Hertfordshire · Ductwork cleaning
Hay Street ductwork cleaning
Ductwork cleaning for commercial sites in Hay Street and across Hertfordshire. BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease.
- A rancid smell from the extract duct
- Gaps where access panels were never fitted
- Duct runs with no cleaning record
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty to manage fire risk on the responsible person, which may be the employer, owner, landlord, FM or managing agent. Where responsibility is shared, records matter even more.
From a single site to a large estate, the standard is the same: a survey first, a fixed quote, the work timed around the site and a report with pictures.
How we handle ductwork cleaning in Hay Street
Ductwork in Hay Street is cleaned the same thorough way as everywhere else we work: we test the grease first, remove thick deposits by hand and degrease what’s left. Post-clean readings and photos complete the record. The work covers attenuators, vertical risers and horizontal duct runs, and people most often call us about smells of old cooking grease from the ductwork and grease seeping out of the duct seams.
Rural kitchens often have long, low duct runs through a roof space or along an outside wall, and those horizontal sections are where grease settles. Access, parking and timings are agreed before the day.
We’ve been trading since 2009, as a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. We also hold CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we are fully insured.
- Location
- Hay Street (SG11)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Paperwork
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, usually within a working day
- Working hours
- When your site is closed, plus a 24/7 line
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
Common problems we fix in Hay Street
Ducts in Hay Street gather grease for the same reasons as ducts anywhere: hours of cooking, the type of food and how well the filters are kept. BESA guidance sets minimum intervals of 3, 6 or 12 months depending on daily use.
If you notice any of these, it’s worth a diagnosis:
- A rancid smell from the extract duct
- Grease pooling at the foot of the riser
- Proof of duct cleaning for the insurer
- A duct nobody has opened in years
School kitchens, at schools like Jenyns First School and Nursery for example, are typically cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost.
What your quote should include
- Whether they’re fully insured
- Whether the figure could change on the day
- Their accreditations, such as BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite, CHAS or SafeContractor
- What paperwork you get at the end
What affects the cost of ductwork cleaning
We don’t publish a price list, because sites vary so much. The quote depends on:
- When the work can happen, such as evenings, overnight or weekends
- The number of sites or systems
- Access, including roofs, risers and ceiling voids
- One-off work versus a regular cycle
One small site or a whole estate, we price it on the same basis: the work involved, the access and the timing. You’ll have a fixed price before we start.
What to send for a quote
We can often survey from photos. The most useful are:
- A few general shots of the system
- How we’d reach plant on a roof or in a plant room
- Problems your staff have spotted
- When the site is open and when it’s quiet
Photos are the quickest way to a quote: wide shots of the system, close-ups of anything that worries you and how we’d get to it. Add the site type and your opening hours, and many jobs can be priced from that alone.
What staff can safely do
Staff cleaning does not replace a specialist visit; it supports it. Clean filters and tidy surfaces slow the build-up, but the parts you can’t see still need a specialist at the right interval.
Day-to-day cleaning is something your team can do: wiping canopies, washing grease filters and recording it in a log. What they cannot safely do is clean inside the ductwork, the fan or the risers, which is where we come in.
Nearby places to Hay Street
Also in Hay Street
Honest limits
Ductwork cleaning cannot fix everything, and we’d rather say so up front. It won’t put right:
- Undersized or badly laid-out ducts
- Fire dampers that do not close (they need testing and remedials)
- Parts of the duct with no way in
If in doubt, phone us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email and we’ll say what we think.
Where we work
- Bends and junctions
- Horizontal duct runs
- Multi-storey ducts
- Attenuators
- Vertical risers
- Access panels
Hay Street: your questions answered
Do you work at weekends in Hay Street?
Yes, we can come after you close and finish before you open. It means the site in Hay Street keeps running as normal. Just ring 0345 646 2711 or email us with your opening times and we will plan around them.
Who inspects food businesses in Hay Street?
The local authority for Hay Street is East Hertfordshire council, and its environmental health team does the inspecting. It helps to keep the extract cleaning records with your food safety paperwork, so they’re ready if asked for.
Can extra access doors be added to the duct?
Yes, we fit access panels where the duct needs them. That lets the next clean reach sections that were missed, and the report will show where they’re needed.
Do you look at the system first?
Yes, always. Diagnosis comes before treatment: the survey shows what needs doing and what access we need and the fixed quote is built on it.
Is a quote from photos possible?
In many cases, yes. Photos of the system and the access, plus your opening hours and last report, are often enough. Where we can’t see enough, we arrange a survey.
How is kitchen extract ductwork cleaned?
After a survey and grease readings, the duct is opened up through its access panels. Each run and riser is scraped and degreased, then the readings are repeated.
How much notice do you need?
Earlier is better, particularly for night and weekend visits. Quotes normally come back within one working day, and emergencies are covered by our 24/7 line.
Do you work in Hay Street?
Yes. We cover Hay Street and the rest of Hertfordshire, as part of our work across South East England and London. For a fixed quote, call 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form.
What happens on the day
Everything the job needs comes with us, from protective sheeting to tools and access equipment. You only need to give us clear access and switch off what needs to be off. On site, the work takes a shift or more, depending on the length of the runs and the number of access points. A few photos of the system help us make the most of a visit to a place like Hay Street.
- We trace the duct and find every way in.
- We take grease readings along the route.
- Once the kitchen has closed, we protect the area and open the panels.
- Heavy deposits come out by hand, then each section is degreased.
- Panels are closed, readings and pictures repeated, and unreachable sections recorded.
Before we arrive
- Let us know when the site is closed or quiet
- Mention any locked doors, roof access or ceiling voids
- Find the previous report, if there is one
Get a fixed quote
There’s no standard price list, because no two systems are the same. Instead, we look at your site first, from photos or a survey, and then send you a fixed quote. To start, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email.
Advice
Kitchen extracts in Hay Street
Food Standards Agency records include about 3 pubs and bars within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Hay Street. Wherever they cook, the canopy, duct and fan collect grease just as a restaurant’s do. The fire and rescue service for Hay Street is Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Its fire safety officers can audit commercial kitchens, and grease in the extract is part of a kitchen’s fire risk. Environmental health officers from East Hertfordshire council inspect food businesses in Hay Street. A greasy canopy or dripping filters are the sort of thing an inspection can pick up. Keeping each certificate and photo report on file helps show the extract is looked after.
If you run catering at a historic house or estate in the area (Much Hadham Palace is about 4.7 miles south-east), event kitchens in older buildings often have awkward duct runs that need planning. Church and community hall kitchens, near Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin or anywhere around Hay Street, are easy to forget, but their extracts collect grease like any other.
Hay Street is about 7 miles north-west of Bishop's Stortford, in Hertfordshire. Wherever you are in the SG11 postcode area, we cover ductwork cleaning for commercial sites. Across Hertfordshire, we cover 381 places, and Hay Street is one of them. Chelmsford is in our area too, about 23 miles from Hay Street.
We work across SG11 for ductwork cleaning and the roads nearby. We also cover the places around Hay Street: Braughing (1 mile south-east), Westmill (2 miles west), Aspenden (2 miles north-west), Great Hormead (2 miles north) and Buntingford (3 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Stevenage (9 miles west), Bishop's Stortford (7 miles south-east), Welwyn Garden City (12 miles south-west), Hitchin (13 miles west), Hoddesdon (11 miles south) and Cheshunt (15 miles south).
Local landmarks in Hay Street
Around Hay Street, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near Adam And Eve Public House and the streets around them. Well-known places in the area include Brent Pelham (3.7 miles north-east).
Different parts, different methods
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.
Access panels
Extra panels can be installed where there are gaps, so the next clean reaches more of the system. The survey shows where they’re needed.