Restaurant Kitchen Ventilation That Actually Works: A Chilliwack Owner's Guide

The One Mechanical System That Can Close Your Restaurant

Bad refrigeration will cost you a dinner service.

Bad HVAC will cost you a week of complaints.

Bad kitchen ventilation can cost you your business.

Fraser Health inspectors close more Chilliwack restaurants for ventilation-related issues than for any other HVAC category. Grease buildup, inadequate exhaust, missing makeup air - each of those can trigger a shutdown until remediated.

This guide covers what a properly designed and maintained commercial kitchen ventilation system actually looks like, the code requirements that apply in BC, the common traps that catch first-time restaurant owners, and realistic costs for Chilliwack.

Written for restaurant owners, not engineers. If you need code citations for your architect, your mechanical consultant will provide them.

What a Commercial Kitchen Ventilation System Actually Includes

A working kitchen ventilation system has five components, and all five have to work together.

• Exhaust hood - captures smoke, grease, steam, and heat over the cooking line
• Exhaust fan - pulls the captured air out of the building through ductwork
• Grease duct - code-compliant ductwork from hood to exterior
• Makeup air unit - replaces the air being exhausted with tempered outdoor air
• Fire suppression system - integrated into the hood, triggered by the exhaust shutdown

Miss any one of these and the others do not work properly.

Hood Types: Getting This Right Matters

Hood Type	What it captures	Typical applications
Type I	Grease, smoke, heat	Fryers, grills, ranges, charbroilers
Type II	Heat and steam only (no grease)	Dishwashers, ovens, steam kettles
Condensate hood	Steam and condensation	Pasta cookers, steamers

The critical rule: any appliance producing grease-laden vapour requires a Type I hood.

A Type II hood over a fryer is a code violation and a fire hazard. It is also one of the most common oversights we see when a restaurant is retrofitted from a previous non-cooking tenant.

Sizing: CFM Requirements by Appliance

Exhaust volume is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). Each type of cooking appliance has a minimum CFM requirement per linear foot of hood.

Appliance Type	Exhaust CFM per linear foot of hood
Light duty (ovens, steamers)	150 - 200
Medium duty (ranges, griddles)	200 - 300
Heavy duty (fryers, charbroilers)	300 - 400
Extra heavy duty (solid fuel, wood-fired)	400 - 550

A 10-foot hood over a line that includes a charbroiler and two fryers is likely sitting in the 3,500 to 4,500 CFM range. That is a serious piece of equipment.

The Makeup Air Trap

Here is the mistake that catches more Chilliwack restaurant owners than any other.

A hood exhausts 4,000 CFM. That air has to come from somewhere.

Without a proper makeup air unit, the exhaust fan pulls air from:

• The HVAC system (sucking conditioned dining room air into the kitchen)
• Gaps in the building envelope (pulling in unconditioned outdoor air)
• Gas appliance combustion vents in reverse (major safety issue)
• Any path of least resistance, usually the dining room entry door

A kitchen exhaust without balanced makeup air will reverse the combustion venting on your gas appliances. This is a carbon monoxide hazard and an automatic code violation.

Makeup air units are sized to match or slightly exceed exhaust capacity. For most Chilliwack restaurants, this is a dedicated rooftop MAU heating the incoming air in winter and providing untempered outdoor air in summer.

Code Requirements You Cannot Skip

BC Building Code, CSA B149.1, and NFPA 96 all apply to commercial kitchen ventilation. The highlights:

• Type I hood discharge - minimum 10 feet horizontally from any opening into the building, minimum 40 inches above the roof
• Grease duct - must be liquid-tight welded construction, minimum 16 gauge steel
• Duct access panels - required at 12-foot intervals and every change of direction for cleaning
• Fire suppression - UL 300 compliant wet chemical system, integrated with exhaust fan shutdown and gas shutoff
• Makeup air - balanced to exhaust, with interlock ensuring MAU runs when exhaust runs
• Grease filter type - baffle filters required for Type I; mesh filters are not code-compliant

Maintenance Schedule

The single most common reason for a ventilation-related restaurant closure is inadequate cleaning.

Task	Frequency	Why
Clean baffle filters	Daily or weekly	Grease accumulation = fire risk
Wipe hood interior	Weekly	Visible grease accumulation
Professional hood + duct degrease	Every 3 to 6 months	NFPA 96 and insurance requirement
Inspect fire suppression	Every 6 months	Code requirement, certified inspector
Inspect exhaust fan bearings and belts	Every 6 months	Fan failure = emergency closure
Makeup air unit service	Annually (spring and fall)	Filter change, combustion check, controls

Your insurance certificate almost certainly requires documented quarterly hood cleaning by a certified service. Self-cleaning does not count.

Typical Costs for a Chilliwack Restaurant Build

Component	Typical Chilliwack Cost (2026)
10-ft Type I hood (stainless, UL listed)	$8,000 - $14,000
Upblast exhaust fan (4,000 CFM)	$3,500 - $5,500
Grease duct installation (typical run)	$4,500 - $9,000
Makeup air unit (4,000 CFM, gas-heated)	$12,000 - $20,000
Fire suppression system	$4,500 - $7,500
Controls and interlock wiring	$2,000 - $4,000
Commissioning and permits	$1,500 - $3,000
Total for a typical 10-ft line	$36,000 - $63,000

The range reflects kitchen size, ceiling height, duct routing complexity, and whether gas piping upgrades are required.

Most Expensive Mistakes We See

1. Buying a Used Hood That Does Not Fit the New Kitchen

Used hoods are tempting at 30 to 50% of new pricing.

The trap: hoods are sized for specific cooking equipment and specific capture distances. A hood that was correct for the previous tenant is often wrong for your menu.

2. Undersizing the Makeup Air Unit

MAUs are expensive. Skimping here creates the reverse-venting problem and turns a code pass into a code fail on first inspection.

3. Ignoring Duct Routing Early

Grease ducts have rules about vertical rise, horizontal runs, and access panel spacing. If these are not considered at lease signing, the build-out can require ceiling replacement or structural changes.

4. Cheap Fire Suppression

The fire suppression system has to be UL 300 rated, integrated with the gas shutoff, and certified by an authorized installer. Off-brand systems often fail inspection and have to be replaced.

Chilliwack-Specific Notes

• Downtown core - older buildings with limited roof access often require creative duct routing. Budget extra for vertical rise installations.
• Sardis and Vedder developments - newer construction typically has MAU provisions already in place, simplifying installs.
• Food processing heritage - several buildings in Chilliwack were designed for industrial food use and have existing heavy-duty ventilation infrastructure that can be adapted.
• Fraser Health jurisdiction - inspections tend to be more thorough than coastal Metro Van equivalents. Plan accordingly.

Bottom Line for Chilliwack Restaurant Owners

Kitchen ventilation is not where you save money on a restaurant build.

A properly designed and installed system runs 20 to 30% more than the cheapest quote. That premium pays back in:

• Passing first-inspection instead of scheduling costly remediation
• Lower fire insurance premiums
• Fewer service calls over the life of the system
• Better kitchen working conditions (which reduces turnover)

Call 604-991-4894 or request a consultation for Chilliwack commercial kitchen ventilation design, installation, or maintenance. We work with restaurant owners from first lease through opening and beyond.