Kitchen Exhaust

An Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) ecology unit filters grease particles and odours from exhaust air before it is discharged to atmosphere. Dubai Municipality guidelines and most landlord fit-out standards require ecology units in high-density or mixed-use buildings. We assess your building type and advise whether an ESP or alternative filtration is needed.

Exhaust airflow (CFM) is calculated based on hood type, cooking equipment heat output, and capture velocity requirements set out in NFPA 96 and UAE Civil Defence guidelines. Our engineers perform a full equipment schedule review and airflow calculation before finalising hood dimensions and fan selection, ensuring the system passes inspection first time.

Yes. We regularly design and install exhaust upgrades in operating restaurants across the UAE -- including re-routing grease ductwork, replacing undersized fans, and adding ecology units to achieve compliance. We schedule installation to minimise kitchen downtime and manage the re-approval process with the relevant authority.

A complete kitchen exhaust system in the UAE typically ranges from AED 15,000 for a small single-hood setup to AED 150,000 or more for a large multi-hood restaurant with full grease-duct fire-wrapping and an ESP ecology unit. Final cost depends on hood size, duct run length, fan specification, ecology unit type, and the number of Civil Defence drawing revision cycles required.

Yes. Dubai Civil Defence mandates an automatic wet-chemical fire suppression system -- compliant with UL 300 and NFPA 96 -- installed inside every commercial kitchen hood. The system must activate automatically when cooking-surface temperatures exceed the set point and simultaneously cut gas supply via a DCD-approved solenoid valve. Our scope includes design, installation, and DCD submission.

UAE Civil Defence and NFPA 96 guidelines require grease duct cleaning frequency to be based on usage volume: high-volume kitchens (wok, charcoal, solid-fuel) every one to three months; moderate-use kitchens every six months; low-use kitchens annually. Accumulated grease is the primary cause of commercial kitchen fires, and proof of regular cleaning is checked during annual DCD inspections.

A canopy (wall-mounted) hood is fixed against a wall above a cookline, while an island hood hangs from the ceiling over a central cooking island. NFPA 96 requires island hoods to extend at least 150 mm beyond each side of the equipment they serve and typically need higher air-change rates. The correct type depends on your kitchen layout, which we determine at the site-survey stage.

For a typical standalone restaurant in Dubai, initial DCD drawing approval takes two to four weeks from submission if drawings are complete and code-compliant. Revision rounds add one to two weeks each. Our pre-checked drawing packages are designed to minimise revisions. Final completion inspection is booked after installation and generally cleared within five working days.

Yes. NFPA 96 and Dubai Civil Defence require kitchen exhaust to be balanced by an equal makeup-air supply. Without makeup air the kitchen goes into excessive negative pressure, causing hood capture failure, doors slamming, and flame instability on gas equipment. We design and install the makeup-air unit as part of the same contract to ensure correct airflow balance on commissioning day.

Yes. Free-zone restaurants in TECOM, JAFZA, and DAFZA fall under Trakhees jurisdiction, while hotel kitchens may require additional DET or DED sign-off. Our team is familiar with each authority's submission portal and document requirements and manages all free-zone and mainland DCD approvals under the same single-contract scope.

Post-installation, the system requires periodic grease-filter cleaning (weekly to monthly depending on cooking volume), professional duct cleaning on a DCD-compliant schedule, annual fan-belt and bearing inspection, and ecology-unit media replacement typically every six to twelve months. Make My Restaurant offers an Annual Maintenance Contract covering all scheduled servicing, grease-duct cleaning, and priority breakdown response across all seven emirates.