Exhaust Fan Repair and Installation in Richmond Hill
Exhaust Fan Repair in Richmond Hill is the rooftop half of a commercial kitchen exhaust system: new belts, bearings and motors when the fan slows or squeals, a replacement fan when the housing has rusted out, exhaust fan installation on a new cooking line, a hinge kit so the fan tips open for cleaning, and rooftop grease containment that keeps grease off the roof membrane. Richmond Hill Hood Cleaning inspects each fan on its curb, prices the job after that inspection, and sends a written quote within 24 hours.
What sits on the roof: the four parts of an upblast fan
An upblast fan is the box on the roof that pulls smoke and grease vapour up the duct and throws it clear of the building. Four parts wear out, and each one fails in its own way.
Belt drive. A belt links the motor pulley to the wheel shaft. As it stretches it slips, the wheel slows, and the cooks notice smoke rolling out from under the canopy before anyone notices the belt.
Shaft bearings. Two sealed bearings carry the wheel. Grease vapour and heat cook the lubricant out of them, and a dry bearing screams at start-up, then grinds, then locks.
Motor. The motor sits outside the airstream but still takes heat off the housing. A motor that trips the breaker at the start of the dinner rush, or hums without turning, is close to done.
Curb. The curb is the raised, flashed frame the fan bolts onto. Years of vibration and dripping grease loosen its screws and rot its wood, and a bad curb turns fan work into roof work.
Exhaust fan repair vs replacement in Richmond Hill
The rule is simple to state. If the housing, shaft and curb are sound, the fan gets repaired. If any of them is finished, the fan gets replaced.
| Symptom you notice | Repair vs replace | Work on the quote |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke hangs under the canopy, black dust around the fan | Repair | Belt replaced, pulleys lined up, tension set. |
| Screech on a cold start, grinding under load | Repair | Both bearings replaced, wheel degreased and checked for wobble. |
| Breaker trips, motor hums but will not turn | Repair | Motor replaced, disconnect and wiring checked. |
| Rust holes in the housing, cracked or bent wheel | Replace | New fan matched to the airflow the hood needs, set on the old curb if it holds. |
| Curb soft underfoot, screws pulling out | Replace fan and curb | Both replaced together, with the roofer for the building handling the membrane. |
Exhaust fan hinge kit: the part that decides whether the fan gets cleaned
An exhaust fan hinge kit is a pair of steel hinge plates and a hold-open restraint mounted between the fan base and the curb, so one person can tip the fan back and leave it open while the wheel is cleaned.
Without a hinge, the fan is screwed flat to its curb. Getting inside means cutting power, disconnecting the motor, backing out every screw and lifting the whole housing off. Done at 3 am on an icy roof, that job gets skipped. The crew wipes the outside, the wheel stays coated, and the fan becomes the dirtiest part of the system.
A hinged fan opens in under a minute with the wiring still attached. The wheel, the housing and the drain are cleaned where they sit, then the fan swings shut and gets tested.
How installation goes. At the inspection the crew measures the fan base, the curb and the swing room on each side. A kit is ordered to fit, and on install night the fan comes off its curb once, the hinge plates and restraint go on, and the fan is closed and run. Most kits go on during a scheduled cleaning visit.
Upblast fan cleaning is part of every scheduled visit. The canopy side is on the hood cleaning services page and the duct between hood and roof on the hood vent cleaning page.
Rooftop grease containment: who pays when the plaza roof leaks
Rooftop grease containment is a catch tray at the fan drain lined with absorbent pads, so grease that condenses in the housing lands in the tray instead of on the roof.
Grease eats roofing. It softens the single-ply membrane on the flat roofs over the Highway 7 and Yonge Street plazas, it gathers at the curb where the seams are, and a soaked patch there is a common reason water shows up above a cook line.
That repair tends to land on the kitchen. Most plaza leases make the tenant answer for what its equipment does to the building, and a grease stain at the fan is easy to trace to one unit. A roof warranty can be lost on the same finding. A tray with fresh pads, photographed at each visit, shows the kitchen took care of it, and the plaza manager can have the same photographs.
Where to find exhaust fan repair near me in Richmond Hill before winter
Richmond Hill Hood Cleaning covers every roof from Langstaff up to Oak Ridges and Lake Wilcox, plus Thornhill east of Yonge Street, and fall is the right time to book fan work.
A flat plaza roof freezes and thaws many times each winter. Cold grease backs up in the drain, and meltwater gets into flashing that grease has already cracked. A fan checked in October and again after the thaw avoids a January breakdown. Coverage is on the areas served page.
Best exhaust fan installation in Richmond Hill for a new cooking line
Exhaust fan installation starts from the new hood and the appliances under it, never from whatever fan the last tenant left behind.
An undersized fan leaves smoke on the line. An oversized one pulls heated air out of the dining room in winter. When a unit on Bayview Avenue turns from a cafe into a wok kitchen or a charcoal grill, the load on the fan changes completely. The new fan goes on a new or existing curb, gets wired, and has its hinge kit and containment fitted the same night. A solid-fuel grill also moves the system to a monthly interval, set out on the NFPA 96 page, so that fan has to open every month.
How much does exhaust fan repair cost in Richmond Hill in 2026?
Exhaust fan repair, replacement, installation, hinge kits and rooftop grease containment in Richmond Hill are quoted per job after inspection, with the written quote back within 24 hours. For comparison, scheduled hood cleaning runs from $585 per visit for a single-hood kitchen up to ten feet, and fan work can be itemised on that same quote.
Three things move the number: the size of the fan, whether it is belt or direct drive, and the state of the curb. Roofing work for a new curb shows as its own line. Every service is listed on the services page.
Next step: call 289-796-1166 or ask for a written quote. A phone photo of the fan and its nameplate speeds up the hinge kit sizing.
Exhaust fan repair in Richmond Hill: frequently asked questions
Can I keep cooking if the rooftop fan stops?
A cook line with a dead exhaust fan has nothing pulling smoke and grease vapour into the hood, so it spreads through the kitchen. Turn off the grease-producing equipment and call for repair.
Does the restaurant or the plaza landlord pay for fan repair?
The lease decides. Many plaza leases in Richmond Hill put the fan on the tenant and the roof membrane on the landlord, so read the equipment clause before you call.
Will a hinge kit fit an older exhaust fan?
An exhaust fan hinge kit fits most older upblast fans as long as the base flange and the curb are solid. The base gets measured before anything is ordered.
What is upblast fan cleaning?
Upblast fan cleaning is the degreasing of the fan wheel, housing and drain on the roof. It is part of every full-system visit, and a hinge kit makes it possible to do properly.
How often should the grease containment pads be changed?
Rooftop grease containment pads get checked and changed at each cleaning visit, so a heavier cooking interval means more frequent changes.