Surrey · Fire damper testing
Earlswood fire damper testing
Our technicians work in Earlswood on fire damper testing. Fixed quotes, work around your opening hours and photo reports on every job.
- Missing or out-of-date damper records
- Damper actions from a fire risk assessment
- Fire dampers that haven’t been tested for over a year
Fire damper testing in Earlswood
BESA guidance is that fire dampers should be tested by a competent person when they’re installed and at least annually after that. Spring-operated dampers need testing every year as a minimum. We carry out fire damper testing for buildings in Earlswood and give you the records to show it’s been done. If you have dampers hidden with no access panel or hatch and dampers affected by leaks or condensation, we can help, from motorised smoke dampers, riser dampers and offices and schools onwards.
In a smaller place like Earlswood, buildings with fire dampers are more likely to be a school, a surgery, a care home or a hotel than an office block. The law on keeping them working doesn’t change with the size of the place.
Nothing is signed off by word of mouth: a dated report with pictures of the work, plus a certificate through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal when the work is a TR19® Grease clean. It shows what was done and what, if anything, couldn’t be reached.
- Location
- Earlswood (RH1, RH2)
- Region
- Surrey
- Paperwork
- Written report with pictures
- Quote
- Fixed quote, usually within a working day
- Hours
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
Earlswood questions
Can you test school fire dampers in Earlswood out of term?
Yes, and it’s the easiest time to do it. There are about 13 schools, colleges and universities on the FSA’s food hygiene register within about 1.5 miles of Earlswood. Booking early in the term gives the best choice of holiday dates.
Can the work in Earlswood be done at night or at weekends?
Yes, nights and weekends are routine for us. The site is handed back ready to open. When you give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email, mention when the site is quiet.
Will we have to shut during the visit?
Not usually. We need the work area to ourselves while we’re on site, so we book a time when it would be closed anyway.
Do you have insurance?
Yes. Full insurance covers our work, and we have been trading since 2009.
What is TR19?
BESA’s ventilation hygiene specification, with two parts that matter most here: TR19® Grease for kitchen extract systems and TR19® Air for general ventilation. It isn’t law, but it’s the benchmark.
What should I send you?
Where the site is, what it is and when it’s open, along with a few pictures and any previous report.
How long does fire damper testing take?
It takes a few hours for a single floor, with bigger buildings phased over more than one visit. Access is the biggest factor, so we’ll confirm the time when we quote.
Which sectors do you work in?
Any site with a kitchen or a ventilation system to look after, from a single café to a large school. Hotels, schools, care homes, offices, shops and leisure sites are all part of our work.
Part by part
Access panels
A damper can only be tested if it can be reached. That usually means an access panel in the duct, plus a way through the ceiling or wall.
Fusible link fire dampers
Spring-operated fire dampers need testing at least once a year. Dropping the blade reveals springs that are tired and blades that drag.
Between visits
A little care between visits keeps the system in better shape. Our advice:
- Do not let hatches get painted shut or boarded over
- Warn anyone working in ceiling voids about the dampers
- Diary the annual test well ahead
- Store test records alongside the fire risk assessment
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.
Water is a damper’s enemy, so fix leaks and condensation near them promptly. Rusted parts are one of the main reasons dampers fail to close.
When to call us in Earlswood
Corrosion is another common cause of failure. Condensation, leaks and damp plant rooms corrode the parts that need to move, and the damper can seize quietly where no one sees it.
Keep an eye out for these warning signs:
- Motorised smoke dampers due for testing
- Dampers flagged on a fire risk assessment
- Dampers that can’t be reached without an access panel
- Fire dampers that fail to drop shut
The nearest hospital, East Surrey Hospital, is about 0.7 miles south-east; healthcare buildings like it are a reminder that dampers protect people who can’t move quickly.
What your quote should include
- Whether they recommend a next date
- Whether the price is fixed
- Whether the work can be done while the site is closed
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
What fire damper testing looks like in Earlswood
Food Standards Agency records list about 13 schools, colleges and universities and about 20 care, childcare and hospital premises registered as food businesses within about 1.5 miles of central Earlswood. Schools, care settings and hotels are the kind of buildings where fire dampers are commonly found. For Earlswood, the closest hospital is East Surrey Hospital, roughly 0.7 miles south-east. 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. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service covers Earlswood. When a fire safety officer audits a non-domestic building, maintenance of systems like dampers can come up.
Wherever there are offices above shops, near Earlswood (Surrey) station or elsewhere in Earlswood, ductwork may cross fire-resisting floors, and any dampers need testing. If you manage a school site such as St John's Primary School, any fire dampers can be tested in the holidays.
Earlswood is about 1 mile south of Redhill, in Surrey. We carry out fire damper testing for businesses, landlords and public buildings in Earlswood and the rest of Surrey. Our Surrey coverage runs to 395 places, Earlswood among them. Guildford is in our area too, about 17 miles from Earlswood.
We work across RH1 and RH2 for fire damper testing and the roads nearby. Local streets include Brook Road, Ifold Road and Emlyn Road, and we cover them all for fire damper testing. Being close to the A23, Earlswood is easy for our technicians to reach for fire damper testing. Nearby, we also carry out fire damper testing in Meadvale (1 mile west), Redhill (1 mile north), South Earlswood (1 mile south), South Nutfield (2 miles east) and Holmethorpe (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns such as Epsom (9 miles north-west), Horley (3 miles south), Ewell (9 miles north-west), Walton-on-Thames (15 miles north-west), Caterham (5 miles north-east) and Dorking (7 miles west).
Local landmarks in Earlswood
Around Earlswood, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near The Flying Scud pub, Reigate School and Dunottar School, among other places. Earlswood has its own railway station: Earlswood (Surrey) station. Well-known places in the area include The Belfry (0.9 miles north) and Surrey Fire Museum (1.5 miles north-west). The countryside around Earlswood includes Colley Hill and Reigate Heath.
What happens on the day
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 before we start, and the area around the work is covered and protected. On site, it takes a morning or an afternoon for a small number of dampers, longer where there are many. Everything the job in Earlswood needs is worked out beforehand, from the survey.
- We start with whatever records exist: registers, drawings or old reports.
- Dampers are located one by one and reached through their access panels.
- Every fire damper is dropped, and every smoke damper is tested through its 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.
Preparing for the visit
- Tell us about access, such as roof hatches, plant rooms, ceilings or locked areas
- Let us know when the site is closed or quiet
- Dig out any earlier paperwork for the system
How to get a quote
To get a fixed quote, call us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email with the site type, your trading hours and a short description of the system. A few pictures and your last certificate or report help a lot. We normally come back within one working day.
Read more
For landlords and multi-site operators
Landlords, managing agents and facilities managers book us, not only the businesses that use the systems. Where a system serves more than one tenant, such as a shared riser, it helps to agree who arranges the work, and we can quote for the whole system.
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.
What fire damper testing can’t fix
Some problems need a different service or another trade:
- Deciding where dampers should be fitted
- Dampers that were never installed where they’re needed
- Fire-stopping gaps around the duct where it passes through the wall
If in doubt, ring 0345 646 2711 or email us and we will say what we think.
What we work on in Earlswood
- Fusible link fire dampers
- Riser dampers
- Motorised smoke dampers
- Offices and schools
- Wall and floor dampers
- Hospitals and care homes
Also near Earlswood
Also in Earlswood
What happens if it’s left?
An untested damper is an unknown. A test gives you a clear answer, and we can offer remedials for any that fail, and that’s something you can plan around. Light use slows the build-up but doesn’t stop it.
Several systems or sites on one quote often makes better use of the time. Tell us about everything you’d like looked at, and you’ll get one fixed quote.
What you get with us
- BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- Full insurance on every job
- Photo reports with every job
- One number for every site across the South East and London
Take a look at our cost guide and our accreditations and certificates.