Help

I have been asked by several customers, about cleaning hoods in resturants.

Can anyone tell me if there is any regulations, or if any state agency regulates this in West Virginia.

Check with your local AHJ, in all probability, they will tell you to clean to the standards of NFPA 96. Most authorities have adopted that as their standard. There are differences between the 1994, the 1998 and the 2001 versions so see if they have a preference.
After you find out the AHJ requirements check with you insurance carrier to see if you will be covered if the restaurant has a fire after you have serviced them. Most liability insurance will not cover this type of work, you will need to upgrade your insurance coverage and the value to at least 1 mil, preferably 2!
That is only a starting point. there is a lot more research needed for you but if you start on the right track etc...

Grant

great info Grant, do you have the Numbers and links to those organizations

I have not been able to find out who the AHJ is. I have talked to resurant owners, Health dep, and the Fire marshell

Your local fire department and health department are your AHJ's(Authority Having Jurisdiction) They are the ones that ultimatly accept or refuse what you consider a job well done.
The NFPA web site is:
http://www.nfpa.org/Home/index.asp
Spend the money and get a copy of NFPA 96 I recommend the 2001 edition as it is the most stringent yet.
Grant

You have talked to the right people, I would go back to them, ask again. they should be able to help. If not it's because they are not willing or maybe they really don't know, but that seems unlikley. make sure you get their names just in case you would have a problem in the future, I have been in situations where one agency tells me the oppisite of the other, I try to stay out of the middle. I just clean to NFPA 96 standards, document everything, any dificiencies in the systems to include inaccessible area's of the duct work short electical wires to the fan and so forth.

KMJT

Thanks for the info. I am not currently cleaning them. Have had people ask me to do it. Just wanting to see how much trouble it would be to start doing, and if it is worth it. Seems to be a lot of places here that need it , and dont know who does it.

I agree with all of the above-we live within a trade that has many conflicts. You should only clean to NFPA 96 standards and note those areas that could not or can't be cleaned and describe in the report. In all restaurants at the back door is a pull key station. On the device should be a card denoting the company who has serviced the fire system in the kitchen along with dates. I would call those people and ask your questions regarding state law and local code.

David

Lew
Getting started is not the problem, the problems arise from inexperience, I started 15 yrs ago with the help of a guy who said he knew, but it turned out that he didn't. So I went it alone and it took quite a while to figure things out, of course I didn't have BB's like this to help.
Now I can almost judge just from driving up and looking at the outside of the building that it may have accessibility problems, and I can kinda get a sense of what people I do and do not want to do business with and bid accordingly (ie) places that won't get cleaned regularly.
Theirs nothing that gets under my skin more than a restaurant that has me clean it after yrs of neglect, then after I work to get it cleaned they drop me for someone cheaper . Of course you got a cheaper bid, I had already done the hard work! Just one of many things to look out for.