West Berkshire · Fire damper testing
Colthrop fire damper testing
One call covers fire damper drop testing and smoke damper testing, with a record for each damper in Colthrop, from survey to sign-off. CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, ISO 9001 and fully insured.
- Dampers flagged on a fire risk assessment
- Dampers that can’t be reached without an access panel
- Dust or grease build-up on damper blades
Fire damper testing for kitchens and businesses in Colthrop
The point of testing is to find dampers that fail. Where a blade sticks, a link is damaged or corrosion has set in, we note it and can quote to repair or replace the damper rather than leaving you with a problem and no fix. Common call-outs are for rusted damper blades and springs and gaps in the fire damper test log, across hospitals and care homes, offices and schools and wall and floor dampers.
In a village or hamlet like Colthrop, there may be only a few buildings with fire dampers. Each damper still needs testing at least once a year.
Good records are part of the job. You get a written report with pictures after every visit, covering the work done, any areas we couldn’t access and a recommended next date. Keep it with your fire safety records so it’s ready for an insurer, fire officer or EHO.
- Location
- Colthrop (RG19, RG18)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Reporting
- Report and photos after the visit
- Quote
- A fixed quote up front
- When we work
- Out of hours as standard, 24/7 emergency line
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
Why act early in Colthrop
If a damper cannot close, the wall it sits in has a hole in it during a fire. The rest of the compartment can be built perfectly and still be bypassed by the duct. It’s far better to find that out on a test than in a fire. Rural sites can’t always move to another kitchen or room when something fails.
Putting the work off seldom saves money. Build-up, wear and faults tend to get worse, not better, and a neglected system can mean more work. If you are not sure what’s needed, call us on 0345 646 2711 or email us and we will give you an honest view and a fixed quote.
Why Colthrop businesses choose us
- One contact for all your sites in London and the South East
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
- Trading since 2009
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
Take a look at what affects the cost or our accreditations and certificates.
What the work involves, part by part
Access panels
Testing depends on getting to the damper. Most need an access panel in the duct and a hatch in the ceiling or wall.
Schools, hospitals and care homes
In hospitals and care homes, people are there day and night. We plan the order of work with the site team so care isn’t interrupted.
How the visit works
Night work is normal for us. A lot of visits happen overnight or at weekends, so a kitchen or building can carry on as usual the next day. The visit itself takes from an hour or two in a small building to several visits on a large estate. If the van will struggle with a lane or gateway near Colthrop, let us know and we will plan around it.
- 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.
- We release each fire damper blade and operate smoke dampers from 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.
How to prepare
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
- Let us know about parking and loading
- Allow time for equipment near the work to be turned off and cool down
Get a fixed quote
There’s no standard price list, because no two systems are the same. We look at your system first, from pictures or on a visit, and then give you a fixed quote. To get going, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form.
Related advice
Looking after it afterwards
No system stays clean for ever, but care slows the build-up. Our tips:
- File every damper report where your assessor can find it
- Get remedials done soon after a failed test
- Update the register when ductwork changes
- Keep an eye out for damp around dampers
When we finish, we send a report covering every damper on the visit, with where it is and whether it passed. File it with your fire safety log so it’s to hand for assessors and insurers.
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 fire damper testing looks like in Colthrop
There are about 3 schools, colleges and universities and about 10 caring premises (care homes, nurseries and hospitals) on the FSA’s food hygiene register within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Colthrop. Buildings like these often have ducted ventilation, and wherever a duct crosses a fire-resisting wall or floor there should be a damper, tested at least once a year. About 2.4 miles west of Colthrop is West Berkshire Community Hospital, the nearest hospital. A hospital is the kind of building where dampers sit on every floor, and clinics, surgeries and care homes need the same annual testing for any they have. The fire and rescue service for Colthrop is Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. In most workplaces and other non-domestic buildings, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order.
Site managers at schools such as Francis Baily Primary School usually find the summer break the easiest time for ceiling work like damper testing. If you manage offices, shops or flats near Thatcham station, the ductwork in them may pass through fire-resisting walls and floors, and any dampers need testing at least once a year.
Colthrop is about 1 mile east of Thatcham, in West Berkshire. We provide fire damper testing for commercial premises of every kind in Colthrop and the rest of West Berkshire. We cover 155 places across West Berkshire, from busy centres to quieter spots. There’s also a page for Reading, about 12 miles away.
All of RG19 and RG18 is covered for fire damper testing, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We cover sites on Bath Road, Ashman Road and Fokerham Road and nearby roads. If your site is just outside Colthrop, we cover Crookham (2 miles south-east), Hyde End (2 miles south-east), Heads Hill (2 miles south-west), Mill Green (2 miles south) and Goose Hill (3 miles south). Larger places within reach include Newbury (4 miles west), Burghfield Common (8 miles east), Speenhamland (4 miles west), Hungerford (12 miles west), Spencers Wood (12 miles east) and Calcot (9 miles east).
Local landmarks in Colthrop
Typical jobs here are in premises near The Swan pub and Kennet School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Thatcham station, roughly 0.5 miles south-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Old Chapel Textile Centre (2.6 miles south-west) and Donnington Castle (4.6 miles west). Not far away are Thatcham Reed Beds.
For landlords and multi-site operators
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must assess and reduce fire risk, and that can be the employer, the owner, a landlord, a facilities manager or a managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
If you look after several sites, we can plan visits across the whole estate and price them together. Each site gets its own report and pictures, so records stay tidy.
What staff can safely do
Your own staff can handle the daily basics: wiping canopies, washing grease filters and recording it in a log. What they can’t safely do is clean inside the ductwork, the fan or the risers, which is where we come in.
Some jobs should never be done in-house: entering ducts, working on fans, testing dampers and taking grease readings need training, the right equipment and safe access. Leave those to us.
Colthrop questions
Can the work in Colthrop be done at night or at weekends?
Yes. We work evenings, overnight and at weekends. The site is handed back ready to open. Just give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email with your opening times and we will plan around them.
Do you work in villages like Colthrop?
Yes, we work in villages as well as towns, and Colthrop is covered. Photos of the system and directions to the site help us plan the visit.
What happens if you cannot reach some of it?
We never leave them off the paperwork. The report says which parts couldn’t be reached and why, along with a quote to put access in.
Is TR19 a legal requirement?
No, not in itself. Insurers, fire officers and EHOs look to TR19® as the benchmark, and many insurance policies ask for proof of TR19® cleaning. The legal duty sits in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which applies in England and Wales.
Are you accredited?
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.
What do you do with what you remove?
It’s contained and taken away. We collect grease, debris and waste water as we go rather than letting it spread.
What types of premises do you cover?
All kinds of commercial and public premises: from restaurants, pubs and hotels to schools, hospitals, care homes, offices, shops and food production sites. We fit the work around how the site operates.
Do you offer maintenance contracts?
Yes. Tell us what you have and how it’s used, and we’ll suggest a schedule and quote for it.
Do you need fire damper testing in Colthrop?
The law puts a duty on the responsible person to keep fire safety systems, dampers included, in working order. Whoever that is, whether employer, owner, landlord, facilities manager or managing agent, needs to be able to show the dampers work.
Clients normally contact us after spotting something like this:
- Missing or out-of-date damper records
- Fire dampers that haven’t been tested for over a year
- Smoke dampers with no recent test
- Dampers that cannot be reached without an access panel
Historic buildings that have had ventilation added later can hide dampers in awkward places; Shaw House, about 3.5 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the area around Colthrop.
What your quote should include
- Whether a survey comes first
- Exactly which parts of the system are covered
- Whether the work can be done while the site is closed
- Whether the price is fixed