Omni Grease Gutter

In earlier articles, we introduced the Grease Gutter grease containment system. The Grease Gutter and the absorbent filter media that goes in it were the first products Omni offered when it was founded back in 2001. This new system was a major improvement over any other grease containment system available at the time and is still a main staple in our product line to this day. Effective, simple to install, and even easier to service, the Grease Gutter is usually the best option on the market for protecting restaurant rooftops from the corrosive and dangerous grease and oils that ooze from the exhaust fan.

There are, however, some exceptions. Utility fans, for example, are configured in such a way that there is no place for a Grease Gutter to be installed. Some fans have obstructions that make a Grease Gutter installation very difficult. On rare occasions, a fan will spew grease beyond the coverage area of a Grease Gutter. Roofs with fans like these need protection from grease, too. Omni’s R & D experts put their minds to the problem and came up with a new design: the Roof Guardian.

Basically, the Roof Guardian consists of an outer frame with metal slats across it. The slats are there to support the filter media inside which actually does the job of soaking up the grease and oils. The filters are hydrophobic, which means that water (precipitation) passes through. This feature keeps the filters from becoming saturated with the first rainfall. Our multi-layer filter system absorbs fats, oils, and grease, but not rain!

There are other grease containment systems available that have similarities to this design. The Roof Guardian has one major difference though that separates it from the competition. While most other systems are attached directly to the roof, the Roof Guardian is mounted on short legs so it is off the roof. “Why does this matter?” you may ask. Good question! One thing the Roof Guardian and similar competitors have in common is that they all perform the job they are supposed to do – keep grease off the roof – as long as the filters are changed before they reach their saturation point.

Omni Roof Guardian

Unfortunately, the timely replacement of the filters doesn’t always happen. This can occur for a number of reasons. Sometimes the company that provides a grease containment system to a restaurant doesn’t inform the restaurant owner or landlord that regular filter changes are necessary. The restaurant may change to a different service provider who isn’t aware of the responsibility. Maybe this maintenance need is forgotten or ignored. Whatever the reason, if the filter isn’t changed, grease will end up on the roof.

That may happen with the competition systems and it may happen with the Roof Guardian. However, since the Roof Guardian is on legs and off the roof, anyone who checks out the fan will see the grease. It can be cleaned up and new filters can be installed before too much damage is done. With other on the roof systems, the grease will most likely go unnoticed until grease corrodes the roof and costly repairs are necessary.

The Roof Guardian is available in three standard sizes, 4’ x 4’, 5’ x 5’, and 6’ x 6’. In addition, we can custom build any other size you may require. For more information, check out the Roof Guardian.