West Sussex · Ductwork cleaning
Ductwork cleaning in Houghton, West Sussex
Ductwork cleaning across Houghton and nearby, timed so the site keeps working and finished with a written report and photos.
- Heavy grease at the base of a riser
- Ductwork that has never been cleaned
- Thick crusts of old grease along the duct
Your questions about ductwork cleaning in Houghton
Who carries out food hygiene inspections in Houghton?
Food hygiene inspections in Houghton are carried out by Arun council. How often a business is inspected depends on the risk rating the council gives it, so it’s worth staying ready all year.
Do you cover smaller places like Houghton?
Yes. Villages and rural sites across the South East are part of our work, Houghton included. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the site when you book.
What information do you need?
Just the basics: the address, the site type, your opening hours and how we reach the system. Photos and any previous paperwork make it quicker. After that, simply call us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form.
What shows that the ducts need a clean?
A grease thickness test gives the answer. 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.
How do you clean inside the ductwork?
We get into the duct through its access panels. Heavy grease is scraped out by hand, then the surfaces are degreased with a method that suits the deposit, such as degreasers, hot water or steam.
Can you price the work without visiting?
In many cases, yes. Photos of the system and the access, plus your opening hours and last report, are often enough. Larger or hidden systems need a survey on site first.
Can we book visits on a schedule?
Yes, of course. Send details of the systems and how they’re used, and we will suggest a schedule and quote for it.
What if part of the duct cannot be reached?
Sections out of reach are written down on the report, as TR19 expects. We can fit new access panels so they’re cleaned next time.
About our ductwork cleaning in Houghton
Between the canopy and the fan runs the ductwork, hidden above ceilings and inside walls. Grease settles along every metre of it and a fire in the duct can spread through the building. Our ductwork cleaning reaches inside the runs and risers through access panels, to BESA TR19® Grease. The work covers bends and junctions, vertical risers and horizontal duct runs, and common reasons people get in touch are heavy grease at the base of a riser and smells of old cooking grease from the ductwork.
Somewhere as small as Houghton, commercial kitchens are few: perhaps a pub, a school or care home kitchen, or a hall used for events. Every one of them still needs its extract kept clear of grease, whatever the size of the place.
Duct Doctor has 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.
- Place
- Houghton (BN18)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Records
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, normally within a working day
- When we work
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
Also near Houghton
What else we do in Houghton
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
Facilities teams in offices, schools and healthcare sites book us too in Houghton and across West Sussex. Larger estates can be phased building by building around the people who use them.
For anyone managing more than one site, we can schedule visits across all of them on one quote. Every building has its own written report, so each one has its own record.
Aftercare tips
Simple habits between visits make a real difference. Our advice:
- Consider fitting panels where the report shows gaps
- Keep grease filters clean and fitted whenever you cook
- Do not switch the extract off early
- Book the next clean before the recommended date
A full system clean includes a TR19 certificate from the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal. It records the date, the location and the technician.
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.
Part by part
Horizontal duct runs
Horizontal runs carry the extract along ceilings and through voids. Grease drops out of the slowing air along them, so each section is cleaned through its access panels.
Attenuators and discharge
Some systems have attenuators to reduce noise, and their linings can soak up grease. They’re cleaned where possible and recorded if not.
When something else is needed
Some problems need a different service or another trade:
- Ductwork that is corroded, split or holed (that needs a ductwork contractor)
- A worn-out fan that needs replacing
- Duct sealed behind fixed ceilings or walls
Not sure which it is? You can give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we will tell you honestly.
What we work on in Houghton
- Multi-storey ducts
- Vertical risers
- Horizontal duct runs
- Access panels
- Bends and junctions
- Attenuators
Signs you need ductwork cleaning in Houghton
Slow air leaves the most grease behind. Long horizontal runs, bends, changes in size and the foot of a riser all collect more, and those are the points we pay most attention to.
Signs it’s time to call us include:
- Grease pooling at the foot of the riser
- Proof of duct cleaning for the insurer
- Sections of duct with no access panels
- A grease test showing the duct is overdue
A hall kitchen that only cooks for events, whether near The Parish Church of St Nicholas or elsewhere in Houghton, still needs its extract cleaned, just less often.
Before booking anyone
- How they set the interval to the next visit
- Exactly which parts of the system are covered
- How areas they cannot reach will be recorded
- What hours they’ll be on site
Ductwork cleaning around Houghton
According to Food Standards Agency records, there are about 3 pubs and bars within 1.5 miles or so of the middle of Houghton. Where they serve hot food, their kitchen extracts need cleaning to TR19® like any restaurant’s. The fire and rescue service for Houghton is West Sussex 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. In Houghton, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Arun council. An officer looking round a kitchen will see the canopy, and grease there is hard to miss. Keeping each certificate and photo report on file helps show the extract is looked after.
A hospital like Arundel and District Hospital, about 2.7 miles south, is the kind of site where a kitchen may cook for patients, staff and visitors all day. For kitchens close to Amberley station, where the day often starts early and ends late, the extract can be cleaned overnight.
Houghton is about 6 miles north of Littlehampton, in West Sussex. We provide ductwork cleaning for businesses, landlords and public buildings in Houghton and the rest of West Sussex. Across West Sussex, we cover 371 places, Houghton among them. Brighton is in our area too, around 19 miles away.
Every address in BN18 is covered for ductwork cleaning, from busy streets to back roads. If your site is just outside Houghton, we cover Arundel (3 miles south), Warningcamp (3 miles south-east), Crossbush (3 miles south), Tortington (4 miles south) and Poling (4 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Worthing (8 miles south-east), Bognor Regis (9 miles south-west), Chichester (11 miles west), Selsey (15 miles south-west), Littlehampton (6 miles south) and Shoreham-by-Sea (13 miles east).
Around Houghton
Around Houghton, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near Arundel Park. The nearest railway station is Amberley station, roughly 0.5 miles north-east. Well-known places in the area include Arundel and District Hospital (2.7 miles south) and Amberley Castle (1.2 miles north-east). Open spaces near Houghton include Amberley Wild Brooks and Bignor Hill.
How the visit works
Everything the job needs comes with us, from protective sheeting to tools and access equipment. All we need from you is clear access and the right equipment switched off. On site, the work takes a few hours for a short run, longer for long runs and tall risers. Somewhere like Houghton, lanes, gates and parking are worth mentioning in advance.
- 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.
- We close up, re-test, photograph and record anything out of reach.
How to prepare
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
- Move anything stored near the system
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
Ask for a quote
Getting a quote does not take long. Send a few details and pictures, and we normally reply with a fixed quote within one working day. If we need to see the system first, we book a survey around your hours.
Related advice
What happens if it’s left?
A fire in a greasy duct is hard to reach and hard to stop. It can travel through the ductwork to other parts of the building, so cleaning the duct is as important as cleaning the hood. In a small place like Houghton, a system that fails can take a site out of use.
The price reflects the work, not guesswork. That is why we survey first, from photos or on site, and why the quote is fixed before we start.
Why Houghton businesses choose us
- CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001
- Photo reports with every job
- Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus 24/7 emergency callout
- One number for every site across the South East and London
Take a look at what affects the cost or our accreditations.