Kitchen exhaust is hot, humid and greasy — exactly the stream that destroys a standard heat exchanger if you spec it wrong, and exactly the stream where recovery pays best because make-up air is heated or cooled year-round. The trick is a core you can actually keep clean.
Why kitchens are special
A restaurant exhausts 35–45°C grease-laden air constantly during service. Pre-heating or pre-cooling the incoming make-up air with that stream cuts HVAC load sharply — but aerosol grease condenses on any surface it touches. A non-cleanable aluminium plate would foul in weeks.
The right core
| Option | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Washable plate (coated) | Simple, no carryover, cleanable in place | Needs access + a wash cycle |
| Enthalpy wheel (washable) | High effectiveness, recovers moisture too | Motor, seals, carryover to manage |
| Run-around coil | Streams fully separate (hygiene) | Lower effectiveness, more plant |
For most kitchens a washable coated plate is the safe default; see the trade in plate vs rotary and materials.
Design rules that keep it running
- Pre-filter the exhaust before the core — grease loads the exchanger, not the duct.
- Accessible & drainable — the core must come out or be spray-washed; condensate needs a trapped drain (see failure modes).
- UV / ozone optional — some sites add it to slow biofilm; pair with a maintenance plan (cleaning).
- Balance the air — make-up air ≈ exhaust or the building goes negative and pulls in unfiltered air.
The payback
Continuous kitchen duty at 70–80% effectiveness typically pays back in 1–3 years on make-up air heating alone, faster where cooling dominates. Model it with the payback tool and savings tool.
Related
Specifying recovery for a kitchen?
Send exhaust airflow, temperature and hours — we will size a washable core and give a payback range.
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