A takeaway shop is a hot counter, a short customer wait and a cookline that throws grease and steam. Comfort cooling belongs on the customer side and at the till. Grease must not go through a cassette filter. The cassette is not the kitchen extract. Fryers and grills need their own extract and make-up air. If the only ceiling is in the grease plume, do not put the indoor unit there. An F-gas certified company installs the cooling. The extract is a separate design.
A lunch queue with the takeaway door open
Lunchtime trade often means the door open, a queue, and the servery hotter than the pavement. You may hold a better temperature at the till and still lose at the threshold. Say that in the survey so the unit is not judged against an impossible 18C at the door.
Customer-side air clear of the fryer plume
A comfort coil recirculates. If its return sits in the fryer plume, the filter and then the coil become a grease trap. That cuts cooling, smells, and is a fire and hygiene problem a quick filter rinse will not undo. Place the indoor unit in the customer wait or on a wall the plume does not wash.
The canopy kept off the comfort coil
The canopy, the fan and the make-up air are the cookline system. This page will not invent extract rates. If the cooling work pretends to include the canopy, ask to see the ventilation design. If it does not, keep the two jobs from contradicting each other.
- No cassette in the grease plume.
- Cool the waiting customers and the till.
- Leave kitchen extract as its own system.
- Say if the serving hatch is always open.
Staff heat, fat gullies and a pump over the counter
Staff stand in the heat for a full shift. HSE workplace temperature guidance is about reasonable comfort for that work, with radiant heat from equipment called out honestly. A split cannot cancel an open fryer. It can make the waiting side and the payment point less harsh.
Condensate and kitchen cleaning water are different pipes. Do not dump the unit into a floor gully that backs up with fat. A pump with an alarm is safer than a drip over the counter.
Stop if the yard condenser has no air
Rear yards of takeaways are tight, full of bins and extract ducts. The condenser needs airflow and a clean coil or it will fail on the hottest Friday. Landlord consent, environmental health access and a supply that is not borrowed from the fryer circuit all need a look before install day.
Frequently asked questions
Will a finer filter make a cassette acceptable over the cookline?
No. A finer filter clogs faster and still does not replace extract. Keep the comfort unit out of the plume.
Does the extract installer need to be F-gas certified?
Only if they also open the refrigerant circuit. Kitchen extract is ventilation. The split or cassette needs an F-gas certified company.
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How this guide was prepared
This guide was written by the Local AC Installers Editorial Team. We compare official guidance, legislation and established consumer information, separate general information from project-specific advice, and show publication dates and sources. We do not accept installer accreditation claims at face value.