Free checklist
Commercial kitchen exhaust hood quarterly maintenance checklist
A quarterly kitchen exhaust hood round is short on purpose: it catches the wear items that fail between annual services. This checklist is sized for a tech with a phone. Every item says what to look at and the photo that proves the round happened. Work is commonly verified against NFPA 96, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
- Items
- 4
- Photos required
- 6
- Built for
- Subcontractors
Who runs it
The kitchen exhaust cleaning tech or building maintenance on the quarterly round.
When in the schedule
Every quarter, more often over a high-volume or wok/char line where grease loads the filters in weeks, not months.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo that proves it
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Copy the list as is, or load it into RTI and let the gate enforce it.
Filters and grease containment
- 2 photos
Grease baffle filters pulled, cleaned and refitted
Baffles removed and degreased, no missing filters leaving open slots, refitted tight and angled so grease drains back to the trough.
- 1 photo
Grease trough and drip cup emptied
Continuous trough and removable cup drained and wiped, cup seated so it isn't overflowing down the hood face or onto the cook line.
Capture at the cook line
- 1 photo
Capture checked across the cooking line
Smoke or steam off the appliances drawn into the hood along the full length, no roll-out at the ends of the line or over the busiest burner.
Exhaust fan
- 2 photos
Rooftop exhaust fan running and containment intact
Fan pulling and free of unusual noise or vibration, grease catch cup on the fan base in place and not overflowing onto the roof.
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Baffle filters run through the dish machine and slotted back with two missing, leaving an open gap that pulls grease straight past into the plenum.
- Drip cup emptied at the hood but the fan-base grease cup on the roof forgotten until it's running down the membrane.
- Capture checked with the line cold, so nobody sees the roll-out that only happens once every burner is fired at lunch.
Run it with the Photo Gate
A checklist nobody can submit half-finished
Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 6 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident record behind every line.
Submission state
The gate is enforced on the server, so it holds even if the phone is offline when the walk happens.
Verified against
Common questions
- What does this commercial kitchen exhaust hood quarterly checklist cover?
- 4 items across 3 sections, covering filters and grease containment, capture at the cook line, exhaust fan. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
- Who should run this inspection?
- The kitchen exhaust cleaning tech or building maintenance on the quarterly round.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- Every quarter, more often over a high-volume or wok/char line where grease loads the filters in weeks, not months.
- Why does every item ask for a photo?
- 6 of the 4 items call for photo evidence. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
- What most often fails a commercial kitchen exhaust hood quarterly inspection?
- Baffle filters run through the dish machine and slotted back with two missing, leaving an open gap that pulls grease straight past into the plenum. Drip cup emptied at the hood but the fan-base grease cup on the roof forgotten until it's running down the membrane. Capture checked with the line cold, so nobody sees the roll-out that only happens once every burner is fired at lunch.
- Can I use this checklist in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident audit trail.
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