East Sussex · Ductwork cleaning
Ductwork cleaning in Ripe, East Sussex
For cleaning of kitchen extract ductwork, horizontal runs and vertical risers through access panels in Ripe, one call is all it takes: survey, fixed quote, work and sign-off. CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, ISO 9001 and fully insured.
- Fat dripping from the ductwork
- Years of grease along the duct floor
- Readings above 200 microns from a grease thickness test
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must assess and reduce fire risk, and that can be the employer, the owner, a landlord, a facilities manager or a managing agent. Where responsibility is shared, records matter even more.
We regularly work with managing agents. Tell us the site, the work and the access arrangements and we’ll come back with a fixed quote.
Ductwork cleaning for kitchens and businesses in Ripe
Every duct has its own route. A few metres to an outside wall, or a riser up through the building to a roof fan. We map the route during the survey and finds every access point before we quote. The work covers access panels, attenuators and horizontal duct runs, and people most often call us about fat dripping from the ductwork and heavy grease at the base of a riser.
Rural kitchens often have long, low duct runs through a roof space or along an outside wall, where grease settles in the flat sections. We agree access and timings in advance.
We’re CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, we hold ISO 9001 and we are fully insured. On top of that, we’re a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, trading since 2009.
- Where
- Ripe (BN8)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Records
- Certificate and photo report
- Price
- A fixed price before any work starts
- Hours
- Nights, weekends or holidays to suit you
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Why it’s worth doing now in Ripe
Insurers know the risk of a greasy duct. Many policies require TR19 cleaning, and a claim may be refused or reduced without evidence. A certificate that covers the ductwork is what they want to see. It’s simpler to plan the work at Ripe now than to arrange it in a hurry later.
Several systems or sites on one quote often makes better use of the time. Tell us about everything you’d like looked at, and you will get one fixed quote.
Why Ripe businesses choose us
- CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001
- Every job surveyed first
- A BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- Fixed quotes from a survey or pictures
Take a look at our cost guide and how to check a contractor.
Ripe kitchens: local notes
It’s Wealden council that sends environmental health officers to food businesses in Ripe. Extraction counts as kitchen equipment, so its condition can come up on the day. Our report lists what was cleaned and when, which is useful to have ready. The fire and rescue service for Ripe is East Sussex 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.
If your kitchen is in a listed or historic building, like the houses around Ripe (Charleston Farmhouse is about 2.3 miles south-west), fitting access panels needs care. If you run catering at a healthcare site, such as a hospital like Hellingly Hospital Railway about 5.1 miles east, the extract may need cleaning more often than a part-time kitchen. Volunteers running a hall kitchen near The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, or anywhere in Ripe, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it.
Ripe is about 5 miles west of Hailsham, in East Sussex. Whether your site is in the middle of Ripe or further out, ductwork cleaning is available to all kinds of commercial premises, from small sites to large estates. Across East Sussex, we cover 289 places, Ripe among them. Brighton is in our area too, around 12 miles away.
All of BN8 is covered for ductwork cleaning, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We cover sites on Carriage Mews, Channers Lane and Church Lane and the roads around them. Neighbouring places we cover for ductwork cleaning include Selmeston (2 miles south), Wickstreet (2 miles south-east), Laughton (2 miles north), Golden Cross (2 miles north-east) and Berwick (2 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Eastbourne (8 miles south-east), Bexhill-on-Sea (14 miles east), Seaford (7 miles south), Lewes (6 miles west), Hailsham (5 miles east) and Crowborough (13 miles north).
Around Ripe
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to Lamb Inn and the streets around them. Ripe’s nearest station is Berwick (Sussex) station, about 2.2 miles south-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Hellingly Hospital Railway (5.1 miles east) and Museum of Agricultural Bygones (3 miles north-west). Green spaces nearby include Firle Beacon.
Aftercare tips
No system stays clean for ever, but care slows the build-up. Our tips:
- Report any grease dripping from duct joints
- Keep grease filters clean and fitted whenever you cook
- Get panels fitted where the duct couldn’t be cleaned
- Store the certificate with the fire risk assessment
Grease readings are taken again at the same set points, so the report shows the before and after figures. Before and after photos sit next to the numbers.
The less grease gets past the canopy, the cleaner the duct stays. Clean, properly seated filters are the duct’s best protection.
Ripe questions
Which fire service covers Ripe?
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service for Ripe. Records of extract cleaning are a sensible thing to have ready if a fire safety officer carries out an audit.
Can the work in Ripe be done at night or at weekends?
Yes, out-of-hours work is a big part of what we do. The site is handed back ready to open. Let us know the hours you are closed and we will book within them.
Can you quote from pictures?
Yes, if we can see what we need. Otherwise, we book a survey at a time that suits the site, then a fixed quote.
Can you look after several sites?
Yes. Our area covers London and the South East, so sites at different addresses can be planned together on one programme. Each site gets its own report and pictures.
How long does it take to clean extract ducts?
It depends on the length of the duct, the number of access panels and how much grease there is. As a guide, it takes a few hours for a short run, longer for long runs and tall risers.
Does the law say we must follow TR19?
No. TR19® is BESA’s specification, not legislation. The legal duty comes from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005: the responsible person must assess and reduce fire risk, and TR19® is the benchmark for showing that grease in the extract is under control.
Who is the responsible person?
That depends on who controls the premises. The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty on the responsible person, which may be the employer, owner, landlord, facilities manager or managing agent.
Can you clean ductwork with no access panels?
Any section we can’t reach is recorded on the report, as TR19 expects. We can fit new access panels so they’re cleaned next time.
Nearby places to Ripe
Other services in Ripe
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
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.
Logging matters as much as cleaning. A dated log of in-house cleaning and checks helps show that the system is managed between specialist visits, alongside our reports.
What affects the cost of ductwork cleaning
We do not publish a price list, because sites vary so much. What we look at:
- Whether it’s a one-off visit or part of a schedule
- When the work can happen, such as evenings, overnight or weekends
- The size of the system
- How easy every part is to reach
We don’t list prices on the website, because the cost depends on the site in front of us. For a fixed quote, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line, and we’ll explain what it covers.
Asking for a quote
Photos and a few facts are often enough to price the work. Send what you can of the following:
- The times we could work without disrupting the site
- Where the plant sits or the system leaves the building, such as a roof or outside wall
- Wide pictures of the system and the area around it
- Any access panels or hatches you can see
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.
What happens on the day
At the end of the visit, someone from your team can look over the work with us. We point out anything that couldn’t be reached or needs a follow-up, and the same goes into the written report. All told, the work takes from a few hours to more than one visit, depending on duct length and access. Pictures of the system and its access let us plan the work in Ripe before we set off.
- First we diagnose: the route, the access and the grease levels.
- A fixed quote follows, based on what we found.
- We clean section by section, working from panel to panel.
- We take extra care at bends and at the foot of risers.
- Readings, photos and a recommended next clean date complete the job.
How to prepare
- Agree a time when the area can be out of use
- Tell us about site rules, permits or sign-in
- Mention any locked doors, roof access or ceiling voids
Get a fixed quote
Here’s what helps us quote: where the site is, what it is and its opening hours, a few photos and the last certificate or report, if there is one. Once you have those, call us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form.
Advice
Different parts, different methods
Horizontal duct runs
A long flat run can’t be cleaned from one end. Any stretch out of reach is noted and can fit extra panels.
Vertical risers
In taller buildings, a riser may pass through several floors and fire compartments, where fire dampers may be fitted. Damper testing is a separate service.