Hampshire · Fire damper testing
Fareham fire damper testing
Looking for fire damper testing in Fareham? We diagnose first, fix the price and book the work around your hours, then sign off with a report and photos.
- Dust or grease build-up on damper blades
- Smoke dampers with no recent test
- Dampers that stick or will not close fully
Fire damper testing around Fareham
At about 2 miles from the coast, Fareham is close enough for sea air to matter. Corrosion is a known cause of damper failure, and coastal air adds to the risk near intakes and louvres. Food Standards Agency records list about 21 schools, colleges and universities, about 31 care, childcare and hospital premises and about 3 hotels and B&Bs registered as food businesses across Fareham and its immediate surroundings (about a mile and a half). Larger buildings like these are often divided into fire compartments, with dampers where ducts pass between them. The nearest hospital to Fareham is Knowle Hospital, about 2 miles north. Hospitals are a good example of a building with fire dampers across many floors and departments.
If you manage a school site such as St Jude's Catholic Primary School, any fire dampers can be tested in the holidays. Wherever there are offices above shops, near Fareham station or elsewhere in Fareham, ductwork may cross fire-resisting floors, and any dampers need testing.
Fareham is about 10 miles south-east of Southampton, in Hampshire. Across the PO16 area, we can carry out fire damper testing at your premises. Fareham is one of 683 places in Hampshire we cover for commercial clients. Our Portsmouth page covers sites nearby (6 miles or so).
All of PO16, PO14, PO15 and SO31 is covered for fire damper testing, from busy streets to back roads. If you need fire damper testing at premises on Delme Square, High Street and Brookmeadow or anywhere close by, our technicians can take on the work. Main roads around Fareham include the A27 and A32, so getting to you is simple for evening and night visits. We also cover Fareham Common (1 mile east), Wallington (1 mile east), North Fareham (1 mile north-east), Peel Common (2 miles south) and Welborne (2 miles north). Larger places within reach include Winchester (15 miles north), Gosport (4 miles south-east), Havant (9 miles east), Eastleigh (10 miles north-west), Horndean (9 miles north-east) and Totton (14 miles west). As one of the bigger places in Hampshire, Fareham has a wide mix of commercial premises, all within our area for fire damper testing.
Around Fareham
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around Wykeham House School, The Lord Arthur Lee pub and Fareham Academy, among other places. Fareham has its own railway station: Fareham station. A little further out are Carron Row Farm Museum (1.7 miles west) and Knowle Hospital (2 miles north). Not far away are Portsdown Hill and West of the River Alver.
How we handle fire damper testing in Fareham
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. Our job is to do the testing and hand you the paperwork that shows it. If you’re dealing with missing or out-of-date damper records and dampers flagged on a fire risk assessment, we can put it right, from motorised smoke dampers, riser dampers and fusible link fire dampers onwards.
Many building managers in towns like Fareham find out about their dampers through a fire risk assessment. A first test normally starts with tracing the ductwork and recording every damper and its access.
The sign-off is always in writing: a written report, dated and illustrated with photos, and for TR19® Grease cleans, a certificate issued through the BESCA VHE portal. It shows what was done and what, if anything, couldn’t be reached.
Towns and villages near Fareham
More services for Fareham
What a clean won’t put right
In fairness, there are a few things this work will not fix:
- Sign-off of the whole building’s fire safety
- Designing the building’s fire compartments
- Holes around ductwork in fire-resisting walls
Not sure which it is? You can give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we will tell you honestly before you book.
Where we work
- Motorised smoke dampers
- Offices and schools
- Wall and floor dampers
- Hospitals and care homes
- Fusible link fire dampers
- Riser dampers
Your questions about fire damper testing in Fareham
Who is the fire and rescue service for Fareham?
Fire safety enforcement in Fareham is handled by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service. A report listing every damper, its location and its result is the easiest way to show the dampers are maintained.
Do you work overnight in Fareham?
Yes, evening, overnight and weekend work is normal for us. The site is handed back ready to open. Just ring 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form with your opening times and we’ll plan around them.
Who is responsible for fire safety on the premises?
In the words of the Fire Safety Order 2005, it’s the responsible person. That’s generally the employer or the person in control of the premises, and in shared buildings more than one person can have duties. If you’re not sure, check your lease and fire risk assessment.
How much does fire damper testing cost in Fareham?
Every site is different, so each gets its own fixed quote. For a quote, call us on 0345 646 2711 or email us and tell us about the site and its opening hours.
How much notice do you need?
It depends on the time you need and how big the job is. Mention your preferred dates with your enquiry, and if it’s an emergency, call us any time.
What should I send you?
A short description and a few pictures plus the address and your hours. If we need more, we’ll ask.
Who is responsible for fire damper testing?
Under the Fire Safety Order 2005, it’s the responsible person, such as the employer, owner, landlord or managing agent. They must keep fire safety measures, including dampers, in working order.
Do we need to close while you work?
Not normally. We need the work area to ourselves while we are on site, so we book a time when it would be closed anyway.
Leave it or put it right?
A sticking blade caught on an annual test can be a small repair. Years of corrosion and dirt can mean the whole damper needs replacing instead. A small fault found now is a quick job; the same fault found later can close the site.
Leaving it longer rarely makes the work cheaper. Build-up, wear and faults tend to get worse, not better, and a neglected system can mean more work. If you’re not sure what’s needed, ring 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form for straight advice and a fixed quote.
Why us?
- Trading since 2009
- Fixed quotes, typically within one working day
- CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001
- Photo reports with every job
Take a look at our cost guide and how to check a contractor.
How it works
There’s very little for your team to do on the day. Someone lets us in at the agreed time and shows us where everything is, and the rest is down to us. Afterwards, the area is left tidy and the written report follows. Let us know how to reach the roof or plant area at your site in Fareham, and where the van can go.
- We plan access and timing with you first, including any out-of-hours work.
- We open up ceilings and hatches and take off each access panel.
- We release each blade and check it shuts all the way.
- The damper is reset and its condition noted.
- We close everything up and send the results in a report.
Before we arrive
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
- Let us know how we reach the system, including roofs, risers and plant rooms
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
Get a fixed quote
For fire damper testing in Fareham, call 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form. Tell us what kind of premises it is and when it’s open, plus pictures or the previous report if they’re to hand. We normally send a fixed quote within one working day.
Advice
Signs you need fire damper testing in Fareham
Rust is a frequent reason a damper won’t close. Water leaks, condensation and damp plant areas attack the casing, blade and spring, and the damper can seize quietly where no one sees it.
These are the problems we see most often:
- Dampers flagged on a fire risk assessment
- Gaps in the fire damper test log
- Corroded dampers in damp risers and plant rooms
- Dust or grease build-up on damper blades
Hospitals such as Knowle Hospital, about 2 miles north, are a good example of buildings with dampers on many floors; if you manage a clinic, surgery or care home near Fareham, the same annual testing applies.
What to look for in a quote
- If the quote is a fixed price or an estimate
- How VAT is shown on the quote
- Exactly which parts of the system are covered
- How they set the interval to the next visit
Part by part
Ceiling voids and risers
Damp plant areas are hard on dampers. We note any rust or water damage on the report so the cause can be tackled.
Offices and retail
In shared buildings, some dampers sit inside tenants’ space. We agree access with the managing agent before the visit.
Looking after it afterwards
After the visit, a few habits help the work last:
- File every damper report where your assessor can find it
- Brief other trades about dampers in ceilings and risers
- Keep ceiling hatches and duct panels easy to open
- Get remedials done soon after a failed test
If we couldn’t get to a damper, the report says so and why, for example a missing panel or a covered hatch. Access panels can be fitted so those dampers are tested on the next visit.
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.
For landlords and multi-site operators
From a single site to a large estate, you get the same standard: a survey first, a fixed quote, the work timed around the site and a report with photos.
We regularly work with managing agents. Send the address, what’s needed and how access works, and we will send a fixed quote.