West Sussex · Ductwork cleaning
Ductwork cleaning in Tilgate, West Sussex
Cleaning of kitchen extract ductwork, horizontal runs and vertical risers through access panels for commercial sites in Tilgate and across West Sussex. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and fully insured.
- Years of grease along the duct floor
- A duct clean needed for an insurer
- Smells of old cooking grease from the ductwork
Ductwork cleaning in Tilgate, done properly
Duct cleaning is the hardest part of an extract clean, and the part most often skipped. Without enough access panels, long stretches can go years without being touched. Each section we can reach is cleaned, and any we cannot is written down, so you know exactly where you stand. The work covers bends and junctions, access panels and horizontal duct runs, and the jobs we see most are heavy grease at the base of a riser and high readings at a recent grease test.
In a smaller place like Tilgate, 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. A kitchen that cooks fewer hours still builds up grease, so the interval is set by hours of use and grease readings.
The report is your system’s health record: a dated account with photos of everything we did. For TR19® Grease cleans, the certificate comes through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal, ready for your insurer.
- Place
- Tilgate (RH10, RH11)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Paperwork
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Price
- A fixed quote up front
- When we work
- Out of hours as standard, 24/7 emergency line
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
Part by part
Horizontal duct runs
Horizontal runs carry the extract along ceilings and through voids. Grease drops out of the slowing air along them, and we clean them section by section through access panels.
Bends and transitions
The join where the canopy meets the duct is a common hotspot. We clean it from the canopy side or through a nearby panel.
Questions from Tilgate
Can school kitchens in Tilgate be cleaned in the holidays?
Yes. The holidays are the usual time for school work. The FSA’s register shows about 21 schools and colleges with food registrations within roughly a mile and a half of Tilgate. You can call 0345 646 2711, or send details by email with the dates the site is empty.
Do you work in villages like Tilgate?
Yes, we work in villages as well as towns, and Tilgate is covered. Photos of the system and directions to the site help us plan the visit.
Do you look at the system first?
Yes. Every job is surveyed first, from your photos and details, or with a visit where necessary. Then you get a fixed quote.
Can you fit access panels in our ductwork?
Yes, as part of our fits and repairs work. Panels go where they give the best access to sections that couldn’t be reached, and we will recommend where.
Can one contract cover all our sites?
Yes. One number covers all your sites in our area, and visits can be set on a regular cycle.
Can you price the work without visiting?
Yes, if we can see what we need. If not, a site survey comes first, and the quote follows that.
How long does ductwork cleaning take?
It depends on the length of the duct, the number of access panels and how much grease there is. Typically it takes from a few hours to more than one visit, depending on duct length and access.
Which kinds of sites do you work on?
Restaurants and pubs, hotels, schools and colleges, hospitals and care homes, offices and retail, plus food production and leisure sites.
Towns and villages near Tilgate
Also in Tilgate
What we are called out for in Tilgate
Wherever the kitchen is, in Tilgate or elsewhere, the duct fills in the same way: daily cooking hours, the menu and the state of the filters. BESA guidance sets minimum intervals of 3, 6 or 12 months depending on daily use.
The symptoms we’re asked about most are:
- Years of grease along the duct floor
- Heavy grease at the base of a riser
- Gaps where access panels were never fitted
- Proof of duct cleaning for the insurer
A hospital like Crawley Hospital, about 1.2 miles north-west, is the kind of site where a kitchen may cook for patients, staff and visitors all day.
What your quote should include
- Whether the quote is based on a survey or photos
- Whether the quote shows VAT
- Whether the price is fixed
- What’s included in the scope, part by part
The process
Everything the job needs comes with us, from protective sheeting to tools and access equipment. You only need to give us clear access and switch off what needs to be off. On site, the work takes a few hours for a short run, longer for long runs and tall risers. Getting to the system matters more than parking in a place like Tilgate, so let us know how to reach it.
- The duct route is surveyed and every access point found.
- Grease thickness is measured at set points.
- Out of hours, the area is protected and the access panels opened.
- Heavy deposits come out by hand, then each section is degreased.
- We close up, re-test, photograph and record anything out of reach.
How to prepare
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
- Allow time for equipment near the work to be turned off and cool down
- Move anything stored near the system
Ask for a quote
Quoting starts with a diagnosis, either from photos and details you send or from a site visit. After that, you get a fixed price for the work, before any work starts.
Related advice
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
Facilities teams in offices, schools and healthcare sites book us too in Tilgate and across West Sussex. Larger estates can be phased building by building around the people who use them.
Multi-site operators often want one contractor and one number. We cover South East England and London, so a run of sites can go into one programme and kept on a regular cycle.
Why deal with it now?
There’s no law that names TR19. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must assess and reduce fire risk, and grease in the duct is part of that. In a smaller place like Tilgate, a site that has to close is felt quickly.
What you pay reflects the actual work. That is why we survey first, from photos or on site, and the price is agreed before work begins.
What you get with us
- Fully insured
- A written report with pictures after each visit
- Trading since 2009
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
Take a look at how cleaning jobs are priced or our accreditations and certificates.
What affects the cost of ductwork cleaning
Some jobs are bigger than they look, and some smaller. The main factors:
- The scale of the work
- Parking and loading at the site
- How many systems or sites are involved
- Any permits to work or inductions
Putting the work off seldom saves money. Problems in a system tend to grow, which can make the next visit longer. If you’re unsure, call us on 0345 646 2711 or email us for straight advice and a fixed quote.
What we need to know
To help us quote quickly, send us:
- Where the site is and what kind of site it is
- How we’d reach plant on a roof or in a plant room
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- Your opening hours and when the area is out of use
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.
Ductwork cleaning around Tilgate
The Food Standards Agency lists about 27 pubs and bars and about 7 hotels and guest houses as registered food businesses within 1.5 miles or so of the middle of Tilgate. Any of them serving cooked food has an extract to keep clean, from canopy to discharge. In Tilgate, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Crawley council. Extraction counts as kitchen equipment, so its condition can come up on the day. Before-and-after pictures from each clean are a simple way to show the extract is in hand. The fire and rescue service for Tilgate is West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order.
Commuter trade near Crawley station can mean long cooking hours, and long hours put a kitchen into BESA’s more frequent cleaning bands. If you look after a school kitchen, at a school such as The Oaks Primary School & Nursery or anywhere near Tilgate, the holidays are the usual time for a TR19® clean.
Tilgate is about 1 mile south-east of Crawley, in West Sussex. Across the RH10 area, we can take on ductwork cleaning. Tilgate is one of 371 places in West Sussex where we work for ductwork cleaning. Our Brighton page covers sites nearby (19 miles or so).
All of RH10 and RH11 is within our area for ductwork cleaning, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Local streets include York Road, Nash Road and Cook Road, all of which we cover for ductwork cleaning. We also cover the places around Tilgate: Southgate (1 mile west), Crawley (1 mile north-west), Three Bridges (1 mile north-east), Maidenbower (1 mile east) and West Green (1 mile north-west). Larger places within reach include Horsham (7 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (8 miles south-east), Burgess Hill (10 miles south), East Grinstead (7 miles east), Billingshurst (13 miles south-west) and Roffey (6 miles west).
Around Tilgate
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around Thomas Bennett Community College, The Grasshopper pub and Tilgate Park, among other places. The nearest railway station is Crawley station, about 0.6 miles north-west. Nearby you’ll also find County Mall (0.7 miles north-west) and Crawley Hospital (1.2 miles north-west). For a walk, there’s Tilgate Lake.
When it’s something else
In fairness, there are a few things this work won’t fix:
- Faulty fire dampers
- Ductwork that’s corroded, split or holed (that needs a ductwork contractor)
- A duct that is too small or badly routed for the kitchen (a design issue)
Not sure which it is? You can ring 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and we’ll tell you honestly.
What we work on in Tilgate
- Access panels
- Horizontal duct runs
- Bends and junctions
- Multi-storey ducts
- Attenuators
- Vertical risers