Six questions NYC restaurant operators and hospitality general managers ask before bringing on a new HVAC contractor. If yours is not here, call (718) 835-6820. The dispatcher answers 24/7.
01What HVAC scope does Vinco handle for NYC restaurants?
Vinco services NYC restaurants from Brooklyn delis to Manhattan fine dining. Mitsubishi Diamond Elite + Daikin Comfort Pro contractor with grease-trap and makeup-air experience. Full scope: kitchen exhaust hood install and service, grease duct routing and cleaning coordination, NYC code 506 / NFPA-96 compliance, kitchen makeup-air (MUA) sizing and installation, dining-room HVAC (rooftop, ductless, VRF), walk-in refrigeration service, hood-MUA interlock controls, and the DOB mechanical permit filing. We handle co-tenant landlord COI requirements ($2M/$4M liability, $5M umbrella) on most NYC restaurant projects.
02What NYC grease and exhaust code applies to restaurant HVAC?
NYC Mechanical Code 506 and NYC Fire Code Chapter 6 govern kitchen exhaust hood, grease duct routing, makeup-air, and ventilation interlock. Hood capture-velocity sized to cooking equipment (Type I hood for grease-producing equipment, Type II for steam and dishwashing). Grease ducts run continuous to exterior with cleanout panels every 12 feet. Exhaust and makeup-air must be interlocked so the dining-room HVAC does not pressurize the kitchen and starve the hood. NFPA 96 governs grease duct cleaning frequency and pressure-testing. Vinco runs the mechanical permit, the engineer letter for hood capture-velocity, and coordinates the DOB filing.
03What NYC DOB permits and inspections does restaurant HVAC trigger?
Most restaurant HVAC scopes require a NYC DOB mechanical permit, often filed as Alt-2 for renovation work or Alt-CO for a use-change. Hood installation, grease duct work, gas piping past a certain BTU threshold, refrigeration over a certain charge, and any electrical service upgrade fall under DOB filings. NYC FDNY also reviews fuel-gas piping and kitchen suppression. NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene inspects grease ductwork accessibility on routine restaurant inspection. Vinco files DOB and FDNY documentation under license #022359.
04How is kitchen makeup-air (MUA) sized for NYC restaurants?
Kitchen MUA replaces the air the hood exhausts. Under-sized MUA starves the hood (poor capture, smoke roll-out, grease accumulation). Over-sized MUA over-pressurizes the kitchen and disrupts the dining room. NYC code default is roughly 80 to 90 percent of hood exhaust replaced by tempered MUA, the remainder from transfer air from the dining room. MUA units typically include a heating burner sized for NYC winter (delivering 65 to 75F air to the kitchen) and a cooling coil sized for NYC summer. Costs run $25,000 to $80,000 for a typical NYC restaurant install.
05Does Vinco offer after-hours and emergency HVAC service for restaurants?
Yes. The dispatcher answers 24/7 at (212) 810-0915. Critical commercial calls (walk-in refrigeration down, kitchen exhaust during service, full restaurant HVAC failure) move to the top of the dispatch queue. Vinco runs severity-based dispatch across all 5 boroughs. The diagnostic visit is $199 plus the $49 travel fee, with the $199 credited toward major repair or replacement. Restaurant maintenance contracts reduce emergency-rate exposure substantially because the routine PM scope catches drift before failure.
06What does a NYC restaurant HVAC maintenance contract typically cost?
Small to mid NYC restaurants on a full-service maintenance scope typically run $4,000 to $14,000 per year. Scope includes monthly contractor visits (refrigerant charge, electrical lugs, belt and bearing inspection, BMS verification, hood and MUA inspection), quarterly deep service (coil pressure-wash, compressor amp-draw logs, hood and duct grease inspection), and coordination with the third-party NFPA-96 hood cleaner. Walk-in refrigeration runs separate quarterly scope. Vinco produces written reports each visit and coordinates Mitsubishi Diamond Elite and Daikin Comfort Pro warranty filings.