East Sussex · Ductwork cleaning
Ductwork Cleaning in Upper Wellingham
Our technicians work in Upper Wellingham on ductwork cleaning. Out-of-hours visits, a fixed quote and a written report with photos as standard.
- Smells of old cooking grease from the ductwork
- Grease pooling at the foot of the riser
- An insurer asking for TR19 evidence
What the work involves, part by part
Bends and transitions
A bend can hold far more grease than a straight run of the same length. It’s scraped out and degreased, and readings are taken there before and after.
Attenuators and discharge
Attenuators, where fitted, quieten the extract, and their linings can soak up grease. We clean what can be reached and note anything that can’t.
How we handle ductwork cleaning in Upper Wellingham
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. Cleaning the duct takes that fuel away. We’re often asked to deal with readings above 200 microns from a grease thickness test and duct runs that can’t be reached, on access panels, multi-storey ducts and horizontal duct runs.
For a kitchen in or near Upper Wellingham, the visit is planned around opening hours and the journey, and the clean itself is the same full TR19® job as in any town: canopy to discharge, then a TR19® certificate and a photo report.
Good records are part of the job. You get a written report with pictures after every visit, listing what was done, anything we couldn’t reach and when the next visit is due. File it in your maintenance log so it’s to hand when an insurer or inspector asks.
- Place
- Upper Wellingham (BN8)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Paperwork
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Price
- Fixed quote, normally within a working day
- Hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Ductwork cleaning around Upper Wellingham
Look up Upper Wellingham on the FSA’s food hygiene register and you’ll find about 5 restaurants, cafés and canteens in Upper Wellingham and the streets around it, up to about 1.5 miles out. The duct above a busy canopy coats itself in grease long before anyone sees it. In Upper Wellingham, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Lewes council. An officer looking round a kitchen will see the canopy, and grease there is hard to miss. A TR19® certificate and photo report after each clean gives you a record to show an inspector. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service covers Upper Wellingham. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order.
A hall kitchen that only cooks for events, whether near The Parish Church of St Mary or elsewhere in Upper Wellingham, still needs its extract cleaned, just less often. School kitchens, at schools like Ringmer Community College and Sixth Form for example, are usually cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost.
Upper Wellingham is about 2 miles north-east of Lewes, in East Sussex. Every kind of commercial site in Upper Wellingham, ductwork cleaning is something we can help with. Visits can be booked for evenings, overnight or weekends so trading isn’t interrupted. Our area takes in 289 places across East Sussex, from busy centres to quieter spots. For sites nearby, see our Brighton page, about 9 miles away.
Here we cover the BN8 postcode area for ductwork cleaning. We also cover the places around Upper Wellingham: Barcombe Mills (1 mile north), Norlington (1 mile south-east), Barcombe (1 mile north-west), Barcombe Cross (2 miles north-west) and Broyle Side (2 miles east). Further out, we also cover Eastbourne (14 miles south-east), Seaford (9 miles south), Hailsham (10 miles east), Crowborough (12 miles north-east), Uckfield (5 miles north-east) and Newhaven (8 miles south).
Local landmarks in Upper Wellingham
In Upper Wellingham, that means kitchens and buildings near The Cock Inn. The nearest railway station is Cooksbridge station, about 2.1 miles west. Nearby you will also find Lewes Castle (2.6 miles south-west) and Lewes Victoria Hospital (2.8 miles south-west). Not far away are Malling Down and Cliffe Hill.
Why act early in Upper Wellingham
Insurers know the risk of a greasy duct. Many require cleaning to TR19, and they can refuse or reduce a claim without proof. A certificate that covers the ductwork is what they want to see. A fault that closes a site in a village like Upper Wellingham affects everyone who depends on it.
One small site or a whole estate, the quote is built the same way: what needs doing, how we get to it and when. You’ll have a fixed price before any work starts.
Why choose Duct Doctor in Upper Wellingham
- In business since 2009
- Photo reports with every job
- We are fully insured
- A single point of contact for sites across the South East and London
Also near Upper Wellingham
What else we do in Upper Wellingham
Aftercare tips
Good habits slow the build-up between visits. Our tips:
- File each certificate and photo report in the maintenance log
- Check readings when the menu changes
- Keep grease filters clean and fitted whenever you cook
- Tell us if grease leaks from the ductwork
You’ll have a recommended date for the next clean, worked out from the grease we found and how long you cook each day, in line with BESA guidance.
Grease that never reaches the duct never needs cleaning out of it. Keep the filters clean, well fitted and in place whenever you cook.
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 don’t reach the grease that builds up further in. That part needs specialist access and equipment.
A few tasks are always specialist work: entering ducts, working on fans, testing dampers and taking grease readings call for the right kit, training and safe access. That’s our job.
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 Upper Wellingham before we set off.
- We start by working out how the duct runs and where it can be opened.
- Set points along the runs are tested for grease.
- We open the panels and scrape out the heaviest grease.
- The duct is degreased with the method that suits the grease, from degreasers to hot water or steam.
- Readings and pictures are repeated and any section we couldn’t reach is recorded.
Before we arrive
- Tell us where we can park and unload
- Mention any locked doors, roof access or ceiling voids
- Tell us about site rules, permits or sign-in
Getting a quote
Want a quote for ductwork cleaning? Please phone us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email and tell us about the site. We’ll explain what we’d do and send a fixed quote before you commit to anything.
Read more
Common problems we fix in Upper Wellingham
Many ducts don’t have enough access panels. Sections between panels go uncleaned, sometimes since the system was installed, and the grease there keeps building out of sight.
Clients usually contact us after spotting one of these:
- Grease leaking from duct joints
- Thick crusts of old grease along the duct
- A rancid smell from the extract duct
- A grease test showing the duct is overdue
Older buildings often hide long, awkward duct runs, and if you run a kitchen at a historic venue in the area (Glyndebourne is about 2.2 miles south-east), access may need planning.
What your quote should include
- Whether a written report and photos are included
- How VAT is shown on the quote
- Proof of insurance
- When they can work, and whether that is outside your opening hours
Questions from Upper Wellingham
Do you work at weekends in Upper Wellingham?
Yes, evening, overnight and weekend work is normal for us. Your customers, staff or residents in Upper Wellingham needn’t be disturbed. Let us know the hours you are closed and we will book within them.
Can you clean school kitchen extracts in Upper Wellingham during the holidays?
Yes. The holidays are the usual time for school work. With about 3 schools and colleges on the FSA’s register within roughly a mile and a half of Upper Wellingham, it pays to plan holiday dates ahead. Tell us your holiday dates and we will book the visit for when the site is empty.
Is there a survey before the work?
Yes. Every job is surveyed first, either from pictures and details you send or on a site visit. Then you get a fixed quote.
Is TR19 cleaning required by law?
No. TR19® itself isn’t 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.
What do you do with what you remove?
Waste is contained during the work and removed when we leave, including grease, debris and dirty water. None of it is left on site.
Can you look after several sites?
Yes. You deal with one contact for every site in our area, with visits on a regular schedule.
What is TR19?
TR19® is BESA’s specification for ventilation hygiene. TR19® Grease, a standalone specification since 2019, covers grease in kitchen extract systems, while TR19® Air covers other supply and extract ductwork.
Do you work in Upper Wellingham?
Yes. Upper Wellingham is part of the area we cover, as part of our area across London and the South East.
When it’s something else
We’d rather tell you now than book work that won’t help, so these are the things it won’t cover:
- Ductwork that’s corroded, split or holed (that needs a ductwork contractor)
- Duct sealed behind fixed ceilings or walls
- Ductwork that was poorly designed
Not sure which it is? You can phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and we will tell you honestly.
What the work covers
- Attenuators
- Multi-storey ducts
- Vertical risers
- Horizontal duct runs
- Bends and junctions
- Access panels