Medway · Ductwork cleaning
Chatham Waterfront ductwork cleaning
Ductwork cleaning in Chatham Waterfront, surveyed first and signed off with a written report and pictures. Call for a fixed quote.
- Stale grease odours from the duct
- Thick crusts of old grease along the duct
- Thick deposits at the bottom of a vertical duct
What a clean will not put right
Ductwork cleaning can’t fix everything, and we will tell you before any work starts. It does not solve:
- A failed fan motor at the end of the duct (a fan repair job)
- Faulty fire dampers
- Ductwork that’s corroded, split or holed (that needs a ductwork contractor)
If in doubt, call 0345 646 2711 or email us and we’ll say what we think.
Parts of the system we cover
- Bends and junctions
- Multi-storey ducts
- Horizontal duct runs
- Vertical risers
- Access panels
- Attenuators
Ductwork cleaning in Chatham Waterfront
We’ve been trading since 2009, working across London and the South East. As a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, our duct cleaning is done to BESA TR19® Grease, and our certificates are issued through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal. The work covers bends and junctions, access panels and multi-storey ducts, and people most often call us about thick deposits at the bottom of a vertical duct and a duct nobody has opened in years.
Size doesn’t change the work: a kitchen in a place like Chatham Waterfront gets the whole system cleaned, canopy to discharge. The visit is booked around your opening hours, and the journey is planned ahead.
Think of the report as the system’s health record: a dated account with photos of everything we did. For TR19® Grease cleans, the certificate comes through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal and sits alongside the report.
- Where
- Chatham Waterfront (ME4, ME1, ME7)
- Region
- Medway
- Records
- Certificate plus before-and-after photos
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, normally within a working day
- When we work
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
Looking after it afterwards
To keep the system working properly between visits:
- Have the grease measured if cooking hours go up
- Leave a way through to the access panels
- Store the certificate with the fire risk assessment
- Never cook with a filter missing
Every panel we open is refitted when we finish, and the surrounding area is left clean. Grease and dirty water are contained and removed.
Some signs mean the duct needs attention sooner: drips from the ductwork, stale smells or a noisy fan. Testing will show whether any section has reached 500 microns.
How the job changes from site to site
Horizontal duct runs
The underside of a horizontal duct collects the most grease. We scrape out the heavy layer first, then the walls and roof are cleaned too.
Access panels
Access panels are the doors that let us into the duct. Without them, parts of the duct can’t be reached, and TR19 expects them to be recorded.
What your team can do, and what needs us
Staff cleaning and specialist work are not the same thing. A daily filter wipe and a weekly filter wash keep grease down at the front of the system, but grease that has passed the filters is out of reach. Reaching it takes a specialist with the right equipment.
Away from the kitchen, the in-house job is mainly checking: clear grilles, a log of filter changes and reporting anything odd. Cleaning inside ducts and units is specialist work.
What ductwork cleaning looks like in Chatham Waterfront
Chatham Waterfront lies within about 3 miles of the sea. Salt air speeds up corrosion of roof-level fans, discharge cowls and their fixings. Food Standards Agency records list about 166 restaurants, cafés and canteens and about 98 takeaways and sandwich shops across Chatham Waterfront and its immediate surroundings (about a mile and a half). The duct above a busy canopy coats itself in grease long before anyone sees it. Environmental health officers from Medway council inspect food businesses in Chatham Waterfront. The cleanliness of the kitchen and its equipment, extraction included, is part of what they check. Keeping each certificate and photo report on file helps show the extract is looked after.
Bursars and site managers at schools such as Brompton-Westbrook Primary School tend to book extract cleaning for when the kitchen is empty. Healthcare kitchens, like those at hospitals such as St. Bartholomew's Hospital (about less than half a mile west), often cook for long hours, which puts them in BESA’s heavier-use bands.
Chatham Waterfront is about 1 mile east of Rochester, in Medway. We carry out ductwork cleaning for businesses, landlords and public buildings in Chatham Waterfront and the rest of Medway. Chatham Waterfront is one of 68 towns, villages and districts in Medway where we work for commercial clients. There’s also a page for Maidstone, about 8 miles away.
Postcode districts we cover here for ductwork cleaning: ME4, ME1 and ME7. That includes premises on New Road, Old Road and Ship Lane and the roads around them. Being close to the A231, Chatham Waterfront is easy for our technicians to reach at any hour. Nearby, we also carry out ductwork cleaning in Brompton (1 mile north-east), Rochester Riverside (1 mile north-west), Luton (1 mile south-east), Frindsbury (1 mile north-west) and Chatham (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Rainham (4 miles south-east), Park Wood (4 miles south-east), Lordswood (3 miles south), Twydall (3 miles east), Hoo St Werburgh (3 miles north-east) and Wigmore (4 miles south-east).
Around Chatham Waterfront
Around Chatham Waterfront, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near King's Arms, St John Fisher RC Comprehensive School and Former Ordnance Store At Chatham Gun Wharf. Other local landmarks include St Michael the Archangel Church (within half a mile south), Fort Pitt Grammar School (0.5 miles south-west) and The Paddock (under half a mile north-east). Chatham Waterfront has its own railway station: Chatham station. A little further out are St. Bartholomew's Hospital (under half a mile west) and Rochester Castle (1 mile west). Open spaces near Chatham Waterfront include Gad's Hill and Ranscombe Farm.
For landlords and multi-site operators
From a single site to a large estate, you get the same standard: a survey first, a fixed quote, the work timed around the site and a report with pictures.
We also work for facilities teams across offices, schools and healthcare in Chatham Waterfront and across Medway. Larger estates can be phased building by building around the people who use them.
Signs you need ductwork cleaning in Chatham Waterfront
Damaged or poorly fitted filters let more grease into the duct. More grease reaches the ductwork than it should and it fills faster.
The symptoms we are asked about most are:
- A grease test showing the duct is overdue
- Grease pooling at the foot of the riser
- Proof of duct cleaning for the insurer
- Ductwork that has never been cleaned
If you cook for passing trade around Chatham station, the extract can be cleaned between your last and first customer.
What to look for in a quote
- Whether a written report and pictures are included
- Whether the quote shows VAT
- When the next visit should be, and why
- What happens if part of the system can’t be accessed
Questions from Chatham Waterfront
Which council inspects kitchens in Chatham Waterfront?
Kitchens in Chatham Waterfront are inspected by Medway council’s environmental health officers. Ratings are published by the Food Standards Agency, so a clean extract and good records are worth keeping up.
Does coastal air change anything about ductwork cleaning in Chatham Waterfront?
It can. Salt air reaches Chatham Waterfront, which is within about 3 miles of the coast, and it speeds up rust. Outdoor metalwork near the sea is worth inspecting at every visit.
How much notice should we give?
Earlier is better, particularly for night and weekend visits. Quotes typically come back within one working day, and emergencies are covered by our 24/7 line.
What shows that the ducts need a clean?
We measure it. Using a Wet Film Thickness Test or Deposit Thickness Test, we check the grease at set points. BESA guidance says the mean shouldn’t exceed 200 microns, and 500 or more anywhere needs immediate spot cleaning.
What’s involved in cleaning extract ducts?
We open each access panel and clean the section it reaches. Heavy grease comes out by hand, and what’s left is degreased, with readings taken before and after.
Do you work in Chatham Waterfront?
Yes. We cover Chatham Waterfront and the rest of Medway, as part of our work across South East England and London. To book, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email.
Can you clean ductwork with no access panels?
Every reachable section is cleaned and the rest recorded. Extra panels can be installed, and we can do that for you.
How long will the duct clean take?
Allow from a few hours to more than one visit, depending on duct length and access. The survey tells us how long your duct needs.
Places near Chatham Waterfront
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How the visit works
Protection comes first: floors, worktops and anything near the work are covered. After that, the system is made safe and the work begins. The work on site takes anything from a few hours to several visits, depending on the length of duct, and the area is cleaned down before we leave. Getting to the system matters more than parking in a place like Chatham Waterfront, so let us know how to reach it.
- The duct route is surveyed and every access point found.
- We take grease readings along the route.
- Out of hours, the area is protected and the access panels opened.
- Heavy deposits come out by hand, then each section is degreased.
- Panels are closed, readings and photos repeated, and unreachable sections recorded.
Preparing for the visit
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
- Tell us the best time to work, such as after service or at a weekend
- Let us know how we reach the system, including roofs, risers and plant rooms
How to get a quote
Quoting starts with a diagnosis, either from photos and details you send or from a site visit. After that, you get a fixed price for the work, before any work starts.