Kent · Fire damper testing
Fire damper testing in Ashford, Kent
Fire damper testing across Ashford and nearby, booked around your opening hours and finished with a written report and photos.
- Motorised smoke dampers due for testing
- Dampers that stick or will not close fully
- Fire damper items raised by an assessor
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
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. Leave those to us.
Staff cleaning and specialist work aren’t the same thing. Wiping filters daily and washing them weekly keeps the visible parts in order, but grease that has passed the filters is out of reach. Reaching it takes a specialist with the right equipment.
How we handle fire damper testing in Ashford
Plenty of buildings have dampers nobody has looked at since they were fitted. Ceilings get lowered, hatches get boarded over and paperwork goes astray. We locate and test the dampers we can reach and record the ones we cannot, so you can see exactly what still needs access. The work covers riser dampers, fusible link fire dampers and motorised smoke dampers, and people most often call us about fire damper items raised by an assessor and dust or grease build-up on damper blades.
In a place as big as Ashford, there are offices, hotels, schools and flats, and buildings like these often have ducted ventilation passing through fire-resisting walls and floors. Each damper at those crossings needs testing at least annually under BESA guidance.
We have been trading since 2009, as a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. We also hold CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we are fully insured.
Places near Ashford
Also in Ashford
Why it’s worth doing now in Ashford
If a damper can’t close, the wall it sits in has a hole in it during a fire. Everything else about the compartment can be right and the duct still lets it down. Testing now is how you find out before it matters. Insurers, fire officers and environmental health officers can all ask for records.
Working hours, access and the scale of the site all affect the cost. We take each of them into account and give you a fixed price before work begins.
Why us?
- BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- Fixed quotes, typically within one working day
- We’re fully insured
- In business since 2009
Take a look at our cost guide and our accreditations.
Keeping the system healthy
Good habits slow the build-up between visits. A few tips:
- Update the register when ductwork changes
- Close off damper faults promptly
- Never wedge or tie a damper open
- Fix water leaks in plant rooms and risers promptly
Failed dampers are set out separately, each with the fault we found, along with an offer to repair or replace them. After a repair, we retest the damper and update the record.
Keep a damper register: location, type, last test date and result. It stops dampers getting lost as the building changes.
The process
On the day, we arrive at the time agreed with you, often in the evening, overnight or at the weekend so the site keeps working. Equipment that has to be off is switched off and allowed to cool first, and the area around the work is covered and protected. On site, it takes anything from a couple of hours for a handful of dampers to a full day for a large building. Some sites in Ashford need contractors inducted or booked in ahead, so tell us the routine when you ask for a quote.
- We start with whatever records exist: registers, drawings or old reports.
- We find every damper and open it up through the access panel.
- We release each fire damper blade and operate smoke dampers from their controls.
- Dampers that close fully are reset and left open.
- You get a report listing each damper, its result and any remedials needed.
Getting ready for the visit
- Let us know about parking and loading
- Make sure equipment near the work can be switched off and left to cool
- Let us know about permits to work or site inductions
Ask for a quote
There’s no standard price list, because every site is different. 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 send us an email.
Related advice
What a clean won’t put right
Fire damper testing cannot fix everything, and we’d rather say so up front. It doesn’t solve:
- Missing dampers that a designer needs to specify
- Deciding where dampers should be fitted
- Faults in the alarm or building controls that signal smoke dampers
If you are not sure, just ring 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we’ll give you a straight answer.
Parts of the system we cover
- Fusible link fire dampers
- Hospitals and care homes
- Riser dampers
- Wall and floor dampers
- Motorised smoke dampers
- Offices and schools
For landlords and multi-site operators
Records are where multi-site compliance often slips. Each visit produces a dated report with photos, ready to show insurers, fire officers or EHOs.
The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty to manage fire risk on the responsible person, and that can be the employer, the owner, a landlord, a facilities manager or a managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
FAQs for Ashford
Can you work in Ashford outside opening hours?
Yes, evening, overnight and weekend work is normal for us. It means the site in Ashford keeps running as normal. Tell us your opening hours when you ask for a quote.
Can fire dampers in schools around Ashford be tested in the holidays?
Yes, out-of-term visits are normal for schools. The FSA’s register shows about 15 schools and colleges with food registrations within roughly a mile and a half of Ashford. You can call us on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email with the dates the site is empty.
Do you cover Ashford?
Yes. Ashford is part of the area we cover, within the South East and London area we cover.
How long does fire damper testing take?
Testing takes a morning or an afternoon for a small number of dampers, longer where there are many. Bigger sites can be phased, and you can phone us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email to talk it through.
Are you accredited?
Our accreditations are CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we are a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. The Vent Hygiene Elite scheme is run by BESCA and audited independently.
What if a damper has no access panel?
We don’t leave it off the report; we note it as not reached. Once there’s a panel or a way through the ceiling, it can be tested.
Is TR19 cleaning required by law?
No. The law sets the duty, and TR19® is the recognised benchmark for meeting it. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person has to manage fire risk, and many insurers can refuse or reduce a claim without proof of cleaning.
Can you look after several sites?
Yes. One number covers all your sites in our area, and visits can be set on a regular cycle.
Part by part
Schools, hospitals and care homes
Schools are often easiest to test during the holidays, when ceilings can be opened without disturbing lessons.
Fusible link fire dampers
Most fire dampers are held open by a fusible link. Heat melts the link and the blade falls shut across the duct. We release the blade, check it closes fully and reset it.
Fire damper testing around Ashford
Food Standards Agency data includes about 15 schools, colleges and universities and about 24 hospitals, care homes and childcare premises in Ashford and the streets around it, up to about 1.5 miles out. Larger buildings like these are often divided into fire compartments, with dampers where ducts pass between them. William Harvey Hospital is the nearest hospital, about 2.1 miles east of Ashford. Hospitals are a good example of a building with fire dampers across many floors and departments. Kent Fire and Rescue Service covers Ashford. In most workplaces and other non-domestic buildings, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order.
If you manage offices, shops or flats near Ashford International station, the ductwork in them may pass through fire-resisting walls and floors, and any dampers need testing at least once a year. A school like Chilmington Green Primary School can have any dampers tested over half-term without disturbing lessons. Hospitals such as William Harvey Hospital, about 2.1 miles east, are a good example of buildings with dampers on many floors; if you manage a clinic, surgery or care home near Ashford, the same annual testing applies.
Ashford is in Kent. Across the TN23 area, we cover fire damper testing for commercial sites. Our area takes in 922 places across Kent, from busy centres to quieter spots. Maidstone is in our area too, about 17 miles from Ashford.
Every address in TN23, TN24, TN25 and TN26 is covered for fire damper testing, from busy streets to back roads. We cover sites on Market Lane, Church Road and Station Road and the roads around them. Being close to the A20 and A28, Ashford is simple for us to get to at any hour. Neighbouring places we cover for fire damper testing include Stanhope (1 mile south-west), Newtown (1 mile south-east), South Willesborough (1 mile south-east), Godinton (1 mile north-west) and Willesborough (1 mile east). Further out, we also cover Canterbury (13 miles north-east), Sittingbourne (15 miles north), Folkestone (14 miles east), Faversham (12 miles north), Hythe (10 miles south-east) and Davington (12 miles north). Being one of Kent’s larger places, Ashford has a wide mix of commercial premises, and we cover all of them for fire damper testing.
Around Ashford
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to The Locomotive pub, Ashford Green Corridors and Ashford School, among other places. Ashford has its own railway station: Ashford International station. Other landmarks nearby include William Harvey Hospital (2.1 miles east) and Ashford Designer Outlet (0.6 miles south-east). Open spaces near Ashford include Hatch Park.