East Sussex · Fire damper testing
Hankham fire damper testing
Fire damper testing across Hankham and nearby, timed so the site keeps working and finished with a written report and pictures.
- Dampers affected by leaks or condensation
- Buildings with no damper register
- Dampers that cannot be reached without an access panel
How it works
The visit has three parts: set-up, the treatment itself and the sign-off. Getting ready means protecting surfaces and switching off what needs to be off, and the sign-off is a written report with pictures. The middle part takes longest, and that takes a couple of hours for a few dampers, and a day or more across a big site. The timing of a visit to Hankham is set by you, and the travel is our side of the planning.
- We gather what’s known about the dampers, from drawings, registers or past reports.
- Each damper is located and reached through its access panel.
- Fire dampers are drop tested and smoke dampers are run through their controls.
- Dampers that close fully are reset and left open.
- You get a report listing each damper, its result and any remedials needed.
Before we arrive
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
- 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
Ask for a quote
There’s no standard price list, because every site is different. Instead, we look at your site first, from pictures or a survey, and then give you a fixed quote. To start, call us on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email.
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How we handle fire damper testing in Hankham
Under BESA guidance, every fire damper is tested on completion of installation and then at least once a year. 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. Common call-outs are for fire dampers with no recent test record and damper actions from a fire risk assessment, on wall and floor dampers, hospitals and care homes and offices and schools.
Rural buildings that have been converted or extended can have ducts passing through fire-resisting walls, where the dampers are easy to overlook. A first test typically starts with finding them all.
Insurers, fire officers and environmental health officers all look at records. That is why every job is written up in a report with pictures, and grease extract cleans come with a TR19® certificate issued through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal.
- Location
- Hankham (BN24)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Reporting
- Photo report after every visit
- Price
- A fixed price before any work starts
- Working hours
- When your site is closed, plus a 24/7 line
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
Also in Hankham
What the work involves, part by part
Offices and retail
In offices and retail units, dampers tend to be hidden above working areas. Testing can be done outside opening hours so the space stays open.
Ceiling voids and risers
Where ductwork runs up through a building, there are often dampers at every floor. We work through them floor by floor so nothing is missed.
Honest limits
We will always give you a straight diagnosis, so here’s what fire damper testing will not do:
- Dampers that were never installed where they’re needed
- Designing the building’s fire compartments
- Holes around ductwork in fire-resisting walls
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
- Offices and schools
- Wall and floor dampers
- Fusible link fire dampers
- Motorised smoke dampers
- Riser dampers
- Hospitals and care homes
Fire damper testing in Hankham: local notes
The coast is only about 3 miles from Hankham. A damper that has corroded can stay open when it should close, which is why coastal sites are worth testing carefully. Food Standards Agency data includes about 5 caring premises (care homes, nurseries and hospitals) in and around Hankham, up to about a mile and a half out. Schools, care settings and hotels are the kind of buildings where fire dampers are commonly found. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service covers Hankham. Its fire safety officers enforce the Fire Safety Order in most non-domestic buildings, and that covers fire safety systems such as dampers.
A school like Hankham Primary School can have any dampers tested over half-term without disturbing lessons. Michelham Priory, about 4.4 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses near Hankham, and older buildings converted to new uses often have ventilation added later. Eastbourne District General Hospital, about 2.9 miles south-west of Hankham, is the kind of building where dampers protect every compartment; smaller care sites need the same annual tests.
Hankham is about 3 miles north of Eastbourne, in East Sussex. Every kind of commercial site in Hankham, fire damper testing is something we can help with. We can work out of hours so the site keeps running. We cover 289 places across East Sussex, large and small. We also work in Brighton, about 19 miles from Hankham.
We cover every part of the BN24 postcode area for fire damper testing and the streets around it. Local streets include Hankham Road, Milton Street and Foords Lane, and we cover them all for fire damper testing. Nearby, we also carry out fire damper testing in Blackness (1 mile south-west), Stone Cross (1 mile south), Polegate (2 miles west), Lower Willingdon (2 miles south-west) and Willingdon (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Eastbourne (3 miles south), Hastings (12 miles east), Bexhill-on-Sea (8 miles east), Seaford (9 miles west), Lewes (13 miles west) and Hailsham (3 miles north-west).
Around Hankham
Typical jobs here are in premises near The Red Lion pub and Causeway School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Pevensey & Westham station, roughly 1.4 miles south-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Eastbourne District General Hospital (2.9 miles south-west) and Pevensey Castle (1.7 miles east). Open spaces near Hankham include Combe Hill.
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
We regularly work with managing agents. Tell us the site, the work and the access arrangements and we’ll come back with a fixed quote.
Multi-site operators often want one contractor and one number. We work across London and the South East, so visits at different addresses can be planned together and kept on a regular cycle.
What staff can safely do
Keep a record of what your team does. A dated log of in-house cleaning and checks shows an inspector that the system is looked after between visits, alongside our reports.
A few tasks are always specialist work: opening up ductwork, cleaning fans, drop testing fire dampers and measuring grease need training, the right equipment and safe access. That is our job.
FAQs for Hankham
Do you work in villages like Hankham?
Yes. Hankham is within the area we cover across London and the South East. Photos of the system and directions to the site help us plan the visit.
Does the sea air around Hankham make a difference to fire damper testing?
It can. Hankham is within about 3 miles of the coast, and salt air speeds up corrosion. Corroded dampers are recorded at the test, as corrosion can stop a blade dropping.
How do you protect the area?
Floors and surfaces near the work are sheeted before we start, and anything we remove is contained. Before we leave, we tidy up and clean down.
Is a quote from photos possible?
Typically, yes. Send wide shots, close-ups of any access panels and anything that worries you, and we normally come back within one working day. Some sites still need a visit, and we will say so.
What if a damper has no access panel?
We record it as not tested and explain why. We can fit an access panel so it’s tested on the next visit.
What do you do with what you remove?
We take it away at the end of the visit. While we work, it’s kept contained to keep the area clean.
How much notice do you need?
The more notice, the better, especially for out-of-hours work. Quotes typically come back within one working day, and emergencies are covered by our 24/7 line.
What information do you need?
Only a few details: where it is, what kind of site, when it’s open and the access. Photos and any previous paperwork make it quicker. Then call us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line.
How we price fire damper testing
Before we fix a price, we need to know a few things. We look at:
- Parking and loading at the site
- How many systems or sites are involved
- How big the system is
- Access, including roofs, risers and ceiling voids
What you pay depends on how big the system is, what state it’s in and access to every part of it. You get a fixed price before we start, so there are no surprises.
What we need to know
You don’t need the technical terms. Just send:
- How we’d reach plant on a roof or in a plant room
- A few general shots of the system
- Any symptoms, from odd noises to smells or leaks
- The postcode and the type of business
To get a fixed quote, call 0345 646 2711 or send us an email with the site type, your trading hours and a short description of the system. A few photos and your last certificate or report help a lot. We normally come back within one working day.
Looking after it afterwards
How long the results last depends on use and care. Here’s what we suggest:
- Add new dampers to the register as they’re fitted
- Act on failed dampers rather than leaving them on file
- Brief other trades about dampers in ceilings and risers
- Keep damper test reports with the fire safety log
Any damper that failed is listed with the reason, along with an offer to repair or replace them. Once the work is done, the damper is tested again and the record updated.
Where a damper sits in ductwork that collects dust or grease, keeping that ductwork clean helps. Duct cleaning and damper testing can be planned side by side.