West Sussex · Ductwork cleaning
Ductwork Cleaning in Portslade
Ductwork cleaning in Portslade from ventilation hygiene specialists trading since 2009. Out-of-hours visits and 24/7 emergency callout.
- A duct nobody has opened in years
- Thick deposits at the bottom of a vertical duct
- Hardened, baked-on grease in long horizontal runs
Ductwork cleaning in Portslade
Duct cleaning is the hardest part of an extract clean, and the part most often skipped. Sections with no way in can go uncleaned for years. We open up every reachable section and record any we cannot reach, so you know exactly where you stand. If you are dealing with high readings at a recent grease test and thick crusts of old grease along the duct, we can help, from bends and junctions, multi-storey ducts and vertical risers onwards.
Kitchens around a place like Portslade are often in older buildings or single-storey extensions, with the duct running through a roof space or up an outside wall. Long horizontal runs like that hold grease and need access panels to reach.
Think of the report as the system’s health record: dated, with pictures, and showing what was done. For TR19® Grease cleans, the certificate comes through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal, ready for your insurer.
- Where
- Portslade (BN41, BN3, BN42)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Reporting
- Certificate plus before-and-after photos
- Quotes
- A fixed quote up front
- Working hours
- Out of hours as standard, 24/7 emergency line
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Why deal with it now?
Grease narrows the duct and slows the air. Less air moves, so heat and smoke stay in the kitchen while the fan strains, and grease may start to leak from joints. A visit arranged in advance is far less disruptive than a callout on a busy day.
Combining work into one visit or one programme often makes better use of the time. Mention every system or site you need covered, and you will get one fixed quote.
Why book with us
- Fixed quotes from a survey or photos
- In business since 2009
- Full insurance on every job
- Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus 24/7 emergency callout
See how cleaning jobs are priced and how to check a contractor.
Towns and villages near Portslade
Also in Portslade
Part by part
Access panels
After cleaning, every panel is closed and sealed, so grease and air stay inside the duct. We will tell you if any panel needs replacing.
Vertical risers
Risers carry the extract up through the building to the roof. Grease runs down the walls and gathers at the base, so the base is one of our test points.
Signs you need ductwork cleaning in Portslade
A vertical riser can run up several floors. Grease clings to the walls and can run down to the base, where it can pool. Access along its height is needed to clean it properly.
Clients normally contact us when they notice one of these:
- Ductwork that has never been cleaned
- Gaps where access panels were never fitted
- High readings at a recent grease test
- Smells of old cooking grease from the ductwork
If you run a café or takeaway near Fishersgate station, early starts and late finishes leave little time to clean, so overnight extract cleaning suits.
What your quote should include
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
- Proof of insurance
- When they can work, and whether that’s outside your opening hours
- Proof of accreditation you can verify
How the visit works
We start by comparing what we find with the survey or your pictures. If anything is different, we talk it through with the person on site before carrying on. From there, it takes from a few hours to more than one visit, depending on duct length and access. In a smaller place like Portslade, parking is rarely the issue, but tell us about gates, roof access and opening hours.
- We start by working out how the duct runs and where it can be opened.
- We measure grease thickness at set points before cleaning.
- Access panels are opened and heavy deposits scraped out by hand.
- The duct is degreased with the method that suits the grease, from degreasers to hot water or steam.
- Post-clean readings and photos go into the report, with any unreachable section listed.
Preparing for the visit
- Move anything stored near the system
- Let us know when the site is closed or quiet
- Dig out any earlier paperwork for the system
Getting a quote
To help us quote: the address, the type of site and when it’s open, a few pictures and the last certificate or report, if there is one. Then call 0345 646 2711 or send us an email.
Related advice
Aftercare tips
Looking after the system between visits is straightforward, and it helps at the next visit:
- Store the certificate with the fire risk assessment
- Ask for a grease thickness test if the kitchen gets busier
- Do not block access panels with shelving or stock
- Ask us about extra access panels where sections cannot be reached
Every panel we open is refitted when we finish, and the area around them is cleaned down. Waste grease and water are taken away.
Watch for warning signs between cleans: drips from the ductwork, stale smells or a noisy fan. A grease thickness test can confirm whether a spot clean is needed.
When it’s something else
It’s worth knowing the limits before booking:
- A damper stuck open in the duct
- An extract fan that has stopped working
- A duct that is too small or badly routed for the kitchen (a design issue)
If in doubt, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we will say what we think before booking.
What we work on in Portslade
- Attenuators
- Vertical risers
- Bends and junctions
- Access panels
- Horizontal duct runs
- Multi-storey ducts
Staff cleaning versus specialist work
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 they do not reach the grease that builds up further in. Reaching it takes a specialist with the right equipment.
For ventilation and air handling systems, in-house care is mostly about checks: clear grilles, a log of filter changes and reporting anything odd. Cleaning inside ducts and units is specialist work.
Grease, kitchens and Portslade
The coast is only about 1 mile from Portslade. Corrosion on the fan housing and cowl is worth a look at every clean, alongside the grease. There are about 68 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 44 takeaways within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Portslade, according to the Food Standards Agency’s register. Wherever those kitchens cook under a canopy, the horizontal runs and risers need cleaning as well as the hood. It’s Brighton and Hove council that sends environmental health officers to food businesses in Portslade. A greasy canopy or dripping filters are the sort of thing an inspection can pick up. A TR19® certificate and photo report after each clean gives you a record to show an inspector.
Church and community hall kitchens, near St Nicolas Church or anywhere around Portslade, are easy to forget, but their extracts collect grease like any other. Healthcare kitchens cannot easily close, so their extracts are cleaned overnight or between meal services; the nearest hospital to Portslade is Southlands Hospital, about 1.8 miles west.
Portslade is about 1 mile west of Brighton and Hove, in West Sussex. Every kind of commercial site in Portslade, ductwork cleaning is something we can help with. We can work out of hours so trading is not interrupted. Our West Sussex coverage runs to 371 places, and Portslade is one of them.
We cover every part of BN41, BN3 and BN42 for ductwork cleaning and the streets around it. If you need ductwork cleaning at premises on Mill Lane, Crown Road and Drove Road or a nearby road, our technicians can take on the work. Being close to the A293, Portslade is easy for our technicians to reach at any hour. Close by, we work in Hangleton (1 mile north-east), Southwick (1 mile south-west), Kingston by Sea (1 mile west), Shoreham-by-Sea (2 miles west) and Old Shoreham (3 miles west). We also work in nearby towns such as Worthing (8 miles west), Haywards Heath (12 miles north-east), Burgess Hill (9 miles north-east), Littlehampton (14 miles west), Lancing (5 miles west) and Rustington (13 miles west).
Landmarks near Portslade
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around King's School, Benfield Hill and The Mill House. Portslade’s nearest station is Fishersgate station, roughly 0.7 miles south of the centre. A little further out are British Engineerium (1.8 miles east) and Southlands Hospital (1.8 miles west). Open spaces near Portslade include Shoreham Beach and Thundersbarrow Hill.
Common questions in Portslade
Can you get to a site in Portslade?
Yes, we work in villages as well as towns, and Portslade is covered. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Does coastal air change anything about ductwork cleaning in Portslade?
Yes, to a degree: at about 1 mile from the coast, Portslade gets salt-laden air that corrodes metal faster. Outdoor metalwork near the sea is worth inspecting at every visit.
Which sectors do you work in?
We work for restaurants, pubs, hotels, schools, colleges, hospitals, care homes, offices and shops, plus food production and leisure sites.
Are you accredited?
Duct Doctor is a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. We also hold CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we’re fully insured.
Can you come out in an emergency?
Yes. There’s a 24/7 emergency line, for problems that cannot wait. Ring any time and tell us what’s happened.
How much does ductwork cleaning cost in Portslade?
Size, condition, access and working hours all affect the cost. Ask us for a fixed quote, usually ready within one working day.
What is TR19?
BESA’s ventilation hygiene specification, with two parts that matter most here: TR19® Grease for kitchen extracts and TR19® Air for supply and extract systems. It isn’t law, but it’s the benchmark.
What do you do with what you remove?
We take it away at the end of the visit. During the work, it’s contained so the area stays clean.