Oxfordshire · Ductwork cleaning
Ductwork cleaning in Shiplake, Oxfordshire
Specialist ductwork cleaning for Shiplake: a survey, a fixed price, careful work and proper paperwork. Call for a fixed quote.
- Thick crusts of old grease along the duct
- Duct runs with no cleaning record
- Readings above 200 microns from a grease thickness test
About our ductwork cleaning in Shiplake
Grease in a duct is hidden, which is exactly why it’s dangerous. Flames pulled in from the cooking line can ignite it, carrying a fire along the duct and into rooms far from the kitchen. Removing it is the whole point. The work covers access panels, bends and junctions and vertical risers, and common reasons people get in touch are grease seeping out of the duct seams and smells of old cooking grease from the ductwork.
In a small place like Shiplake, kitchens are often in older or extended buildings, with long single-storey duct runs, and those horizontal sections are where grease settles. We agree access and timings in advance.
Nothing is signed off by word of mouth: a written report, dated and illustrated with photos, and for TR19® Grease cleans, a certificate issued through the BESCA VHE portal. Any parts we couldn’t reach are recorded on it too.
- Where
- Shiplake (RG9)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Records
- Certificate plus before-and-after pictures
- Price
- A fixed quote up front
- When we work
- Nights, weekends or holidays to suit you
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
What the work involves, part by part
Multi-storey and shared buildings
In a building with several floors, the duct may pass other tenants’ spaces. We plan access with you and the building manager, so the clean is done safely and quietly.
Horizontal duct runs
The underside of a horizontal duct collects the most grease. Thick deposits are scraped out by hand before degreasing, then the walls and roof are cleaned too.
Managing agents and facilities teams in Shiplake
Landlords, managing agents and facilities managers book us, not only the businesses that use the systems. Where a system serves more than one tenant, such as a shared riser, it helps to agree who arranges the work, and we can quote for the whole system.
We regularly work with managing agents. Send the address, what’s needed and how access works, and we will send a fixed quote.
What a clean won’t put right
A few issues sit outside what this work can do:
- A duct that is too small or badly routed for the kitchen (a design issue)
- Sections that cannot be reached safely without new access (those are recorded, and panels can be fitted)
- Ductwork that is corroded, split or holed (that needs a ductwork contractor)
Not sure which it is? You can ring 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we’ll tell you honestly before booking.
Where we work
- Multi-storey ducts
- Horizontal duct runs
- Vertical risers
- Access panels
- Bends and junctions
- Attenuators
Your questions about ductwork cleaning in Shiplake
Which environmental health team covers Shiplake?
That’s South Oxfordshire council, whose environmental health officers carry out food hygiene inspections in Shiplake. How often a business is inspected depends on the risk rating the council gives it, so it’s worth staying ready all year.
Who is the fire and rescue service for Shiplake?
That’s Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. TR19® is not law, but it’s the benchmark many fire officers and insurers look to when they ask how often the extract is cleaned.
How can I tell if my extract ducts are dirty?
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 is TR19?
TR19® is BESA’s specification for ventilation hygiene. Since 2019, TR19® Grease has been a standalone specification for grease in kitchen extract systems, while TR19® Air covers other supply and extract ductwork.
How much does ductwork cleaning cost?
There’s no set price, as it depends on the job: the size of the system, its condition, access and when we can work. We fix the price before we start.
What types of premises do you cover?
We work for restaurants, pubs, hotels, schools, colleges, hospitals, care homes, offices and shops, plus food production and leisure sites.
What if part of the duct can’t be reached?
Any section we cannot reach is recorded on the report, in line with TR19. We can fit new access panels so they’re cleaned next time.
What paperwork do you give after a duct clean?
You get a photo report with before and after pictures, and a full TR19 clean also comes with a certificate issued through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal. Keep both in the maintenance log.
What affects the cost of ductwork cleaning
The price is fixed before any work begins. It takes into account:
- One-off work versus a regular cycle
- Whether we need access equipment or extra panels
- The condition of the system
- Whether several sites go on one quote
What you pay reflects the actual work. That’s why we survey first, from photos or on site, and the price is agreed before we start.
Helping us quote
What to send for a quote:
- Your last certificate, test record or report
- The times we could work without disrupting the site
- Problems your staff have spotted
- How we’d reach plant on a roof or in a plant room
Photos are the quickest way to a quote: wide shots of the system, close-ups of anything that worries you and how we’d get to it. Tell us what kind of site it is and when it’s open, and many jobs can be priced from that alone.
The process
We start by comparing what we find with the survey or your photos. If anything is different, we talk it through with the person on site before carrying on. After that, the work takes anything from a few hours to several visits, depending on the length of duct. We agree a date with you, plan the drive to Shiplake and turn up when the site is quiet.
- We map the duct route and check where the access panels are.
- We measure grease thickness at set points before cleaning.
- Access panels are opened and heavy deposits scraped out by hand.
- Next the ducts and risers are degreased, using whatever suits the deposit.
- Post-clean readings and pictures go into the report, with any unreachable section listed.
Before we arrive
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
- Clear loose items from the work area
- Mention any locked doors, roof access or ceiling voids
Ask for a quote
We don’t publish a price list, because no two systems are the same. We look at your system first, from photos or on a visit, then send a fixed quote. To get going, call us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email.
Read more
Why deal with it now?
A partly blocked duct slows the airflow. Less air moves, so heat and smoke stay in the kitchen while the fan strains and grease can drip from duct joints. Planning a trip to Shiplake ahead is easier for everyone than a rushed one.
Leaving it longer rarely makes the work cheaper. Problems in a system tend to grow, and a neglected system can mean more work. If you’re not sure what’s needed, ring 0345 646 2711 or send us an email for straight advice and a fixed quote.
What you get with us
- One number for every site across the South East and London
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
- Member of BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- We diagnose before we treat
Take a look at our cost guide and our accreditations.
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
Logging matters as much as cleaning. A dated log of in-house cleaning and checks shows an inspector that the system is looked after between visits, alongside our reports.
Good housekeeping makes our visits easier, not unnecessary. Regular in-house cleaning slows the build-up, but the parts you cannot see still need a specialist at the right interval.
Grease, kitchens and Shiplake
Food Standards Agency records list about 4 restaurants, cafés and canteens in Shiplake and the streets around it, up to about 1.5 miles out. Behind every canopy among them is a run of ductwork that collects grease out of sight. Shiplake is covered by Oxfordshire 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. It’s South Oxfordshire council that sends environmental health officers to food businesses in Shiplake. The cleanliness of the kitchen and its equipment, extraction included, is part of what they check. Before-and-after photos from each clean are a simple way to show the extract is in hand.
Term dates shape school work: for a school like Shiplake Church of England School, an extract clean fits neatly into a half-term or summer break. Church and community hall kitchens, near Church of St Peter and St Paul or anywhere around Shiplake, are easy to forget, but their extracts collect grease like any other. Healthcare kitchens can’t easily close, so their extracts are cleaned overnight or between meal services; the nearest hospital to Shiplake is Royal Berkshire Hospital, about 4.2 miles south-west.
Shiplake is about 3 miles north of Woodley, in Oxfordshire. If you need ductwork cleaning in Shiplake, it’s easy to get a fixed quote: please phone us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line. We work across South East England and London, Shiplake included. Shiplake is one of 443 places in Oxfordshire where we work for ductwork cleaning.
Every address in RG9 is covered for ductwork cleaning, from busy streets to back roads. Other places close to Shiplake include Charvil (2 miles south), Twyford (2 miles south-east), Ruscombe (2 miles south-east), Hare Hatch (2 miles east) and The Holt (3 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover Benson (12 miles north-west), Chinnor (14 miles north), Tilehurst (7 miles south-west), Wallingford (12 miles north-west), Little Heath (7 miles west) and Oakley (14 miles north).
Landmarks near Shiplake
Around Shiplake, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near The Plough pub, Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School and Loddon Nature Reserve, among other places. Shiplake’s nearest station is Wargrave station, about 0.9 miles east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Royal Berkshire Hospital (4.2 miles south-west) and Frazer Nash Archives (2.1 miles north). The countryside around Shiplake includes South Lake and Sonning Hill.