Hertfordshire · Extract fan cleaning
Hitchin extract fan cleaning
One call covers cleaning of kitchen extract fans, impellers, fan housings and discharge points in Hitchin: survey, fixed quote, work and sign-off. CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, ISO 9001 and fully insured.
- A motor area thick with grease
- A fan that no longer moves enough air
- A fan left out of previous cleans
Aftercare tips
After the visit, a few habits help the work last:
- Tell us if the extract feels weaker
- File the fan’s report with your other records
- Do not turn the fan off mid-service
- Make sure the fan is included each time
Keep the report with the maintenance log and fire risk assessment. It shows the fan’s condition at the time of the clean, which helps if anything changes later.
Run the fan throughout cooking. Grease settles faster when the air stops moving, so keeping it running helps keep it clean.
About our extract fan cleaning in Hitchin
A clean fan is not a repaired fan. If we find worn bearings, a struggling motor or damage to the impeller, we’ll tell you and fan repair or replacement is something we also do. You get an honest view of the fan’s condition. We are often asked to deal with a fan left out of previous cleans and a smell of hot grease from the extract, across in-line fans, roof-mounted fans and axial fans.
For a pub, café or restaurant in a town like Hitchin, losing a day’s trade to cleaning is not an option, so the work is done after service, overnight or on a closed day. The kitchen is handed back clean and ready to cook.
For insurers and inspectors, the record counts. So every job comes with a written report and photos, plus a TR19® certificate through the BESCA VHE portal where the work is a TR19® Grease clean.
- Location
- Hitchin (SG4, SG5)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Records
- Certificate plus before-and-after pictures
- Quotes
- A fixed price before work begins
- Working hours
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
Grease, kitchens and Hitchin
There are about 92 cafés, restaurants and staff canteens and about 37 sandwich bars and takeaways within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Hitchin, according to the Food Standards Agency’s register. Each kitchen extract among them ends at a fan, and grease on the impeller strains the motor. It’s North Hertfordshire council that sends environmental health officers to food businesses in Hitchin. They look at how clean the premises and equipment are, and the kitchen extract is part of that. Our report lists what was cleaned and when, which is useful to have ready. Hitchin is covered by Hertfordshire 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.
Bursars and site managers at schools such as Hitchin Girls' School tend to book extract cleaning for when the kitchen is empty. Commuter trade near Hitchin station can mean long cooking hours, and long hours put a kitchen into BESA’s more frequent cleaning bands.
Hitchin is about 5 miles north-west of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire. Whether your site is in the middle of Hitchin or further out, we cover extract fan cleaning for every kind of premises, from a single unit to a large public building. Our Hertfordshire coverage runs to 381 places, Hitchin among them. For sites nearby, see our Milton Keynes page (22 miles or so).
Our technicians cover all of the SG4 and SG5 postcode area for extract fan cleaning and the streets around it. Extract fan cleaning is available to premises on Market Place, London Road and Harrison Close and the roads around them. Being close to the A505 and A600, Hitchin is simple for us to get to for extract fan cleaning. Nearby, we also carry out extract fan cleaning in Benslow (1 mile east), Poets Estate (1 mile east), Bearton (1 mile north-west), Walsworth (1 mile north-east) and Westmill (1 mile north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Stevenage (5 miles south-east), St Albans (14 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (11 miles south), Harpenden (10 miles south), Hatfield (13 miles south) and Hertford (13 miles south-east). Being one of Hertfordshire’s larger places, Hitchin has a wide mix of commercial premises, and we cover all of them for extract fan cleaning.
Around Hitchin
Around Hitchin, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near Highbury Infant School and Nursery, Butts Close and Kingshott School. Other local landmarks include Radcliffe Arms (less than half a mile north-east) and St Mary's Church (within half a mile south-west). Hitchin has its own railway station: Hitchin station. A little further out are Wymondley Castle (1.7 miles east) and Lister Hospital (3.1 miles south-east). The countryside around Hitchin includes Purwell Ninesprings and Markham's Hill.
What we are called out for in Hitchin
Fans that are hard to reach are often the ones that get missed. If it wasn’t included in past cleans, it may hold years of grease, and the report will show it.
These are the problems we see most often:
- Grease around the motor and its mounts
- An extract fan that vibrates or rattles
- Weak extraction at the canopy
- An extract fan with no cleaning record
Volunteers running a hall kitchen near Church of the Holy Saviour, or anywhere in Hitchin, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
- When they can work, and whether that is outside your opening hours
- Proof of accreditation you can verify
- Whether the figure could change on the day
What staff can safely do
If your staff spot something between visits, such as dripping grease, a noisy fan, a smell or a filter that will not come clean, they should report it rather than try to fix it. We can diagnose it and quote.
Staff cleaning and specialist work are not the same thing. Wiping filters daily and washing them weekly keeps the visible parts in order, but they don’t reach the grease that builds up further in. That part needs specialist access and equipment.
The process
Our technicians bring everything the work needs, from protective sheeting to tools and access equipment. All we need from you is clear access and the right equipment switched off. On site, the work takes an hour or two for one fan, longer when it’s hard to reach. Sites in a town like Hitchin rarely need to lose trading hours, as the work fits around them.
- We locate the fan and plan how to reach and isolate it.
- It’s isolated so it can’t run while we work.
- Grease is scraped off the impeller blades and casing.
- Blades, housing and surrounds are degreased with care around the electrics.
- We reassemble, run and photograph the fan.
Getting ready for the visit
- Dig out any earlier paperwork for the system
- Make sure equipment near the work can be switched off and left to cool
- Tell us about site rules, permits or sign-in
Get a fixed quote
Quotes are quick. Send a few details and photos, and we typically reply with a fixed quote within one working day. Where a survey is needed, we arrange a time that suits the site.
Read more
More services for Hitchin
When it’s something else
A few issues sit outside what this work can do:
- A dirty duct upstream of the fan
- A fan that’s too small for the system (a design question)
- Damaged fan blades
If in doubt, call 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we’ll say what we think before booking.
Where we work
- Roof-mounted fans
- Centrifugal fans
- In-line fans
- Axial fans
- Fan housings
- Discharge points
Questions from Hitchin
Who would carry out a food hygiene inspection at a kitchen in Hitchin?
Kitchens in Hitchin are inspected by North Hertfordshire council’s environmental health officers. Ratings are published by the Food Standards Agency, so a clean extract and good records are worth keeping up.
Which fire and rescue service is responsible for Hitchin?
It’s Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, which covers Hitchin. Records of extract cleaning are a sensible thing to have ready if a fire safety officer carries out an audit.
What is TR19?
A BESA specification, with two parts that matter most here: TR19® Grease for kitchen extracts and TR19® Air for supply and extract systems. It is not law, but it’s the benchmark.
Can the fan be cleaned between full cleans?
Yes, where it makes sense. A coated fan often means the duct before it is coated too, but the choice is yours.
Are you accredited?
Duct Doctor is a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001 are in place too, and we carry full insurance.
How much notice should we give?
That depends on the slot you want and the size of the job. Mention your preferred dates with your enquiry, and for anything urgent, ring our 24/7 emergency line.
Why is my extract fan noisy?
Uneven grease on the impeller often causes it. We clean the fan and tell you if anything else, like worn bearings, is to blame.
Can you work evenings and weekends?
Yes, and it’s often the best time. The visit is timed for when the area isn’t in use, such as late evening, overnight or a weekend.
What affects the quote in Hitchin
Before we fix a price, we need to know a few things. We check:
- What state the system is in
- The times the site is available
- Site requirements such as sign-in and permits
- The size of the system
We do not list prices on the website, because each job is priced on what it involves. For a fixed quote, call us on 0345 646 2711 or email us, and we will explain what it covers.
What to send for a quote
When you contact us, these details help:
- Any access panels or hatches you can see
- Problems your staff have spotted
- Where the site is and what kind of site it is
- How we’d reach plant on a roof or in a plant room
We do not publish a price list, because no two systems are the same. We look at your system first, from pictures or on a visit, then send a fixed quote. To get going, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or email us.
Managing agents and facilities teams in Hitchin
Whether it’s one building or many, you get the same standard: a survey first, a fixed quote, the work timed around the site and a report with pictures.
Managing agents often deal with us directly. Send the address, what’s needed and how access works, and we’ll send a fixed quote.