If you own a restaurant in New Jersey, there's a good chance your kitchen ventilation system has never been properly balanced. Most haven't. And it's costing you money every single day the hood is running.
What Is Kitchen Air Balancing?
Air balancing is the process of measuring and adjusting the airflow in your kitchen exhaust and makeup air systems so they work together correctly. Your exhaust hood pulls air out. Your makeup air unit (MAU) pushes tempered air back in. When those two systems aren't matched, problems happen.
The exhaust hood is designed to pull a specific volume of air — measured in CFM (cubic feet per minute). The makeup air unit is designed to replace about 80% of that volume with heated or cooled air. The remaining 20% comes from the dining room, creating a slight negative pressure that keeps kitchen smells, grease, and smoke from migrating to the front of house.
When the system is balanced, everything works. When it's not, you get problems.
What Happens When Your Kitchen Isn't Balanced
Too Much Exhaust, Not Enough Makeup Air - Raw outside air gets sucked in through the front door, windows, and every gap in the building - In winter, that's 35°F air flooding in while your furnace runs nonstop - In summer, it's 95°F humid air your AC has to fight - Doors are hard to open (negative pressure) - Pilot lights blow out - Energy bills are higher than they should be
Too Much Makeup Air, Not Enough Exhaust - Kitchen air pushes into the dining room — heat, grease, smoke, smells - Hood capture suffers because supply air disrupts the exhaust plume - Health inspectors flag visible smoke spillage from hoods - Customers complain about kitchen odors
How Is It Done?
A technician uses specialized instruments — typically a VelGrid that sits on top of the hood filters with a built-in standoff, or a rotating vane anemometer held 2 inches from the filter face. They measure the velocity of air moving through each filter, then calculate the total CFM using industry-standard conversion factors.
On the supply side, they measure airflow through the makeup air unit's perforated supply plenum (PSP) or supply fan filters. Then they compare exhaust vs supply, check the ratio, run a smoke capture test, and adjust dampers and fan speeds until the system is balanced.
You get a written report with all the readings, calculations, and a pass/fail assessment.
How Much Does Kitchen Air Balancing Cost in NJ?
Pricing is per hood system, not hourly — so you know the cost before we show up. Contact us for a quote. The service typically pays for itself in energy savings within a few months — often faster if your makeup air unit isn't working at all.
How Do I Know If My Kitchen Needs It?
You probably need air balancing if:
- Your kitchen hood was installed and never tested
- Smoke escapes the hood during cooking
- The front door is hard to open or slams shut
- Pilot lights blow out randomly
- The kitchen is uncomfortably hot (even with the hood running)
- Your dining room smells like the kitchen
- Energy bills seem higher than comparable restaurants
- You've never had a TAB report done
Who Does Kitchen Air Balancing in NJ?
Very few companies specialize in this. Most HVAC contractors focus on rooftop units and split systems — they don't carry the instruments or have the training for kitchen-specific ventilation work. And hood cleaning companies clean but don't measure or adjust airflow.
True Commercial Service specializes in commercial kitchen ventilation for restaurants, hotels, and institutions across Union County, NJ and the NYC metro. We test, adjust, and balance your system in one visit — and give you a written report with real numbers.
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- Negative Pressure: Causes, Costs, Fix
Looking for service? Visit our Kitchen Ventilation Service page or schedule service today.