British Columbia
WHICH HOOD EACH APPLIANCE NEEDS AND WHAT IT CHANGES
If cooking puts grease or smoke in the air, the hood is a Type 1, with a welded grease duct and fire suppression. Steam and heat alone make it a Type 2.
The difference between a Type 1 vs Type 2 hood is whether it handles grease. The first sits over cooking that gives off grease and smoke, and it brings a welded grease duct and a fire suppression system with it. The second handles steam and heat, uses ordinary duct, and needs no fire system. The same oven can need either one, depending on what goes in it. This guide covers which hood each appliance needs, what each one changes, and who makes the call in BC.
Find each appliance on your line. The usual answer comes from British Columbia city guides. The engineer and the city still make the final call.
| Appliance | Usual hood | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fryer, griddle, charbroiler, wok, or salamander | Type 1 | Each one puts grease and smoke in the air |
| Range or hot plate | Type 1, unless the city approves it for boiling only | A range can fry, so cities assume it will |
| Oven roasting meat, rotisserie, or tilting skillet | Type 1 | Cooking meat gives off fat with the heat |
| Steamer, kettle, or bain-marie | Type 2 | Steam and heat, with no grease |
| Baking or pizza oven used only for dough | Type 2, or none if it's small | Bread and dough give off heat, not grease |
| Rice cooker, or a small panini press used without meat | Often none, for small units under 6 kW | Small electric units without grease may skip a hood |
| Combi oven | Depends on what it cooks and how it's listed | Roasting meat needs a Type 1, and steaming may not |
| Dishwasher | Depends on the machine and the room | Some need a condensate hood, and some only a room fan |
One cooking line, two kinds of hood
What's cooked underneath decides each hood.
The labels come from designers and city guides, not from BC's building code. Knowing how the code words it explains what each one has to do.
Type 1 kitchen hood is built to NFPA 96, with seams welded on the outside so it holds liquid. City guides call for a hood body in 18-gauge steel or 20-gauge stainless, with grease filters and a fire system. If anything under it makes grease, this is the hood.
Type 2 kitchen hoods are built to remove heat and steam where there's no grease, and it's usually seamed rather than welded. It isn't designed for a fire system. If the cooking under it never makes grease, this hood does the job.
Cooking grease brings four more things to plan with the hood. Each one adds a trade or a line on the drawings.
This hood connects to a welded grease duct in 16-gauge mild steel or 18-gauge stainless. It runs on its own to the roof, and any other exhaust joined to it has to meet NFPA 96 as well. The rules are in grease duct specifications.
Grease cooking needs an automatic fire system. BC cities ask for a wet-chemical system listed to ULC 300, the Canadian standard that replaced ULC/ORD-C1254.6, and a fire protection company supplies it.
A grease hood pulls a lot of air out, and it has to be replaced from outside. BC cities ask for make-up air that's heated, filtered, and switched on with the exhaust, and the mechanical contractor supplies it.
Grease builds up inside the hood and the duct, so both are cleaned on a schedule. If the duct has access panels within reach, the cleaning crew can do the whole run.
A kitchen needs a Type 2 where cooking or washing gives off steam and heat but no grease. A condensate hood is one kind of Type 2, built to catch moisture before it drips back down.
| Source | What it gives off | Usual answer |
|---|---|---|
| Steamers and kettles | Heavy steam | A Type 2 that handles moisture, often called a condensate hood |
| Baking and pizza ovens used only for dough, at 6 kW or more | Heat | A Type 2 for heat |
| Dishwashers that give off steam | Steam and heat | A condensate hood, a room fan, or nothing, as the engineer decides |
A Type 2 uses ordinary duct, not a grease duct. If its duct joins a grease duct, though, North Vancouver treats the joined system as grease duct, built to NFPA 96 all the way.
Whether a combi oven needs a Type 1 or Type 2 hood depends on what it cooks and how it's listed. The building official makes the final call. A combi oven roasting meat sits on BC cities' Type 1 lists, while one that only steams and bakes may not.
If the oven roasts meat or chicken, North Vancouver and Nanaimo list it with the grease appliances. Plan a Type 1 unless the city agrees otherwise in writing.
If the oven only steams and bakes, it may need a Type 2 or nothing, depending on its size and the city. Put the menu on the drawings so the reviewer can see it.
Some ovens are listed to vent into the room without a hood. In British Columbia, that needs a Canadian listing, such as ULC or cUL, and the city's agreement. Manufacturer letters often cite US codes, so ask your city.
No, not every dishwasher needs a hood. The engineer and the health authority decide based on the machine, its steam, and the room around it.
Gibsons' guide allows a ceiling or wall fan for a low-temperature dishwasher, changing the room's air every three to five minutes. If your machine is low-temperature, ask whether a fan will do.
Some makers build dishwashers that recover their own steam and run without one. If you choose one, send its spec sheet with the layout so the reviewer sees the claim.
Bigger machines put more steam into the room, and that's where the engineer weighs a condensate hood. If the drawings show one, it's a Type 2 with ordinary duct.
Most kitchens have grease and steam on the same line. These are the decisions that change what goes above the line.
If any appliance under it makes grease, the whole hood is a Type 1. Grouping the grease appliances keeps that hood and its fire system as short as the line allows.
If the steam side's duct joins the grease duct, the joined duct has to meet NFPA 96 standards. Keeping the two systems separate keeps that side in ordinary duct.
If a fryer joins a line under a Type 2, that hood no longer fits what's cooked. Moving appliances around can also leave the fire system covering the wrong spots, so plan the line you'll grow into. Kitchen exhaust in a renovation covers changes to a working kitchen.
Nanaimo may accept a range under a Type 2 if it's used only for boiling, with a posted sign banning greasy cooking. If the menu changes, that approval no longer holds.
No single person makes the call. Three parties sign off before the kitchen opens, and each one checks the menu against the drawings.
The engineer designs it. A professional engineer designs the kitchen exhaust and seals the drawings, with letters of assurance.
The health authority approves the layout. The regional health authority, such as Fraser Health or Island Health, reviews where each appliance sits.
The city approves the permit. The building official has the final say, and some cities also want the fire department's approval.
Changes go back through the same people. A new appliance or a new menu can change what the kitchen needs.
The job spans several trades. Knowing who does each part keeps anything from falling between quotes.
| Part | Who does it | Duct Duct Goose's part |
|---|---|---|
| The hood | A hood maker builds it | We supply it and install it |
| Grease duct | A sheet metal fabricator welds it | We weld it in mild steel or stainless and install it |
| Fire suppression | A fire protection company | Not ours |
| Make-up air unit | The mechanical contractor | Not ours |
| Roof fan and roofing | The mechanical contractor and the roofer | Not ours |
| Design and sealed drawings | The engineer | Not ours |
Every part of the job, trade by trade, is laid out in the kitchen exhaust scope of work. Our kitchen hood and grease ductwork pages cover our side.
Kitchen plans go wrong when the hood is chosen before the menu, or when the plan never says what goes over each appliance. Spelling that out for every appliance, along with who confirms it, makes the plan match the menu.
| What the plan says | What goes wrong | What to write instead |
|---|---|---|
| "Type 2 hood" over a line with a griddle | The griddle makes grease, so the city's review flags the hood | "Type 1 hood over the griddle, Type 2 over the steamers" |
| "Hood over cooking line" | Nobody knows which type to price | "Type 1 hood, length to cover the fryer, griddle, and range" |
| "Combi oven, no hood" | The city may not accept it without a Canadian listing | "Combi oven, hood per the city's review, listing attached" |
| "Dishwasher hood by others" | Nobody checks whether the machine needs one | "Dishwasher venting per the engineer and health authority" |
| "Add fryer under existing hood" | The hood or fire system may no longer fit the line | "New fryer, hood and fire system reviewed by the engineer" |
A Type 1 is the right call wherever grease is cooked, and a lot of extra work everywhere else. Plan for the menu you'll cook, including what you expect to add.
If your line only makes steam, we'll say so before quoting a Type 1 and welded duct, even if it makes the order smaller.
Tick these off, and everything over the line matches what's cooked under it before we price it. More decisions like these sit in Kitchen Exhaust and Food-Service Fabrication.
A finished hood schedule and a list of appliances on a napkin both give us enough to begin. We'll read what you have, ask what each appliance cooks, and come back with a price once the hoods are set.
Standard ductwork and fittings can be priced and ordered on WebDuct, the online pricing and ordering portal, once your company account is set up. Kitchen stainless, grease duct, curbs, installs, and other custom work start with a request or a call.
At Duct Duct Goose, we specialize in sheet metal fabrication and stainless steel services for commercial and industrial applications, including HVAC systems, ducts, and custom metalwork. Please note that we do not offer services for automotive-related projects, such as vehicle parts, repairs, or modifications.
