concern, review the whole route and consider whether silencers, improved duct arrangement or a different fan selection would be more effective than simply reducing speed.
Grease management should also be treated as an ongoing operational task. Filters, canopy surfaces, duct access points and fan components all require scheduled cleaning. Design for access now, because the cost and disruption of trying to add it later are usually greater.
Confirm Compliance, Drawings and Handover Information
Before placing an order, make sure the scope is clear. A useful specification records the cooking appliances, canopy dimensions, duct sizes and route, fan location, controls, filtration, access requirements and discharge arrangement. It should also state the stainless steel grade and thickness where these are relevant to the project.
Ask who is responsible for electrical works, builders' openings, roof penetrations, weathering, fire stopping and commissioning. These details often sit between trades, which is where delays and avoidable variations arise. If a landlord, managing agent or local authority has requirements, get them confirmed before fabrication begins.
Keep drawings, equipment details, cleaning records and commissioning information together after installation. They will be useful for future maintenance, insurance discussions and any later kitchen refit. For bespoke work, a manufacturer that fabricates canopies, ductwork and stainless components in-house can adjust dimensions and materials before production, rather than asking site teams to make unsuitable standard parts fit.
A well-planned upgrade should leave the kitchen easier to work in, easier to clean and easier to maintain. Start with the cooking line, follow the airflow through every component, and correct the cause of poor performance rather than treating only the symptom.