How often should containment pads be replaced?

Inspect them at every cleaning and replace them whenever they are saturated, cracked or crusted. High-volume kitchens often need new pads two to four times a year.

Can grease damage be cleaned off a roof?

Light surface grease can be cleaned, but once the membrane absorbs it the section usually has to be replaced. Containment is the real fix.

Roof Grease Containment for Kitchen Exhaust Fans

Grease Containment on the Roof: Protecting the Membrane

May 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Grease that leaves the fan does not disappear. It soaks into the roof membrane, softens seams and attracts every stain and leak complaint the building will ever have.

Below: Grease Containment on the Roof: Protecting the Membrane — explained the way our crews handle the work in the field, written by the Enviroclean Works team in metro Atlanta.

How grease reaches the roof

The fan pulls vapor through the duct and flings condensate outward as the wheel spins. A healthy containment setup catches that discharge; a cracked pad or clogged drain lets it pool around the curb and migrate under the flashing.

What good containment looks like

A code-compliant setup is a listed containment box or system under the fan, an absorbent pad in good condition with no hard crust of dried grease, and a drain line that actually runs to a collection point. Pads should be checked and replaced on a schedule, not when someone notices staining.

Why landlords bill it back

Most metro Atlanta restaurant leases put roof maintenance on the tenant, and a membrane damaged by grease is documented with photos in an inspection report. The repair bill for a soft, grease-saturated section of roof runs far past anything a containment pad costs, which makes this the cheapest insurance in the whole exhaust system.

Services this guide applies to

If you would rather we handle it, these are the services behind everything described above.

Compare all of them on the services page.

Book this work in your city

We clean commercial kitchen exhaust systems across metro Atlanta and Columbus, GA. Pick your city for local scheduling and inspection notes.

Full coverage list on the service areas page.

Frequently asked questions

How often should containment pads be replaced?: Inspect them at every cleaning and replace them whenever they are saturated, cracked or crusted. High-volume kitchens often need new pads two to four times a year.
Can grease damage be cleaned off a roof?: Light surface grease can be cleaned, but once the membrane absorbs it the section usually has to be replaced. Containment is the real fix.

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About Enviroclean Works

Enviroclean Works is a commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning company working across metro Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia. Our crews clean hoods, filters, grease ducts, exhaust fans and rooftop grease containment to NFPA 96 standards, then leave behind before-and-after photos, a service sticker and a report your fire inspector and insurance carrier will accept. We work after close so the cook line is ready for the next shift, and we schedule restaurants, schools, hospitals, hotels, food trucks, ghost kitchens and apartment amenity kitchens on the cleaning frequency their volume actually requires.

Every quote is scoped from your equipment, roof access and cooking volume rather than a flat price list. Send your kitchen details through the quote form on any page and we will come back with the scope, the schedule and the price.