When a commercial hood stops pulling, smoke hangs over the line, heat builds fast, and the dining room starts to smell like the kitchen. Boer Brothers Restaurant Services repairs commercial range hoods, kitchen exhaust fans and make-up air for restaurants across Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, so a weak hood gets fixed before it shuts down your cook line.
We’re family owned since 2007. Request an appointment or call 919-336-0271 and we’ll get your kitchen back to clean, controlled airflow.
Why is my restaurant hood not pulling smoke?
A commercial hood that stops pulling smoke usually has one of four problems: the exhaust fan is moving less air than it should, the grease filters or duct are loaded, the make-up air that replaces what the fan removes has stopped, or something in the kitchen is pushing smoke out of the hood’s capture area. On the fan side, the simplest failure is a slipping belt. The motor sounds normal, the fan wheel spins slower, and the hood looks like it’s running while it pulls far less air. Make-up air is the cause people tend to miss, and it gets worse in winter. Because the causes overlap, a weak hood is worth diagnosing from the roof down. The heat and grease a weak hood leaves behind also wear on the cooking equipment under your hood.
Signs your commercial hood needs repair
A cleaning problem and a mechanical problem look the same from the cook line: smoke rolling out from under the hood. This table matches what your staff sees to the usual cause and whether it calls for a repair, a cleaning, or both.
| What you’re seeing | Likely cause | Repair or cleaning? |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke spills from the hood edges during a rush | Slipping belt, grease-loaded fan wheel, or too little make-up air | Repair, plus cleaning if the wheel is coated |
| Squeal from the roof at startup | Loose or glazed fan belt | Repair: new belt, set tension |
| Rattling or vibration from the rooftop fan | Worn bearings, grease unbalancing the wheel, loose mounting | Repair, plus cleaning if grease is the cause |
| Weak airflow right after electrical work | Three-phase motor wired to spin backward | Repair: correct the rotation |
| Hood won’t start, or lights and controls are dead | Failed motor, tripped overload, bad switch or control | Repair |
| Doors hard to open, smoke worse since it turned cold | Make-up air off, heater failed, or unit not starting with the fan | Repair: make-up air unit and controls |
| Grease dripping from filters or on nearby walls | Filters overdue for washing, missing, or misinstalled | Cleaning: filters now, ducts and fan on your NFPA 96 schedule |
| Dining room smells like the kitchen | Weak exhaust, or more make-up air than the hood removes | Repair: balance exhaust and make-up air |
Get the system inspected before it fails. Once the hood is down, your line may not be allowed to run.
Why do restaurant hoods stop pulling in cold weather?
Restaurant hoods often lose capture in cold weather because the make-up air system stops replacing the air the exhaust fan pulls out. North Carolina’s mechanical code (Section 508.1) requires make-up air whenever a commercial kitchen exhaust system runs, in an amount roughly equal to what the hood exhausts, and a mechanical make-up air unit has to start and run with the exhaust fan. The code also keeps make-up air within 10°F of the room unless the building’s HVAC can carry the extra load, which is why most kitchen make-up air units carry a heater. When that heater fails on the first cold morning, the unit blows outside air at the cook line and someone switches it off. The exhaust fan then pulls against a building with no supply air, and smoke spills from the hood.
Signs the problem is make-up air rather than the fan:
- The hood captures fine when a back door is propped open
- Doors into the kitchen are hard to open or whistle
- The trouble started with the first cold week
- The make-up air unit is switched off, or its heater won’t fire
Running the hood without make-up air is also a safety problem: the negative pressure can pull flue gases from water heaters and other gas appliances back into the building. Don’t leave a make-up air unit off to keep the line warm. We repair make-up air blowers, heater sections and the interlock that starts them with the exhaust fan through our commercial heating, cooling and ventilation service.
What our commercial hood repair covers
Kitchen exhaust fans
Rooftop upblast fans, belt-drive and direct-drive, do the pulling in most hood systems. We replace belts and set tension, swap motors and bearings, clean or replace grease-loaded fan wheels, and correct motor rotation.
Range hood electrical and controls
Hood lights, switches, interlocks and control panels have to work together. We troubleshoot control faults and get the system running as designed.
Specialty ventilation components
Some kitchens run pollution control units or water-wash systems. We service these components where your setup uses them.
How much does commercial hood repair cost in the Triangle?
Commercial hood repair at Boer Brothers is billed by the technician hour at rates we publish: $130 an hour to evaluate the problem during regular hours, with a two-hour minimum, then $175 an hour for the repair itself, with no minimum. There is no trip charge, billing starts when the technician is dispatched, and there’s no extra fee to look at a second unit on the same visit. What the total comes to depends on what failed and how hard it is to reach. A belt on an accessible rooftop fan is a short job; a fan motor, bearings, or a full fan assembly on a hard-to-reach roof takes longer and costs more in parts, as do electrical and control faults.
| Service | Rate | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Issue evaluation, regular hours (Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM) | $130 per technician hour | 2 hours |
| Repair, regular hours | $175 per technician hour | None |
| After hours and weekends (Monday to Friday 5 PM to 9 PM, Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 9 PM) | $215 per technician hour | 2 hours |
| Installing customer-provided equipment | $200 per technician hour | None listed |
That puts the evaluation floor at $260 during regular hours and $430 after hours or on a weekend. Rates are per technician hour, so a job that needs two technicians bills both. Evaluation and repair are billed separately, so you know what failed before repair time starts. Full rates are on our Pricing & Guarantee page.
How our hood repair service works
- We show up ready to diagnose, starting at the fan and make-up air.
- You get a clear explanation of what’s wrong and what the fix involves.
- Our rates are published, and evaluation and repair are billed separately.
- We keep common parts on hand to aim for a single-visit repair.
- We clean up and leave your kitchen ready for service.
Repair vs. replacement: when an upgrade makes sense
Most hood problems are repairs, but a few point to replacement or redesign: the same fan failing again within a season, a hood that hasn’t captured well since a heavier appliance like a charbroiler went under it, or a system patched together from years of fixes. In those cases we’ll walk you through upgrade options, from system planning to custom installs for a new or reworked kitchen.
Hood cleaning, maintenance, and NFPA 96 compliance
A large share of hood failures trace back to maintenance slipping while the kitchen stays busy. Regular cleaning and service helps you reduce grease buildup, improve airflow and efficiency, extend component life, and stay ready for safety and fire inspections.
How often should a commercial hood system be cleaned?
Cleaning frequency depends on your cooking type and volume, and your local authority having jurisdiction (the fire marshal or inspector) has the final say. Many Triangle kitchens follow a schedule aligned with NFPA 96, the standard for ventilation control and fire protection in commercial cooking operations. A commonly referenced guideline:
- Monthly: solid-fuel cooking (wood or charcoal)
- Quarterly: high-volume cooking with a heavy grease load or frequent charbroiling
- Semiannually: moderate-volume kitchens
- Annually: low-volume or seasonal operations
Always confirm what your local inspector expects. We can recommend a plan based on your equipment and usage, and we offer commercial kitchen maintenance agreements that keep you ahead of breakdowns instead of reacting to them.
Service area: the Triangle and surrounding communities
Boer Brothers Restaurant Services works throughout the Triangle from our Chapel Hill location, including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Cary, Apex, Hillsborough and Pittsboro. Not sure you’re in range? Call and we’ll confirm.
Frequently asked questions
How much does commercial hood repair cost?
Boer Brothers bills $130 per technician hour to evaluate a hood problem during regular hours, with a two-hour minimum ($260), then $175 per hour for the repair, with no trip charge. After-hours and weekend work is $215 per hour with a two-hour minimum. The total depends on the failed part and how the fan is reached.
Why does my hood work in summer but not in winter?
That pattern usually points to make-up air. Boer Brothers checks whether the make-up air unit is running, heating, and starting with the exhaust fan. If the heater has failed or someone switched the unit off against the cold, the exhaust fan can’t pull enough air to keep smoke under the hood.
How fast can you respond to a broken hood?
If a hood issue is shutting down your cook line, we treat it as urgent. We work to respond quickly and call ahead so you’re not left guessing on timing.
Do you offer commercial hood repair near me in the Triangle?
Yes. Boer Brothers provides commercial kitchen hood repair across Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Carrboro, Hillsborough, Pittsboro, and surrounding communities from our Chapel Hill base.
Why does my dining room smell like the kitchen?
The kitchen has stopped staying at lower pressure than the dining room, so kitchen air drifts out. The usual causes are an exhaust fan moving too little air or a make-up air unit supplying more than the hood removes. We check both and balance them.
Do you service ventilation beyond the hood itself?
We do. Hood performance often depends on the full ventilation setup, including commercial cooking equipment and make-up air, so we can support broader ventilation service when it’s needed.
Get your hood working like it should
If your kitchen is running hotter or smokier than it should, don’t wait for a Friday-night breakdown. Request an appointment or call 919-336-0271 to schedule commercial hood repair, installation, or maintenance in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and across the Triangle.