Essex · Ductwork cleaning
Lexden ductwork cleaning
Ductwork cleaning for Lexden and the surrounding area: a survey, a fixed price, careful work and proper paperwork. Call for a fixed quote.
- Sections of duct with no access panels
- A rancid smell from the extract duct
- Heavy grease at the base of a riser
Multi-site and managed buildings
Running several sites is easier with one contractor. We cover South East England and London, so a run of sites can go into one programme and kept on a regular cycle.
When the building owner and the occupier are different, the lease normally sets out who maintains what. We can quote either party, and the report can go to both.
Ductwork cleaning in Lexden
Not every duct has enough access panels. Where a section can’t be reached, TR19 expects it to be recorded on the report, and we can fit new access panels so it’s cleaned next time. It’s better to know than to assume. Typical jobs include high readings at a recent grease test and heavy grease at the base of a riser, on bends and junctions, access panels and attenuators.
In a smaller place like Lexden, the kitchens with extract systems are more likely to be a pub, a café, a takeaway or a school or care home kitchen than a big restaurant. Quieter kitchens still collect grease in the duct, just more slowly, so cleaning is planned around how much it cooks and what the readings show.
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 carry full insurance.
- Where
- Lexden (CO3, CO2)
- Region
- Essex
- Paperwork
- Certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, normally within a working day
- Working hours
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
Also near Lexden
What else we do in Lexden
What happens on the day
At the end of the visit, someone from your team can look over the work with us. Anything we couldn’t reach or that needs attention is pointed out there and then, and it goes on the report too. All told, the work takes a few hours for a short run, longer for long runs and tall risers. In a place like Lexden, we fit the visit around your hours.
- First the duct route is traced and every access point noted.
- Set points along the runs are tested for grease.
- We open the panels and scrape out the heaviest grease.
- Horizontal runs and risers are then degreased by the method that suits the deposit.
- We test again, take photos and note any part that couldn’t be reached.
How to prepare
- Find the previous report, if there is one
- Tell us where we can park and unload
- Clear loose items from the work area
Ask for a quote
There’s no standard price list, because no two systems are the same. Instead, we look at your site first, from pictures or a survey, and then send you a fixed quote. To get going, call 0345 646 2711, or send details by email.
Advice
Keeping the system healthy
Once we’ve finished, these simple steps help:
- Do not block access panels with shelving or stock
- Run the extract fan throughout service
- Tell us if grease leaks from the ductwork
- Have the grease measured if cooking hours go up
Keep the certificate and report with the fire risk assessment. It’s the evidence an insurer or inspector may ask for, and the pictures make the duct’s condition easy to see.
Watch for warning signs between cleans: grease leaking from duct joints, smells, or a fan that sounds rough. Testing will show whether any section has reached 500 microns.
Ductwork cleaning around Lexden
The Food Standards Agency lists about 32 bars, pubs and nightclubs and about 6 hotels, B&Bs and guest houses as registered food businesses across Lexden and its immediate surroundings (about a mile and a half). Breakfasts, bar meals and functions all put grease into the extract wherever they’re cooked. In Lexden, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Colchester council. An officer looking round a kitchen will see the canopy, and grease there is hard to miss. A dated certificate in the maintenance file answers the question before it’s asked. Lexden is covered by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order.
Church and community hall kitchens, near Church of St Leonard or anywhere around Lexden, are easy to forget, but their extracts collect grease like any other. Healthcare kitchens, like those at hospitals such as Essex County Hospital (about 1 mile east), often cook for long hours, which puts them in BESA’s heavier-use bands.
Lexden is about 1 mile west of Colchester, in Essex. Sites in Lexden get the same service as everywhere we cover: diagnosis first, a fixed price, out-of-hours working where needed and a written report with pictures. Our area takes in 644 places across Essex, large and small. There’s also a page for Chelmsford, roughly 19 miles from Lexden.
We work across CO3 and CO2 for ductwork cleaning and the roads nearby. Streets in the area include Park Road, Heath Road and Capel Road, and we cover them all for ductwork cleaning. Lexden is on the A1124, which makes it straightforward for our technicians to reach for out-of-hours visits. If your site is just outside Lexden, we cover Camulodunum (1 mile east), Braiswick (1 mile north), Abbey Field (1 mile south-east), Colchester (1 mile east) and Beacon End (2 miles west). Within a short drive, we also cover Braintree (13 miles west), Clacton-on-Sea (13 miles south-east), Maldon (13 miles south-west), Witham (11 miles south-west), Halstead (11 miles west) and Heybridge (12 miles south-west).
Around Lexden
In Lexden, that means kitchens and buildings near Lexden Park, Prettygate Infant School and The Sun Inn, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Colchester station, roughly 1.6 miles north-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Essex County Hospital (1 mile east) and Lion Walk (1.5 miles east). The countryside around Lexden includes Lexden Gathering Grounds.
Different parts, different methods
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.
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.
Staff cleaning versus specialist work
Staff cleaning and specialist work are not the same thing. Wiping filters daily and washing them weekly keeps the visible parts in order, but grease that has passed the filters is out of reach. Reaching it takes a specialist with the right equipment.
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 will take a look and send you a fixed quote.
When to call us in Lexden
Many ducts don’t have enough access panels. Stretches with no way in may never have been touched, and grease there keeps thickening unseen.
Clients usually contact us after spotting one of these:
- Years of grease along the duct floor
- Grease seeping out of the duct seams
- Duct runs that cannot be reached
- Thick deposits at the bottom of a vertical duct
School kitchens, at schools like Philip Morant School and College for example, are usually cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost.
What your quote should include
- Whether VAT is included
- When they can work, and whether that’s outside your opening hours
- Whether the price is fixed
- Whether they recommend a next date
Lexden: your questions answered
Can you clean school kitchen extracts in Lexden during the holidays?
Yes, out-of-term visits are normal for schools. The FSA’s register shows about 21 schools and colleges with food registrations within roughly a mile and a half of Lexden. Booking early in the term gives the best choice of holiday dates.
Who is the fire and rescue service for Lexden?
It’s Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, which covers Lexden. TR19® isn’t law, but it’s the benchmark many fire officers and insurers look to when they ask how often the extract is cleaned.
Can you price the work without visiting?
In many cases, yes. With good pictures, the site type and your last report, we can price many jobs. Larger or hidden systems need a survey on site first.
What shows that the ducts need a clean?
Signs include grease dripping from joints, smells and a fan working harder, but measuring is the reliable way to know. A WFTT or DTT reading gives a clear answer.
Which sectors do you work in?
All kinds of commercial and public premises: from restaurants, pubs and hotels to schools, hospitals, care homes, offices, shops and food production sites. We fit the work around how the site operates.
How far ahead should we book?
It depends on the time you need and how big the job is. Mention your preferred dates with your enquiry, and for anything urgent, ring our 24/7 emergency line.
Will I get a report after the ducts are cleaned?
Readings, photos and, for a full clean, a TR19 certificate. The report says when the next clean is due.
Can you clean ductwork with no access panels?
Every reachable section is cleaned and the rest recorded. Fitting extra access panels is the usual answer, and we can do that for you.
What affects the cost of ductwork cleaning
Some jobs are bigger than they look, and some smaller. The main factors:
- Whether it’s a one-off visit or part of a schedule
- The condition we find in the survey
- How many systems or sites are involved
- Whether we need access equipment or extra panels
You won’t find a price list here, because each job is priced on what it involves. Call for a fixed quote, and we will explain what it covers.
Helping us quote
Before you ask for a quote, gather:
- The paperwork from the last visit, if you have it
- Detail shots of panels, filters and grilles
- Anything you’ve noticed, such as smells, noise, drips or poor airflow
- A few general shots of the system
Some systems can be priced from pictures; others need a survey. Larger sites, and anything hidden behind walls, ceilings or floors, are normally surveyed first. Either way, the quote is fixed before any work is booked.