Kent · Ductwork cleaning
Cotman's Ash ductwork cleaning
Ductwork cleaning for commercial sites in Cotman's Ash and across Kent. BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease.
- Smells of old cooking grease from the ductwork
- Sections of duct with no access panels
- Fat dripping from the ductwork
How we handle ductwork cleaning in Cotman's Ash
The ductwork is where an extract clean is won or lost. Sections with no way in can go uncleaned for years. We open up every reachable section and record any we can’t reach, so you know exactly where you stand. If you are dealing with thick deposits at the bottom of a vertical duct and grease seeping out of the duct seams, we can put it right, from vertical risers, attenuators and bends and junctions onwards.
For a kitchen in or near Cotman's Ash, the visit is planned around opening hours and the journey, and the clean covers the whole system, as it would anywhere: canopy, filters, duct, fan and discharge, with a certificate and photo report at the end.
Our accreditations include CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we’re fully insured. On top of that, we’re a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, and we’ve been trading since 2009.
- Where
- Cotman's Ash (TN15)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Paperwork
- Certificate plus before-and-after pictures
- Quote
- Fixed quote, usually within a working day
- When we work
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
Different parts, different methods
Horizontal duct runs
A long flat run cannot be cleaned from one end. Any stretch out of reach is noted and can fit extra panels.
Multi-storey and shared buildings
Ducts in taller or shared buildings often run past other occupiers. Access is planned with the building’s managers, so the clean is done safely and quietly.
How it works
Your trading hours come first. Most visits are booked for when the area is out of use, such as evenings, overnight, early mornings or weekends. When the team arrives, the work area is protected and the relevant equipment is switched off to cool, and the job takes a shift or more, depending on the length of the runs and the number of access points. The timing of a visit to Cotman's Ash is set by you, and the travel is our side of the planning.
- The duct route is surveyed and every access point found.
- Grease thickness is measured at set points.
- Once the kitchen has closed, we protect the area and open the panels.
- Thick grease is scraped out, then the runs and risers are degreased.
- We close up, re-test, photograph and record anything out of reach.
How to prepare
- Plan for cooking equipment or plant to be off before we arrive
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
Getting a quote
For ductwork cleaning in Cotman's Ash, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email. Let us know the site type and the opening hours, plus photos or the previous report if they’re to hand. A fixed quote usually follows within one working day.
Related advice
Ductwork cleaning around Cotman's Ash
Cotman's Ash is about 19 miles from central London, well within the area we cover across London and the South East. Visits are booked around your hours, evenings and weekends included. Kitchens in Cotman's Ash get their food hygiene inspections from Sevenoaks council. A greasy canopy or dripping filters are the sort of thing an inspection can pick up. Before-and-after pictures from each clean are a simple way to show the extract is in hand.
Older buildings often hide long, awkward duct runs, and if you run a kitchen at a historic venue in the area (Lullingstone Castle is about 3.4 miles north-west), access may need planning. Healthcare kitchens, like those at hospitals such as Sevenoaks Hospital (about 2.8 miles south-west), often cook for long hours, which puts them in BESA’s heavier-use bands.
Cotman's Ash is about 3 miles north-east of Sevenoaks, in Kent. Every kind of commercial site in Cotman's Ash, ductwork cleaning is something we can help with. Visits can be booked for evenings, overnight or weekends so trading isn’t interrupted. Our area takes in 922 places across Kent, large and small. For sites nearby, see our Maidstone page (13 miles or so).
Our technicians cover all of TN15 for ductwork cleaning and the roads nearby. If your site is just outside Cotman's Ash, we cover Woodlands (1 mile north-east), Heaverham (1 mile south-east), Knatts Valley (1 mile north), Romney Street (1 mile north-west) and Kemsing (1 mile south-west). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (13 miles east), Dartford (9 miles north), Sevenoaks (3 miles south-west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (13 miles south), Gravesend (10 miles north-east) and Tonbridge (8 miles south).
Landmarks near Cotman's Ash
Around Cotman's Ash, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near The Rising Sun pub and Kemsing Down, among other places. The nearest railway station is Kemsing station, about 1.4 miles south of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Kemsing Castle Bank (0.9 miles south-west) and Sevenoaks Hospital (2.8 miles south-west). The countryside around Cotman's Ash includes Dryhill Nature Reserve.
Nearby places to Cotman's Ash
Other services in Cotman's Ash
What ductwork cleaning cannot fix
We will not sell you work that doesn’t address the problem, so these are the things it will not cover:
- Leaking duct joints that need repair
- Sections that can’t be reached safely without new access (those are recorded, and panels can be fitted)
- A failed fan motor at the end of the duct (a fan repair job)
If in doubt, call us on 0345 646 2711 or email us and we’ll say what we think before booking.
Parts of the system we cover
- Attenuators
- Access panels
- Horizontal duct runs
- Multi-storey ducts
- Bends and junctions
- Vertical risers
For landlords and multi-site operators
When the building owner and the occupier are different, it’s worth checking the lease for who maintains the systems. We’re happy to deal with either side, and the report can go to both.
Facilities teams in offices, schools and healthcare sites book us too in Cotman's Ash and across Kent. Work can be phased by floor, building or site to keep disruption down.
What your team can do, and what needs us
A few tasks are always specialist work: entering ducts, working on fans, testing dampers and taking grease readings need training, the right equipment and safe access. That’s our job.
Staff cleaning and specialist work aren’t the same thing. A daily filter wipe and a weekly filter wash keep grease down at the front of the system, but they don’t reach the grease that builds up further in. That part needs specialist access and equipment.
Your questions about ductwork cleaning in Cotman's Ash
Who enforces fire safety at workplaces in Cotman's Ash?
Fire safety enforcement in Cotman's Ash is handled by Kent 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 you clean school kitchen extracts in Cotman's Ash during the holidays?
Yes. Half-terms and the summer break are the natural time for school work. There are about 4 schools, colleges and universities on the FSA’s food hygiene register within about 1.5 miles of Cotman's Ash. Tell us your holiday dates and we’ll book the visit for when the site is empty.
How do you clean inside the ductwork?
After a survey and grease readings, the duct is opened up through its access panels. Each run and riser is scraped and degreased, and test again when we are done.
How much notice do you need?
The more notice, the better, particularly for night and weekend visits. Quotes usually come back within one working day, and there’s a 24/7 line for emergencies.
What does ductwork cleaning cost?
Every site is different, so each gets its own fixed quote. For a quote, call 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and tell us about the site and its opening hours.
What if parts of the system cannot be reached?
We never leave them off the paperwork. The report says which parts couldn’t be reached and why, along with a quote to put access in.
Are you accredited?
BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, plus CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001. We’ve been trading since 2009 and we’re fully insured.
What is TR19?
It’s BESA’s specification and the benchmark insurers, fire officers and EHOs look to. It covers how systems are inspected, cleaned and checked and expects a risk-based approach.
What we are called out for in Cotman's Ash
Slow air leaves the most grease behind. Flat runs, bends, reducers and the base of risers are the usual hotspots, and those are the points we pay most attention to.
Any of these means the system needs a check-up:
- Stale grease odours from the duct
- Grease seeping out of the duct seams
- Ductwork that has never been cleaned
- High readings at a recent grease test
If you run a church or community hall kitchen, near Church of Saint Mary the Virgin or elsewhere in Cotman's Ash, its extract still collects grease from every lunch and event.
Comparing quotes
- Proof of accreditation you can verify
- Whether they’re fully insured
- What records you’ll receive afterwards
- When they can work, and whether that’s outside your opening hours
Keeping the system healthy
How long the results last depends on use and care. Here’s what we suggest:
- Check readings when the menu changes
- Tell us if grease leaks from the ductwork
- Get panels fitted where the duct couldn’t be cleaned
- Book the next clean before the recommended date
The report gives a recommended next clean date, based on the readings and your daily cooking hours, in line with BESA guidance.
Grease that never reaches the duct never needs cleaning out of it. Clean, properly seated filters are the duct’s best protection.