Surrey · Ductwork cleaning
Duct cleaning in Caterham
Ductwork cleaning in Caterham, surveyed first and signed off with a written report and pictures. Ask us for a fixed quote.
- Duct runs that can’t be reached
- Ductwork that has never been cleaned
- Fat dripping from the ductwork
What happens on the day
Each visit runs to the same pattern: protect the area, make the system safe, carry out the ductwork cleaning, clear away and leave you the report. The visit itself takes a shift or more, depending on the length of the runs and the number of access points. Let us know how to reach the roof or plant area at your site in Caterham, and where the van can go.
- First the duct route is traced and every access point noted.
- Grease readings are taken at set points along the duct.
- Access panels are opened and heavy deposits scraped out by hand.
- Horizontal runs and risers are then degreased by the method that suits the deposit.
- Post-clean readings and photos go into the report, with any unreachable section listed.
Before we arrive
- Move anything stored near the system
- Tell us about site rules, permits or sign-in
- Make sure someone can let us in and lock up afterwards
How to get a quote
Every quote begins with a look at the system, from your photos and details or, where that isn’t enough, a survey on site. Then we send a fixed price, before any work starts.
Related advice
About our ductwork cleaning in Caterham
Duct cleaning is the hardest part of an extract clean, and the part most often skipped. Sections with no way in can go uncleaned for years. We open up every reachable section and record any we cannot reach, so you know exactly where you stand. If you’re dealing with thick deposits at the bottom of a vertical duct and gaps where access panels were never fitted, we can put it right, from bends and junctions, access panels and horizontal duct runs onwards.
Around a town like Caterham, extract cleaning normally means a restaurant, pub, takeaway or the kitchen of a school or care home. Whatever the kitchen, the canopy, filters, duct and fan all collect grease.
Nothing is signed off by word of mouth: a dated report with pictures of the work, plus a certificate through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal when the work is a TR19® Grease clean. It shows what was done and what, if anything, couldn’t be reached.
- Location
- Caterham (CR3)
- Region
- Surrey
- Paperwork
- Certificate plus before-and-after photos
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, normally within a working day
- When we work
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Towns and villages near Caterham
Also in Caterham
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
Some jobs should never be done in-house: opening up ductwork, cleaning fans, drop testing fire dampers and measuring grease call for the right kit, training and safe access. That is our job.
When your team notices a problem between visits, such as dripping grease, a noisy fan, a smell or a filter that won’t come clean, it’s best reported rather than tackled in-house. We can diagnose it and quote.
What ductwork cleaning can’t fix
It’s worth knowing the limits before booking:
- A worn-out fan that needs replacing
- Duct sections that need replacing
- Sections that cannot be reached safely without new access (those are recorded, and panels can be fitted)
If in doubt, ring 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and we’ll say what we think before booking.
Parts of the system we cover
- Multi-storey ducts
- Bends and junctions
- Access panels
- Vertical risers
- Attenuators
- Horizontal duct runs
Why deal with it now?
TR19® is not law, but the duty to manage fire risk is. The Fire Safety Order 2005 makes the responsible person assess and reduce fire risk, and grease in the duct is part of that. A small fault found now is a quick job; the same fault found later can close the site.
Working hours, access and the scale of the site can all change the price. We take each of them into account and give you a fixed price before any work starts.
What you get with us
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
- Member of BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- Fully insured
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
Read what affects the cost or our accreditations.
Part by part
Attenuators and discharge
At the end of the duct is the discharge. It can gather grease and mark the wall or roof around it, so it’s cleaned as far as safe access allows.
Vertical risers
A riser takes the duct up through one or more floors. Grease runs down the walls and gathers at the base, so the base is one of our test points.
What we’re called out for in Caterham
Many ducts don’t have enough access panels. Sections between panels go uncleaned, sometimes since the system was installed, and grease there keeps thickening unseen.
These are the problems we see most often:
- A rancid smell from the extract duct
- Readings above 200 microns from a grease thickness test
- Hardened, baked-on grease in long horizontal runs
- Heavy grease at the base of a riser
School kitchens, at schools like Hillcroft Primary School for example, are usually cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost.
Comparing quotes
- Whether VAT is included
- Whether the whole system is included, or only the parts that are easy to reach
- Their accreditations, such as BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite, CHAS or SafeContractor
- Whether the quote is based on a survey or pictures
What affects the cost of ductwork cleaning
Your quote is based on your site. We consider:
- How big the system is
- Working hours and out-of-hours timing
- Whether we need access equipment or extra panels
- A single visit or a regular plan
Putting the work off seldom saves money. Build-up, wear and faults tend to get worse, not better, which can make the next visit longer. If you are not sure what’s needed, ring 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we will give you an honest view and a fixed quote.
What to send for a quote
When you contact us, it’s useful to have:
- When the site is open and when it’s quiet
- Detail shots of panels, filters and grilles
- Anything you’ve noticed, such as smells, noise, drips or poor airflow
- The roof, plant room or outside wall the system runs to
For a fixed quote, call 0345 646 2711, or email photos with the site type, your trading hours and a short description of the system. A few photos and your last certificate or report help a lot. You will normally have a quote within one working day.
Common questions in Caterham
Which fire and rescue service is responsible for Caterham?
Fire safety enforcement in Caterham is handled by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service. Records of extract cleaning are a sensible thing to have ready if a fire safety officer carries out an audit.
Can a school canteen extract in Caterham be done out of term time?
Yes, out-of-term visits are normal for schools. The FSA’s register shows about 15 schools and colleges with food registrations within roughly a mile and a half of Caterham. Just call 0345 646 2711, or email photos with your term dates and we will plan around them.
Do you work with multi-site operators?
Yes. You deal with one contact for every site in our area, and visits can be set on a regular cycle.
What information do you need?
Only a few details: where it is, what kind of site, when it’s open and the access. Photos and the last report help too. Then ring 0345 646 2711, or send details by email.
What happens if there aren’t enough access panels?
Sections out of reach are written down on the report, as TR19 expects. New panels can be fitted to reach them in future.
How can I tell if my extract ducts are dirty?
Drips, smells and weak extraction are clues, but measuring is the reliable way to know. Grease thickness testing shows exactly where the duct stands.
Can you price the work without visiting?
Yes, for many jobs. Send a few wide pictures plus close-ups of panels, filters or grilles, and we normally come back within one working day. If photos are not enough, we will survey first.
Do I get a certificate for ductwork cleaning?
A full system clean comes with a TR19 certificate and a photo report. It includes readings, pictures and any unreachable sections.
Ductwork cleaning around Caterham
Food Standards Agency data counts about 43 restaurants, cafés and canteens and about 19 takeaways in and around Caterham, up to about a mile and a half out. Each kitchen that cooks under a canopy sends grease-laden air into a duct, where it cools and settles. Fire safety in Caterham falls to Surrey Fire and Rescue Service. Fire and rescue authorities enforce the Fire Safety Order in most non-domestic premises, and in a kitchen that fire risk includes the grease in the extract. Kitchens in Caterham get their food hygiene inspections from Tandridge council. They look at how clean the premises and equipment are, and the kitchen extract is part of that. A dated certificate in the maintenance file answers the question before it’s asked.
Healthcare kitchens cannot easily close, so their extracts are cleaned overnight or between meal services; the nearest hospital to Caterham is Caterham Dene Hospital, about less than half a mile south-east. Commuter trade near Caterham station can mean long cooking hours, and long hours put a kitchen into BESA’s more frequent cleaning bands.
Caterham is about 11 miles south-west of Orpington, in Surrey. Whether your site is in the middle of Caterham or further out, ductwork cleaning is available to all kinds of commercial premises, from a single unit to a large public building. Across Surrey, we cover 395 places, Caterham among them. Our London page covers sites nearby, about 15 miles away.
Here we cover the CR3 postcode area for ductwork cleaning. Whether your site is on High Street, London Road and Park Road or a nearby road, we can help. You will find Caterham on the B2030 and B2031, which makes it straightforward for our technicians to reach for out-of-hours visits. Close by, we work in Woldingham Garden Village (2 miles east), Tyler's Green (2 miles south-east), Woldingham (3 miles east), Godstone (3 miles south) and Church Town (3 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Epsom (8 miles north-west), Horley (8 miles south-west), Redhill (5 miles south-west), Ewell (8 miles north-west), Reigate (6 miles south-west) and Walton-on-Thames (15 miles north-west).
What’s near Caterham
In Caterham, that means kitchens and buildings near Sunnydown School, The King And Queen Public House and de Stafford School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Caterham station, about 0.7 miles south-east. Nearby you will also find Bletchingley Castle (3.4 miles south) and East Surrey Museum (0.6 miles south-east). Not far away are South London Downs National Nature Reserve and Mercers Lake.