Kent · Ductwork cleaning
Duct cleaning in Sevenoaks
Cleaning of kitchen extract ductwork, horizontal runs and vertical risers through access panels for businesses, landlords and public buildings in Sevenoaks. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and fully insured.
- Grease leaking from duct joints
- Heavy grease at the base of a riser
- Duct runs that cannot be reached
Ductwork cleaning for kitchens and businesses in Sevenoaks
Many ducts were installed with too few access doors. Where a section cannot 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. The work covers horizontal duct runs, attenuators and bends and junctions, and people most often call us about ductwork that has never been cleaned and a duct clean needed for an insurer.
Many kitchens in a town like Sevenoaks were fitted into buildings built for something else, so duct runs can be awkward, with bends, long horizontal sections and too few access panels. Where the duct can’t be reached, new panels can be fitted, and anything left uncleaned is recorded on the report.
We have 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’re fully insured.
Multi-site and managed buildings
Whether it’s one building or many, the standard is the same: a survey first, a fixed quote, the work timed around the site and a report with photos.
Facilities teams in offices, schools and healthcare sites book us too across Kent. Larger estates can be phased building by building around the people who use them.
Grease, kitchens and Sevenoaks
The FSA’s food hygiene register includes about 13 pubs, bars and clubs and about 3 hotels, B&Bs and guest houses within about 1.5 miles of central Sevenoaks. Wherever they cook, the canopy, duct and fan collect grease just as a restaurant’s do. Kitchens in Sevenoaks get their food hygiene inspections from Sevenoaks council. The cleanliness of the kitchen and its equipment, extraction included, is part of what they check. Keeping each certificate and photo report on file helps show the extract is looked after. Fire safety in Sevenoaks falls to Kent Fire and Rescue Service. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order.
Healthcare kitchens, like those at hospitals such as Sevenoaks Hospital (about 0.6 miles north-east), often cook for long hours, which puts them in BESA’s heavier-use bands. If you look after a school kitchen, at a school such as Sevenoaks Primary School or anywhere near Sevenoaks, the holidays are the usual time for a TR19® clean.
Sevenoaks is about 19 miles south-east of London, in Kent. Whether your site is in the middle of Sevenoaks or further out, ductwork cleaning is available to all kinds of commercial premises, from small sites to large estates. Sevenoaks is one of 922 places in Kent where we work for ductwork cleaning. Our Maidstone page covers sites nearby, about 15 miles away.
Postcode districts we cover here for ductwork cleaning: TN13, TN14, TN15 and TN8. You will find streets such as London Road, High Street and Church Road, all of which we cover for ductwork cleaning. With the A21 and A25 close by, Sevenoaks is easy for our technicians to reach at any hour. Nearby, we also carry out ductwork cleaning in Riverhead (1 mile west), Kippington (1 mile south), Dunton Green (1 mile north-west), Bessels Green (1 mile west) and Chipstead (2 miles west). We also work in nearby towns such as Maidstone (15 miles east), Dartford (11 miles north), Royal Tunbridge Wells (11 miles south), Gravesend (13 miles north-east), Tonbridge (7 miles south-east) and Northfleet (13 miles north-east). Sevenoaks is among the bigger places we cover in Kent for ductwork cleaning.
What’s near Sevenoaks
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around The Rifleman pub, New Beacon School and Knole Academy and the streets around them. Sevenoaks has its own railway station: Sevenoaks station. Well-known places in the area include Sevenoaks Hospital (0.6 miles north-east) and Kemsing Castle Bank (2.6 miles north-east). Not far away are Dryhill Nature Reserve.
FAQs for Sevenoaks
Who is the fire and rescue service for Sevenoaks?
That is Kent Fire and Rescue Service. 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 work in Sevenoaks outside opening hours?
Yes. We work evenings, overnight and at weekends. Your customers, staff or residents in Sevenoaks needn’t be disturbed. When you ring 0345 646 2711 or send us an email, mention when the site is quiet.
Will I get a report after the ducts are cleaned?
A full system clean comes with a TR19 certificate and a photo report. The report shows readings, pictures and any sections we couldn’t reach.
Can we book visits on a schedule?
Yes, of course. Send details of the systems and how they’re used, and we’ll suggest a schedule and quote for it.
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. Then call us on 0345 646 2711, or email photos.
What shows that the ducts need a clean?
We measure it. 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.
What’s involved in cleaning extract ducts?
After a survey and grease readings, the duct is opened up through its access panels. We clean the runs and risers section by section, and test again when we’re done.
Does the law say we must follow TR19?
No. TR19® itself is not law; it’s a BESA specification. The law is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which makes the responsible person assess and reduce fire risk, and TR19® is the benchmark for showing that grease in the extract is under control.
How the visit works
Our technicians bring everything the work needs, including protection sheets, the right tools and access kit. You only need to give us clear access and switch off what needs to be off. The visit takes a shift or more, depending on the length of the runs and the number of access points. Photos taken on a phone are usually enough for us to plan a job in Sevenoaks and give a fixed quote.
- Diagnosis: a survey of the duct’s route, size and access.
- A fixed quote follows, based on what we found.
- Each section is cleaned in turn through its access panel.
- We take extra care at bends and at the foot of risers.
- The duct is signed off with readings, photos and a next clean date.
Preparing for the visit
- Tell us where we can park and unload
- Clear the space around the work
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
Getting a quote
Photos are enough for some jobs, while others need a look on site. Big or complicated sites, and systems that are hard to see in pictures, get a survey first. Either way, you get a fixed price before work begins.
Related advice
What we are called out for in Sevenoaks
Damaged or poorly fitted filters let more grease into the duct. The duct then takes grease that the filters should have stopped, and build-up speeds up.
The symptoms we are asked about most are:
- Years of grease along the duct floor
- Ductwork that has never been cleaned
- Heavy grease at the base of a riser
- Grease seeping out of the duct seams
If you cook for passing trade around Sevenoaks station, the extract can be cleaned between your last and first customer.
Comparing quotes
- Whether VAT is included
- How areas they cannot reach will be recorded
- Whether the quote is based on a survey or photos
- How they set the interval to the next visit
What affects the quote in Sevenoaks
The quote reflects the site in front of us. We take into account:
- Whether it’s a one-off visit or part of a schedule
- The condition we find in the survey
- When the work can happen, such as evenings, overnight or weekends
- Whether we need access equipment or extra panels
When the work has to happen, how we reach it and how big the site is can all change the price. Each of those is built into the quote, and the price is fixed before we start.
Asking for a quote
Photos let us diagnose from a distance. Try to include:
- Where the site is and what kind of site it is
- Problems your staff have spotted
- Where the plant sits or the system leaves the building, such as a roof or outside wall
- Your opening hours and when the area is out of use
To get a fixed quote, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email with the site type, your trading hours and a short description of the system. Photos and the last report, if you have one, make the quote quicker. You will typically have a quote within one working day.
Towns and villages near Sevenoaks
Also in Sevenoaks
What your team can do, and what needs us
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 can diagnose it and quote.
Logging matters as much as cleaning. A simple log of filter washes, wipe-downs and checks shows an inspector that the system is looked after between visits, next to our reports.
Part by part
Horizontal duct runs
The underside of a horizontal duct collects the most grease. We scrape out the heavy layer first, then the walls and roof are cleaned too.
Multi-storey and shared buildings
In a building with several floors, the duct may pass other tenants’ spaces. Access is planned with the building’s managers, so the clean is done safely and quietly.
Between visits
So the system stays in good health:
- Get panels fitted where the duct couldn’t be cleaned
- File each certificate and photo report in the maintenance log
- Keep to the interval on the report
- Ask for a grease thickness test if the kitchen gets busier
Keep the certificate and report with the fire risk assessment. It’s the evidence an insurer or inspector may ask for, and the photos make the duct’s condition easy to see.
Keep the fan on throughout service. Moving air carries vapour through rather than letting it settle, so switching off early adds to the build-up.