What is this nasty stuff?

This is the grease and chemical wastewater that’s produced from ONE cleaning of ONE commercial kitchens’ and/or restaurant’s hood filters. This grease, and the chemicals used, will end up in area creeks, rivers, streams or lakes IF the hood filters are cleaned outside, as is a common practice, each and every time every restaurant or commercial kitchen needs to clean their filters.

But, the hood filters must be kept clean and maintained, according to the NFPA Code 96 rules and regulations, at all times for a variety of reasons- the most important being to reduce fire risk, as grease fires are one of the most damaging and the hardest to put out. One of the only ways restaurants and commercial kitchens have had to get and keep their filters clean is to take them outside. And that’s a problem- a problem we believe we’ve come up with a solution for, please read on to find out about our easy solution. Properly operating, clean hood filters is also important for the restaurant business’s image- clean filters will reduce smoke in their kitchens, which could permeate their dining areas and possibly create unwelcome smells. Clean filters will help to reduce heat, keeping the restaurant cooler and more inviting also.

Using our A1 Filter Box will contain and capture ALL of the grease and wastewater that’s produced from cleaning the hood filters. The restaurant’s professional hood cleaners, done at varying times at different locations, should NEVER be taking the filters outside to clean them, unless they’re also capturing the grease and waste. Any grease and chemical waste that goes on the ground, or is directed into a storm drain, will end up in our rivers, lakes, creeks and streams- a major source of pollution.

Until now, there’s been no good way for hood cleaners to clean their customers’ hood filters either. Until now, there’s been no good way for restaurants and commercial kitchens to maintain and keep their filters clean, in-between professional hood cleanings. The only options were to hand scrub, one by one in the sink or run them through their dishwasher (more about that in a later post) OR to take them outside- which you can see in the photo above what would then either go into the storm drain or stay on the ground, either way what you see in the photo would end up in the local waterways. This pollution- the grease is obvious, but there’s chemicals (usually toxic) you can’t see also- is extremely damaging to our waterways and our eco-system, killing most everything it comes in contact with. Just imagine the number of commercial kitchens, locally, nationally or even world-wide- every restaurant, every school, every convenience store serving food, every grocery store serving food, hotels and motels, hospitals, healthcare facilities, and many others, they all have commercial kitchens and hood filters. All those hood filters must be kept clean, for a lot of reasons, besides it being required, and hand scrubbing and/or in the dishwasher are both poor options. The outside option is the worst option though-and that’s why we designed and are bringing to market our new solution.

The A1 Filter Box is a simple and effective way to clean hood filters (or any cooking equipment part) and capture the waste. The wall unit version will hang on a wall in the restaurant’s kitchen, above the mop sink. The Filter Box has a specially designed bottom that will hold and keep the filters upright and in place while spraying them clean, as well as keeping the overspray inside the box. The grease and water drains down into the smaller Filtration Box, which has an industrial strength filter and captures the majority of the grease. The almost grease free water then drains into the mop sink (or floor drain). This process not only keeps the pollution out of our waterways, it also benefits the restaurant or commercial kitchen because it’s keeping pounds and pounds of grease out of their sanitation pipes and grease-traps. Controlling their grease output is one of the biggest issues that they face in their kitchens- sewer lines get clogged up, municipal authorities monitor their grease output, grease-traps get filled up and it’s a cost to empty them and so on… every commercial kitchen is responsible for all their own fats, oils and grease (FOG), and where it ends up.

The outdoor version of the A1 Filter Box can be used by professional hood cleaners, allowing them to still take the hood filters outside- but with a huge difference- all the grease and wastewater is captured and pumped back into the facilities’ sink- where our Sink Filter Box sits. The Sink Filter Box has the same industrial filter that the wall unit filtration box has, plus another disposable industrial filter, and captures the majority of the grease. The almost grease free water then drains down the kitchen sink, the disposable filter is thrown away, and the job is done- with no pollution, no large amounts of grease going into their sewer pipes or sanitation lines or their grease-traps. A win-win all around. A ONE-TIME purchase of the A1 Filter Box, either the wall unit or the outdoor unit, will save money, time and the environment!

We would be happy to send you more information! Contact us today!