Reading · Extract fan cleaning
Extract fan cleaning in Sonning, Reading
Extract fan cleaning for commercial sites in Sonning and across Reading. BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease.
- An extract fan with no cleaning record
- Fat spreading onto the roof or wall by the fan
- A noisy fan that has got louder over time
About our extract fan cleaning in Sonning
The extract fan is the heart of the system: it pulls air from the canopy, through the duct and out of the building. Whatever grease slips past the filters and duct reaches the fan, and that is what we clean. Typical jobs include a fan left out of previous cleans and grease stains around the discharge, across in-line fans, axial fans and discharge points.
In a small place like Sonning, kitchens are often in older or extended buildings, with long single-storey duct runs, where grease settles in the flat sections. Access, parking and timings are agreed before the day.
Duct Doctor has been trading since 2009, and we are a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. We also hold CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we’re fully insured.
- Place
- Sonning (RG4)
- Wider area
- Reading
- Paperwork
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Price
- Fixed quote, typically within a working day
- When we work
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Staff cleaning versus specialist work
A few tasks are always specialist work: opening up ductwork, cleaning fans, drop testing fire dampers and measuring grease call for the right kit, training and safe access. Leave those to us.
In-house cleaning and specialist cleaning do different jobs. A daily filter wipe and a weekly filter wash keep grease down at the front of the system, but grease that has passed the filters is out of reach. That part needs specialist access and equipment.
Common questions in Sonning
Do you do school kitchen extract cleaning in Sonning in the summer holidays?
Yes, out-of-term visits are normal for schools. Food Standards Agency records list about 9 schools, colleges and universities with registered kitchens within about a mile and a half of Sonning. Tell us your holiday dates and we will book the visit for when the site is empty.
Do you work in villages like Sonning?
Yes, we work in villages as well as towns, and Sonning is covered. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the site when you book.
Who is responsible for fire safety on the premises?
In the words of the Fire Safety Order 2005, it’s the responsible person. It’s normally the employer, or whoever controls the building, and where several people have control, each can have duties. Your lease and fire risk assessment should make it clear.
What do you do to protect the area?
With sheeting and covers, before anything else happens. We keep the work contained and clean down when we finish.
Do we lose a day’s trading?
Not typically. The area we are working in has to be out of use while we are there, so the visit goes in a quiet slot.
What about areas you cannot get to?
Anything we cannot reach goes on the report, with photos where possible, and we tell you what would make it reachable, for example new access panels.
Is the fan isolated during cleaning?
The fan is isolated before we open it, so it can’t run during the clean. That means the extract is off, so we clean while the kitchen is closed.
Do you offer maintenance contracts?
Yes. Plans on a 3, 6 or 12-monthly cycle are available, depending on what the system needs.
Nearby places to Sonning
What else we do in Sonning
What affects the cost of extract fan cleaning
A fixed price needs a few facts first. We look at:
- The size of the system
- Parking and loading at the site
- One-off work versus a regular cycle
- The condition of the system
When the work has to happen, how we reach it and how big the site is can all change the price. We take each of them into account, and the price is fixed before we start.
What to send for a quote
Before you ask for a quote, gather:
- The postcode and the type of business
- Wide pictures of the system and the area around it
- The times we could work without disrupting the site
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
For a fixed quote, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or email us 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 normally have a quote within one working day.
What extract fan cleaning can’t fix
Before you book, it helps to know what’s not included:
- A motor that has burnt out
- A faulty speed controller or isolator
- A cracked or broken impeller (it needs replacing)
If you are not sure, just give us a ring on 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book.
What the work covers
- Axial fans
- Centrifugal fans
- Fan housings
- In-line fans
- Roof-mounted fans
- Discharge points
Multi-site and managed buildings
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.
We work for landlords, managing agents and facilities managers as well as the people running the site. Shared systems, like a riser serving several units, need a clear agreement on who books the work, and we can quote for the whole system.
Different parts, different methods
Kitchens with long cooking hours
A fan in a long-hours kitchen runs for most of the day, which means grease and wear add up quickly. Regular cleans help it keep going.
Wall fans
Grease can mark the outside wall around the fan. We clean the fan and check the outlet.
How it works
Everything the job needs comes with us, including protection sheets, the right tools and access kit. All we need from you is clear access and the right equipment switched off. The visit takes a few hours where there are several fans or heavy deposits. A few pictures of the system help us make the most of a visit to a place like Sonning.
- The fan is found and its type, access and isolation checked.
- It’s isolated so it can’t run while we work.
- We scrape the heavy grease from the blades and housing.
- Blades, housing and surrounds are degreased with care around the electrics.
- We reassemble, run and photograph the fan.
How to prepare
- Mention any sign-in, permit or induction we need
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
- Plan for cooking equipment or plant to be off before we arrive
How to get a quote
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 we can price many jobs without a visit.
Advice
Common problems we fix in Sonning
Poor filters mean a greasier fan. When filters don’t seal, grease goes straight through to the fan, so the fan takes far more than it should.
Signs it’s time to call us include:
- A fan motor running hot under a coat of grease
- Grease escaping from the fan outlet
- An extract fan with no cleaning record
- Less air being pulled from the kitchen
Healthcare kitchens can’t easily close, so their extracts are cleaned overnight or between meal services; the nearest hospital to Sonning is Royal Berkshire Hospital, about 2.6 miles south-west.
What your quote should include
- Whether a written report and pictures are included
- Which accreditations they hold, and whether you can check them
- Whether the figure could change on the day
- Whether the quote shows VAT
Extract fan cleaning in Sonning: the local picture
According to Food Standards Agency records, there are about 15 bars, pubs and nightclubs within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Sonning. A pub or hotel kitchen that cooks every day builds up grease in its extract like any other. Sonning sits within the area of Royal Berkshire 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. Environmental health officers from Wokingham council inspect food businesses in Sonning. They look at how clean the premises and equipment are, and the kitchen extract is part of that. Before-and-after pictures from each clean are a simple way to show the extract is in hand.
A hall kitchen that only cooks for events, whether near St Andrew's Church or elsewhere in Sonning, still needs its extract cleaned, just less often. Bursars and site managers at schools such as Sonning Church of England Primary School tend to book extract cleaning for when the kitchen is empty.
Sonning is about 1 mile north-west of Woodley, in Reading. Whether your site is in the middle of Sonning or further out, extract fan cleaning is available to all kinds of commercial premises, from small sites to large estates. Sonning is one of 34 towns, villages and districts in Reading we cover for extract fan cleaning.
Here we cover the RG4 postcode area for extract fan cleaning. Streets in the area include High Street, Parkway Drive and Pound Lane, and we cover them all for extract fan cleaning. With the B478 and B4446 close by, Sonning is simple for us to get to at any hour. Other places close to Sonning include Play Hatch (1 mile north-west), Dunsden Green (2 miles north-west), Newtown (2 miles south-west), Caversham Park Village (2 miles north-west) and Littlestead Green (2 miles north-west). Larger places within reach include Caversham (3 miles west), Norcot (5 miles west), West Reading (4 miles west), Tilehurst Within (5 miles west), Shinfield (5 miles south-west) and Arborfield Garrison (6 miles south).
Near you in Sonning
Typical jobs here are in premises near Ali's Pond Local Nature Reserve, Bull Inn and Waingels College and the streets around them. The closest station to Sonning is Twyford station, roughly 1.9 miles east. Well-known places in the area include Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre Museum (2.5 miles south-west) and Royal Berkshire Hospital (2.6 miles south-west). Not far away are Sonning Hill and South Lake.