Hampshire · Fire damper testing
Fire damper testing in Andover, Hampshire
We cover Andover for fire damper drop testing and smoke damper testing, with a record for each damper. Fixed quotes, work around your opening hours and photo reports as standard.
- Gaps in the fire damper test log
- Dampers that can’t be reached without an access panel
- Dampers overdue for their annual drop test
Fire damper testing in Andover, done properly
Wherever a duct crosses a fire-resisting wall or floor, there should be a fire damper inside it. A fusible link holds the blade open until heat melts it, and the blade then drops to shut the duct. Drop testing proves that this still happens, and we record the result for every damper we test. If you have blades that jam part-way when released and dampers affected by leaks or condensation, we can put it right, from wall and floor dampers, hospitals and care homes and offices and schools onwards.
Around a town like Andover, damper testing usually means schools, offices, care homes, hotels and flats. Any building with ductwork through fire-resisting walls or floors should have its dampers tested at least annually.
Duct Doctor has been trading since 2009, and we are 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.
- Where
- Andover (SP10, SP11)
- Wider area
- Hampshire
- Paperwork
- Report and photos after the visit
- Price
- Fixed quote, usually within a working day
- Hours
- Out of hours as standard, 24/7 emergency line
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
What the work involves, part by part
Smoke dampers
If a smoke damper won’t operate when signalled, it goes on the report as a failure, along with what we saw.
Ceiling voids and risers
Plant rooms and risers can be damp, which leads to corrosion. We note any rust or water damage on the report so the cause can be tackled.
Andover: your questions answered
Can you work in Andover outside opening hours?
Yes. We work evenings, overnight and at weekends. Your customers, staff or residents in Andover needn’t be disturbed. Just call us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line with your opening times and we will plan around them.
Who enforces fire safety at workplaces in Andover?
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service for Andover. If a fire safety officer audits the building, they may ask for the latest damper test records.
Do you have a 24/7 line?
Yes, day and night, every day of the year. Our office is open from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with the emergency line covering every other hour.
Can you fix fire dampers that fail?
Failed dampers are reported and we can quote to repair or replace them. After the repair, we test it again so the record shows a pass.
Is TR19 cleaning required by law?
No. The law sets the duty, and TR19® is the recognised benchmark for meeting it. Under the Fire Safety Order 2005, the responsible person must reduce fire risk, and without records, many insurers may refuse or reduce a claim.
How much time does a damper test visit need?
Typically the work takes a morning or an afternoon for a small number of dampers, longer where there are many. It comes down mainly to how many dampers there are and how easy they are to get to.
Do you offer maintenance contracts?
Yes, of course. Send details of the systems and how they’re used and we will propose a schedule with a fixed quote.
How much does fire damper testing cost?
We don’t publish prices, because the cost depends on the job: the size of the system, its condition, access and when we can work. We fix the price before any work starts.
Andover buildings and fire safety
There are about 15 schools, colleges and universities, about 24 caring premises (care homes, nurseries and hospitals) and about 4 hotels and B&Bs on the FSA’s food hygiene register in and around Andover, up to about a mile and a half out. Schools, care settings and hotels are the kind of buildings where fire dampers are commonly found. Andover’s nearest hospital, Andover War Memorial Hospital, is about 0.7 miles north-west. Healthcare buildings rely on fire compartments to protect people who cannot easily move, and dampers keep those compartments sealed. Andover sits within the area of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service. Its fire safety officers enforce the Fire Safety Order in most non-domestic buildings, and that covers fire safety systems such as dampers.
For buildings around Andover station with ducted ventilation, any fire dampers need an annual test at least. Hospitals such as Andover War Memorial Hospital, about 0.7 miles north-west, are a good example of buildings with dampers on many floors; if you manage a clinic, surgery or care home near Andover, the same annual testing applies.
Andover is about 17 miles west of Basingstoke, in Hampshire. For fire damper testing in and around Andover, please call 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line for a fixed quote. Our area covers London and the South East, Andover included. Andover is one of 683 towns, villages and districts in Hampshire where we work for commercial clients. You can also see our page for Southampton, roughly 21 miles from Andover.
Work in SP10 and SP11 is surveyed, quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. That includes premises on High Street, Goddard Square and London Road and the roads around them. You will find Andover on the A303 and A342, which makes it straightforward for our technicians to reach for fire damper testing. We also cover the places around Andover: Picket Twenty (1 mile east), East Anton (1 mile north-east), Knights Enham (1 mile north), Finkley Down (2 miles north-east) and Picket Piece (2 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover Winchester (13 miles south-east), Romsey (15 miles south), Hyde (12 miles south-east), Tidworth (8 miles west), Weeke (12 miles south-east) and Kempshott (15 miles east). Andover is among the bigger places we cover in Hampshire for fire damper testing.
Local landmarks in Andover
In Andover, that means kitchens and buildings near The Angel Inn, Winton Community Academy and Winton Community Academy. For rail, the closest station is Andover station, roughly 0.5 miles west. Other landmarks nearby include Andover War Memorial Hospital (0.7 miles north-west) and Andover Museum (within half a mile east). For a walk, there’s Anton Lakes and Mill Lake.
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
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.
Where a tenant occupies the premises but the landlord owns the building, the lease normally sets out who maintains what. We can quote either party and send the paperwork to whoever needs it.
What we are called out for in Andover
Over time, dust builds up on the blade, the runners and the spring. If the duct carries cooking vapour, a film of grease adds to it, and either one can hold the blade part-open.
If you notice any of these, it’s worth a diagnosis:
- Motorised smoke dampers due for testing
- Fire dampers with no recent test record
- Fire damper items raised by an assessor
- Buildings with no damper register
School buildings such as St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School are typically tested in the holidays, wherever they have dampers.
Comparing quotes
- Proof of insurance
- Whether the quote shows VAT
- If the quote is a fixed price or an estimate
- Whether a survey comes first
What a clean won’t put right
We won’t sell you work that doesn’t address the problem, so these are the things it will not cover:
- Gaps in the wall or floor around the damper
- Control wiring problems outside the damper itself
- Designing the building’s fire compartments
Not sure which it is? You can ring 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we will tell you honestly before you book.
What the work covers
- Wall and floor dampers
- Hospitals and care homes
- Offices and schools
- Motorised smoke dampers
- Riser dampers
- Fusible link fire dampers
Aftercare tips
Looking after the system between visits is straightforward, and it makes the next visit easier:
- Don’t let hatches get painted shut or boarded over
- Keep damper test reports with the fire safety log
- Get remedials done soon after a failed test
- Tell contractors where dampers are before they start work
After testing, you get a report listing each of the fire and smoke dampers we tested, with where it is and whether it passed. Keep it with the building’s fire safety records so it’s to hand for assessors and insurers.
Keeping to at least annual testing stops small faults turning into failed dampers. Faults caught early are easier to fix.
How the visit works
There are three stages on the day: getting the area ready, doing the work and signing it off. Getting ready means protecting surfaces and switching off what needs to be off, and the sign-off is a written report with photos. Most of the time goes on the work itself, and that takes a few hours for a single floor, with bigger buildings phased over more than one visit. Photos taken on a phone are usually enough for us to plan a job in Andover and give a fixed quote.
- We gather what’s known about the dampers, from drawings, registers or past reports.
- Dampers are located one by one and reached through their access panels.
- Fire dampers are drop tested and smoke dampers are run through their controls.
- We reset every damper that passes and check it’s left open.
- You get a report listing each damper, its result and any remedials needed.
Getting ready for the visit
- Clear the space around the work
- Find the previous report, if there is one
- Let us know when the site is closed or quiet
Getting a quote
Quotes are quick. Call or email with a few details and you’ll usually have a fixed price within one working day. If we need to see the system first, we book a survey around your hours.
Read more
How we price fire damper testing
The survey tells us what the work involves. We look at:
- Access, including roofs, risers and ceiling voids
- The scale of the work
- Whether several sites go on one quote
- Site rules, permits and inductions
Kitchens, offices, schools and hospitals are all priced the same way: how much there is, how we reach it, what state it’s in and when we can work. Ask for a fixed quote and we’ll explain each part.
Asking for a quote
We can often survey from pictures. The most useful are:
- Any symptoms, from odd noises to smells or leaks
- The site address and the type of premises
- The roof, plant room or outside wall the system runs to
- Any access panels or hatches you can see
Some systems can be priced from photos; others need a survey. Big or complicated sites, and systems that are hard to see in pictures, get a survey first. Either way, you get a fixed price before any work starts.