Chinese / Wok Conversion Inspection Manual

WHERE THIS CUISINE QUIETLY COSTS YOU MONEY

Chinese / Wok-specific conversion gotchas

• 01 · Wok-range BTU load

  A single 16" wok burner runs 100,000–150,000 BTU; a four-burner Chinese range commonly hits 600,000+ BTU. The hood, exhaust fan, and gas service in the previous tenant's set-up almost certainly weren't sized for that. Confirm hood CFM, exhaust duct size, and gas-meter capacity BEFORE signing.

• 02 · Make-up air sizing

  For every CFM the hood exhausts, you need a matching CFM coming in — typically 80–85% of exhaust as a dedicated tempered MUA unit. A 4,000 CFM wok hood with no MUA pulls negative pressure through the front door, slams it, and chases customers out. MUA is often an extra $8K–$15K conversion line item.

• 03 · Stainless wall behind the wok

  Code (and insurance) require non-combustible wall + ceiling surfaces within ~36" of any wok burner. Drywall behind the previous tenant's pizza oven won't pass — budget for stainless sheet or fire-rated tile across the whole back wall.

• 04 · Wok-water drainage

  Wok stations use a constant cool-water spray to keep the ring temperature down — that water has to go somewhere. Most wok ranges ship with a built-in 2" floor drain requirement. If the existing slab doesn't have a drain in the right spot, you're saw-cutting concrete (~$3K–$8K + permit).

• 05 · Grease load + interceptor sizing

  Wok cooking generates 2–3× the grease load of grill or sauté. The previous tenant's grease interceptor was probably sized for that operation, not a wok line. Many AHJs require resizing under IPC Section 1003 — expect a 1,000+ gallon interceptor + a pump-out frequency increase from quarterly to monthly.