Kitchen ventilation degreasing system

Abstract

The present invention is a permanently installed automatic kitchen ventilation degreasing system. The system includes a cascading cleaning mechanism and drainage mechanism. A water feed tube carries water and cleaning agents to a conduit secured and centered within the ventilation ducts. The water and cleaning agents are sprayed in a cascading manner along the inner surface of the duct by spray nozzles located on nozzle blocks spaced at intervals along the conduit. The flow of solvent or rinse water through the nozzles is controlled by solenoid valves which are controlled by a programmable controller. The liquid run off is collected by a deflector and drained.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application derives priority from Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 534,325 filed Jan. 5, 2004.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates generally to the field of spray applicators for cleansing the interior surfaces of enclosed spaces and, more particularly, to a fully automated spray degreasing system for cleansing elongated enclosed spaces such as in kitchen ventilation systems and the like. [0004] 2. General Background [0005] Kitchen ventilation ducts are typically required by code to remove smoke, air borne grease, and by-products of cooking from commercial kitchen areas and particularly from the area directly over the stove-tops. However, air-borne grease as it cools commonly accumulates on the inside walls of the ventilation ducts, thereby creating a grease-fire hazard. Periodic degreasing of the kitchen ventilation ducts on a regular basis is recommended and...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013] It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and device for safely and economically degreasing the interior surfaces of kitchen ventilation systems without need for any hand held and directed equipment.

[0026] The liquid run-off from the degreasing process drains into the existing grease collection system, but this is modified to ensure that the system is splash-proof and drip-proof to improve safety and avoid kitchen contamination.

Problems solved by technology

However, air-borne grease as it cools commonly accumulates on the inside walls of the ventilation ducts, thereby creating a grease-fire hazard.

The process is cumbersome, messy and typically exposes workers to hazardous chemicals.

In addition, visibility within the duct is minimal and verification of adequate surface cleaning is difficult.

However, these systems are expensive, difficult to install, difficult to operate (they are not all fully automatic), and are not entirely safe because they do not suggest a solution to prevent the escape of caustic run off, or of aerosolized cleaning solution.

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