Commercial Kitchen Preventive Maintenance Checklist
Weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly maintenance tasks for refrigeration, gas, exhaust, RO, fire equipment and more.
5 min read · Updated 8 November 2026
Equipment rarely fails without warning. A dirty condenser, a worn gasket or a clogged hood filter gives months of signals before the breakdown that ruins a Saturday night - and sometimes a chiller full of stock.
Weekly
- Degrease exhaust hood filters.
- Clean gas burners and check flame colour.
- Filter or change fryer oil as per your policy.
Monthly
- Clean refrigeration condenser coils; check door gaskets.
- Defrost and clean freezers.
- Leak-test LPG / PNG lines with soap solution.
- Check fire extinguishers (pressure, seal, access).
- Descale the dishwasher; check wash and rinse temperatures.
- Calibrate probe thermometers.
Quarterly to yearly
- Professional exhaust duct cleaning (quarterly is common for busy kitchens).
- Refrigeration AMC service.
- RO pre-filters (quarterly) and membrane check (yearly).
- Water tank cleaning (half-yearly).
- Electrical panel inspection; fire extinguisher refill or service.
- Authorised gas safety inspection.
Tip: Log every breakdown with downtime, repair cost and root cause. After a few months the log shows which equipment to replace and which maintenance task was missing.
Keep an asset register
Record each asset's make, model, serial number, purchase date, warranty and AMC end dates. Expiry reminders 30 days ahead stop you paying for repairs that should have been free.
This guide is general information to help food businesses improve their practices. It is not legal advice. Always check the current FSSAI requirements that apply to your licence or registration.