Hampshire · Fire damper testing
Fire damper inspection in Chithurst
Fire damper testing across Chithurst and nearby, booked around your opening hours and finished with a written report and pictures.
- Dampers that stick or won’t close fully
- Dirty dampers that may not close
- Fire dampers that haven’t been tested for over a year
Fire damper testing in Chithurst
A drop test is simple in principle: the blade is released, checked for a full close and reset. We test dampers for sites in Chithurst and the rest of Hampshire, logging each one so the record builds year on year. The work covers wall and floor dampers, offices and schools and hospitals and care homes, and the jobs we see most are dampers clogged with dust or grease and fire dampers that fail to drop shut.
In rural areas, conversions, country hotels and care homes can have ductwork crossing fire-resisting walls, and the dampers in them are easily forgotten. The first visit starts by locating each damper.
We’ve 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 are fully insured.
- Where
- Chithurst (GU31)
- Wider area
- Hampshire
- Paperwork
- Report and pictures after the visit
- Quote
- A fixed price before work begins
- Hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
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. Reaching it takes a specialist with the right equipment.
Logging matters as much as cleaning. A simple log of filter washes, wipe-downs and checks shows an inspector that the system is looked after between visits, next to our reports.
Fire damper testing in Chithurst: local notes
Chithurst, about 46 miles from central London, is within our usual area. Visits are booked around your hours, evenings and weekends included. About 2.9 miles east of Chithurst is Midhurst Community Hospital, the nearest hospital. Where patients or residents may need help to leave a building, working dampers matter all the more.
School buildings such as Stedham Primary School are typically tested in the holidays, wherever they have dampers. Healthcare buildings such as Midhurst Community Hospital (about 2.9 miles east) rely on fire compartments, and the dampers in them need testing at least annually. Cowdray House, about 3.1 miles east, is one of the historic houses near Chithurst, and older buildings converted to new uses often have ventilation added later.
Chithurst is about 6 miles east of Petersfield, in Hampshire. Chithurst gets the same approach as every site we work on: diagnosis first, a fixed price, out-of-hours working where needed and a written report with photos. 683 places in Hampshire are on our list, large and small. Portsmouth is in our area too, about 18 miles from Chithurst.
Every address in GU31 is within our area for fire damper testing, from busy streets to back roads. If your site is just outside Chithurst, we cover Trotton Marsh (1 mile north-west), Borden (1 mile north-west), Rogate (2 miles west), Milland (2 miles north) and Rake (4 miles north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Havant (13 miles south-west), Horndean (11 miles south-west), Alton (13 miles north-west), Waterlooville (13 miles south-west), Petersfield (6 miles west) and Purbrook (14 miles south-west).
Around Chithurst
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to The Keeper's Arms Public House. The nearest railway station is Liphook station, roughly 4.9 miles north of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Midhurst Museum (2.9 miles east) and Midhurst Community Hospital (2.9 miles east). Not far away are Wheeler's Down and Iping and Stedham Commons.
What happens on the day
We work around your opening hours, not the other way round. Most visits are booked for when the area is out of use, such as evenings, overnight, early mornings or weekends. Once we are in, the area is sheeted and anything that has to be off is turned off and cooled, and the job takes a few hours for a single floor, with bigger buildings phased over more than one visit. Somewhere as small as Chithurst, the date and timings are agreed with you well before the day.
- We start with whatever records exist: registers, drawings or old 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.
- We report on every damper, with faults and suggested remedials set out.
Before we arrive
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
- Mention any sign-in, permit or induction we need
- Allow time for equipment near the work to be turned off and cool down
How to get a quote
Photos are enough for some jobs, while others need a look on site. Larger sites, and anything hidden behind walls, ceilings or floors, are normally surveyed first. Either way, you get a fixed price before work begins.
Related advice
Looking after it afterwards
After the visit, a few habits help the work last:
- File every damper report where your assessor can find it
- Book the next test before the year runs out
- Keep the damper register up to date after any building work
- Tell contractors where dampers are before they start work
Pass the report to whoever keeps your fire risk assessment up to date so their assessment matches what was found. Faults on the report are worth closing off quickly.
A simple register of every damper helps a great deal: where each damper is, what kind it is and when it was last tested. It means nothing gets forgotten when staff or contractors change.
What the work involves, part by part
Access panels
If we cannot reach a damper, it goes on the report as inaccessible. We can fit access panels so it’s tested next time.
Smoke dampers
If a smoke damper won’t operate when signalled, it goes on the report as a failure, along with what we saw.
For landlords and multi-site operators
Multi-site operators often want one contractor and one number. We work across London and the South East, so a run of sites can go into one programme and kept on a regular cycle.
Whether it’s one building or many, you get the same standard: the system surveyed, the price fixed, the visit fitted around trading and everything written up afterwards.
Leave it or put it right?
Faults found early are often simpler to put right. Years of corrosion and dirt can mean the whole damper needs replacing instead. It’s worth booking a check, because nobody sees inside a duct day to day.
Several systems or sites on one quote often makes better use of the time. Mention every system or site you need covered, and you’ll get one fixed quote.
Why book with us
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
- Every visit written up, with photos
- BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- A fixed price before any work starts
Take a look at our cost guide and how to check a contractor.
How we price fire damper testing
Before we fix a price, we need to know a few things. We look at:
- Access, including roofs, risers and ceiling voids
- Site rules, permits and inductions
- Whether several sites go on one quote
- When the work can happen, such as evenings, overnight or weekends
We don’t list prices on the website, because the cost depends on the site in front of us. Call for a fixed quote, and we will talk you through it.
What to send for a quote
When you contact us, it’s useful to have:
- Detail shots of panels, filters and grilles
- Problems your staff have spotted
- Where the site is and what kind of site it is
- A few general shots of the system
Here’s what helps us quote: the address, the type of site and when it’s open, a few pictures and any previous report or certificate. Once you have those, call 0345 646 2711, or send details by email.
FAQs for Chithurst
Do you work at weekends in Chithurst?
Yes, evening, overnight and weekend work is normal for us. That way a site in Chithurst does not have to lose a day’s trading. Let us know the hours you are closed and we’ll book within them.
Who is the fire and rescue service for Chithurst?
That is Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service. If a fire safety officer audits the building, they may ask for the latest damper test records.
What happens to the waste?
Anything we remove is contained as we work and taken away with us, including grease, debris and dirty water. We do not leave it behind.
How often should fire dampers be tested?
At least once a year, under BESA guidance, plus a test when the damper is first installed. Your fire risk assessment may call for some dampers to be tested more often.
What about areas you can’t get to?
Anything we can’t reach goes on the report, with a note of where it is, and we tell you what would make it reachable, such as extra access panels in ductwork.
How long will damper testing take?
Testing takes from an hour or two in a small building to several visits on a large estate. Bigger sites can be phased, and you can phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form to talk it through.
Whose job is it to make sure fire dampers are tested?
The responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, such as the employer, owner, landlord or managing agent. Keeping fire safety systems working, dampers included, is part of their duty.
Will we have to shut during the visit?
Not normally. We work when the area is out of use, such as evenings, overnight, early mornings or weekends, so the site can carry on as normal.