Having adequate heat, but more importantly, ventilation for your restaurant is crucial for customer and employee health and food sanitation as well. Not having the right ventilation can cause higher utility bills, safety violations, lowered employee productivity and even arouse tempers from employees and customers alike. It is also one of the leading causes in the loss of traffic because of uncomfortable conditions or unpleasant odors.

Ensure You Providing Enough Makeup Air

“Makeup air” or outside air meant for compensating for the volume of air being exhausted is a top priority. Inadequate levels of makeup air can trigger negative pressure conditions in your place of business. All sorts of issues come from this such as stuffy or drafty areas, poor air quality, doors that slam, decreased energy performance and back-venting of combustible gases off HVAC machines.

If you’re observing these issues, it’s better now than later to consult with a professional HVAC technician regarding your conditions. You might be advised to introduce more makeup air with your setup.

In less common situations, you could be exhausting air more than is needed. Our master installers can assess your system in a way that best delivers you suitable alternatives that not only meet OSHA standards for workplace ventilation but all others.

What About HVAC in the Restaurant Kitchen?

The kitchen is the core of any restaurant which is why the fact that its the most in need of ventilation should be grounds for investigation.

Cooling

Almost all restaurant kitchens incorporate an assortment of high-intensity dishwashing and cooking equipment crowded into a comparably tight area. As you can tell, this quickly raises kitchen temperatures to extreme levels, particularly on hot days or during high traffic periods.

Unbearable kitchen temperatures aren’t just an encumbrance for those who work there — it can also greatly affect your restaurant’s bottom line. Of course, the difficulty comes with holding the kitchen to a reasonable standard temperature while avoiding freezing the remainder of your restaurant.

Establishing the kitchen onto a special zone of its own including a separate thermostat is one option. The current HVAC equipment, however, might not be up to stuff for maintaining the necessary heating divergence.

In that instance, introducing a portable air conditioning assembly in the kitchen for busier moments or in hotter temperatures will help maintain a comfortable environment for everyone.

Makeup air management may be the helping hand you need to optimize the temperature and ventilation through the entire building. If your HVAC arrangement has any services it needs no matter how large or small, we can handle it for you. Call VP Mechanical today!