Essex · Fire damper testing
Fire Damper Testing in Galleywood
One call covers fire damper testing in Galleywood, from survey to sign-off. CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, ISO 9001 and fully insured.
- Damper actions from a fire risk assessment
- Blades that jam part-way when released
- Fire dampers with no recent test record
Fire damper testing in Galleywood
Responsible persons, facilities managers and managing agents call us when damper testing falls due in Galleywood. Send us the damper schedule or the drawings if you have them, and we will plan the testing around when the building is in use. The work covers riser dampers, offices and schools and fusible link fire dampers, and common reasons people get in touch are dampers clogged with dust or grease and dampers that stick or won’t close fully.
In a smaller place like Galleywood, 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.
Good records are part of the job. You get a written report with photos after every visit, listing what was done, anything we couldn’t reach and when the next visit is due. Keep it with your fire safety records so it’s to hand when an insurer or inspector asks.
- Where
- Galleywood (CM2)
- Region
- Essex
- Records
- Report and pictures after the visit
- Quote
- A fixed quote up front
- Working hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Checked
- 30 October 2026
How the job changes from site to site
Schools, hospitals and care homes
In schools and colleges, testing fits well into holidays and weekends, when ceilings can be opened without disturbing lessons.
Offices and retail
Multi-let buildings may have dampers inside tenant areas. Access to each area is planned with whoever manages the building.
Fire damper testing around Galleywood
The FSA’s food hygiene register lists about 12 schools, colleges and universities and about 6 hospitals, care homes and childcare premises with registered kitchens or food service across Galleywood and its immediate surroundings (about a mile and a half). Many buildings of this kind have ductwork through fire-resisting walls and floors, and the dampers at those points need testing at least annually. About 1.3 miles east of Galleywood is Baddow 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. Galleywood is covered by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. Its fire safety officers enforce the Fire Safety Order in most non-domestic buildings, and that covers fire safety systems such as dampers.
Hospitals such as Baddow Hospital, about 1.3 miles east, are a good example of buildings with dampers on many floors; if you manage a clinic, surgery or care home near Galleywood, the same annual testing applies. If you manage an older building converted to a hotel or venue, like many historic houses in the area (Hylands is about 1.8 miles north-west), finding every damper is the first job.
Galleywood is about 3 miles south of Chelmsford, in Essex. We carry out fire damper testing for businesses, landlords and public buildings in Galleywood and the rest of Essex. Across Essex, we cover 644 places, Galleywood among them.
Here we cover the CM2 postcode area for fire damper testing. Fire damper testing is available to premises on The Street, Attwoods Close and Markland Close and the roads around them. Neighbouring places we cover for fire damper testing include Margaretting Tye (2 miles south-west), Margaretting (3 miles west), Stock (3 miles south-west), Ramsden Heath (4 miles south) and Downham (4 miles south). Larger places within reach include Chelmsford (3 miles north), Basildon (9 miles south), Braintree (13 miles north), Brentwood (9 miles south-west), Maldon (9 miles east) and Canvey Island (13 miles south).
Around Galleywood
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around Great Baddow High School, Galleywood Common and The Eagle Public House. The nearest railway station is Chelmsford station, about 2.6 miles north of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Peter Edwards Museum And Library (2.3 miles north) and Baddow Hospital (1.3 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Hanningfield Reservoir.
What affects the quote in Galleywood
We don’t publish a price list, because sites vary so much. The quote depends on:
- Travel, parking and unloading
- The scale of the work
- How many systems or sites are involved
- When the work can happen, such as evenings, overnight or weekends
Whatever the type of site, the quote works the same way: the size of the job, access, condition and working hours. Call for a fixed quote and we’ll go through it with you.
What we need to know
We can often survey from pictures. The most useful are:
- The postcode and the type of business
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- Your opening hours and when the area is out of use
- The roof, plant room or outside wall the system runs to
Every quote begins with a look at the system, either from photos and details you send or from a site visit. After that, you get a fixed price for the work so you know the cost before any work starts.
Looking after it afterwards
So the system stays in good health:
- Brief other trades about dampers in ceilings and risers
- Keep cables and fixings away from damper blades
- Get remedials done soon after a failed test
- Add new dampers to the register as they’re fitted
Pass the report to whoever keeps your fire risk assessment up to date, so the assessment reflects where the dampers stand. Faults on the report are worth closing off quickly.
Keeping to at least annual testing stops small faults turning into failed dampers. Faults caught early are easier to fix.
What we are called out for in Galleywood
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person has a duty to keep fire safety measures working, and dampers are part of those measures. Employers, owners, landlords and managing agents all need evidence that the dampers have been checked.
Keep an eye out for these warning signs:
- Dirty dampers that may not close
- Gaps in the fire damper test log
- Dampers hidden with no access panel or hatch
- Dampers affected by leaks or condensation
Site managers at schools such as St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior School usually find the summer break the easiest time for ceiling work like damper testing.
Comparing quotes
- Whether a written report and photos are included
- Proof of insurance
- Whether the price is fixed
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
Also near Galleywood
Other services in Galleywood
Common questions in Galleywood
Do you test dampers in schools in Galleywood during the holidays?
Yes, out-of-term visits are normal for schools. The FSA’s register shows about 12 schools and colleges with food registrations within roughly a mile and a half of Galleywood. Tell us your holiday dates and we will book the visit for when the site is empty.
Which fire authority looks after Galleywood?
That is Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. Keep each damper test report with the fire risk assessment and the building’s log book, ready to show.
What’s TR19?
TR19® is the BESA specification for keeping ventilation systems clean. Since 2019, TR19® Grease has been a standalone specification for grease in kitchen extract systems, and TR19® Air covers general supply and extract systems.
How much does fire damper testing cost?
Every site is different, so each gets its own fixed quote. For a quote, call us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form with the site type, opening hours and a few photos.
What if parts of the system cannot be reached?
They’re marked on the report. In ductwork, new access panels are often the answer, and we can fit those.
Are you fully insured?
Yes, we’re fully insured. CHAS and SafeContractor accreditation sit alongside it for clients who vet their contractors.
Who is responsible for fire safety on the premises?
That depends on who controls the premises. Under the Fire Safety Order 2005, it’s the responsible person, which may be the employer, owner, landlord, facilities manager or managing agent.
What do you need from me for a quote?
The site address, the type of premises and your opening hours, along with a few pictures and any previous report.
When it’s something else
Not every problem is solved by fire damper testing, and we’d rather say so up front. It does not solve:
- Approving the building’s fire strategy
- Missing dampers that a designer needs to specify
- Deciding where dampers should be fitted
If in doubt, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email and we’ll say what we think.
Parts of the system we cover
- Fusible link fire dampers
- Motorised smoke dampers
- Offices and schools
- Wall and floor dampers
- Riser dampers
- Hospitals and care homes
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
Where a tenant occupies the premises but the landlord owns the building, it’s worth checking the lease for who maintains the systems. We can quote either party, and the report can go to both.
Records are where multi-site compliance often slips. Each visit produces a dated report with photos, so you can show an insurer or inspector what was done at each site.
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. Anything that needs to be off for the work is switched off and left to cool first, and floors and nearby surfaces are sheeted. The work itself takes a few hours for a single floor, with bigger buildings phased over more than one visit. Tell us when your site near Galleywood is quiet and the visit will be booked for then.
- First we check the schedule and the last set of results.
- Each damper is found and checked for access.
- Fire dampers are drop tested, and smoke dampers are tested through their controls.
- Passes are reset and any failures recorded with the reason.
- We report the results and offer remedials on failed dampers.
How to prepare
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
- Clear the space around the work
Get a fixed quote
The quickest way to a quote is to send pictures: the system from a couple of angles, plus any access panels or hatches. Add the site type and your opening hours, and we can price many jobs without a visit.