Medway · Fire damper testing
Fire damper testing in Lordswood, Medway
Our technicians work in Lordswood on fire damper testing. Out-of-hours visits, a fixed quote and a written report with photos on every job.
- Missing or out-of-date damper records
- Fire dampers nobody can get to
- Dampers overdue for their annual drop test
Fire damper testing in Lordswood, done properly
In a fire, ductwork can act as a shortcut for flame and smoke from one part of a building to the next. That depends entirely on the blade closing all the way. Annual drop testing is how you know for the dampers in your building. If you have fire dampers nobody can get to and smoke dampers with no recent test, we can put it right.
In a smaller place like Lordswood, 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 does not change with the size of the place.
Good records are part of the job. You get a written report with pictures 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.
- Location
- Lordswood (ME5, ME7)
- Wider area
- Medway
- Paperwork
- Photo report after every visit
- Quote
- A fixed quote up front
- Working hours
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
Multi-site and managed buildings
Whether it’s one building or many, you get the same standard: the system surveyed, the price fixed, the visit fitted around trading and everything written up afterwards.
Records are where multi-site compliance often slips. Each visit produces a dated report with pictures, so you can show an insurer or inspector what was done at each site.
How the visit works
Protection comes first: floors, worktops and anything near the work are covered. After that, the system is made safe and the work begins. It takes a morning or an afternoon for a small number of dampers, longer where there are many, and the area is cleaned down before we leave. Visits to a place like Lordswood are planned ahead, so we arrive with what the survey says the job needs.
- 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.
- The results go into a report, with failed dampers and remedials listed.
Before we arrive
- Arrange a key holder or contact on site
- Let us know about parking and loading
- Make sure equipment near the work can be switched off and left to cool
How to get a quote
Some systems can be priced from pictures; others need a survey. Big or complicated sites, and systems that are hard to see in photos, get a survey first. Either way, you get a fixed price before any work starts.
Read more
FAQs for Lordswood
Do you work overnight in Lordswood?
Yes. We work evenings, overnight and at weekends. It means the site in Lordswood keeps running as normal. Let us know the hours you are closed and we’ll book within them.
Which fire service covers Lordswood?
Kent Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service for Lordswood. If a fire safety officer audits the building, they may ask for the latest damper test records.
Can you look after several sites?
Yes. Send the list of sites and the work at each and we will quote them together.
How long does fire damper testing take?
As a guide, it takes anything from a couple of hours for a handful of dampers to a full day for a large building. The number of dampers and how they’re reached decide the rest.
How much does fire damper testing cost?
The cost depends on the size of the system, its condition, access and timing. Ask us for a fixed quote, typically ready within one working day.
Who has the legal duty for fire safety?
In the words of the Fire Safety Order 2005, it’s the responsible person. It’s normally the employer, or whoever controls the building, and where several people have control, each can have duties. Your lease and fire risk assessment should make it clear.
Is a quote from photos possible?
Yes, if we can see what we need. If not, a site survey comes first, and the quote follows that.
Can you set up regular visits?
Yes, of course. Tell us what you have and how it’s used, and we will suggest a schedule and quote for it.
What affects the cost of fire damper testing
We don’t publish a price list, because no two systems are the same. The quote depends on:
- The condition of the system
- Whether it’s a one-off visit or part of a schedule
- The times the site is available
- Travel, parking and unloading
Several systems or sites on one quote often makes better use of the time. Tell us about everything you’d like looked at and we’ll price it together.
Asking for a quote
Before you ask for a quote, gather:
- The postcode and the type of business
- A few general shots of the system
- Where the plant sits or the system leaves the building, such as a roof or outside wall
- The times we could work without disrupting the site
For a fixed quote, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and tell us the type of site, your opening hours and roughly what the system looks like. Photos and the last report, if you have one, make the quote quicker. We usually come back within one working day.
Why act early in Lordswood
Sites in Lordswood tested every year build up a history for each damper, which shows patterns early. If the same damper keeps giving trouble, the record shows it long before it fails outright. Booking now means the visit to Lordswood is planned around you, not forced by a breakdown.
What you pay depends on the size of the system, what state it’s in and how easy it is to reach. We give you a fixed price before work begins, so you know where you stand.
Why book with us
- Ventilation hygiene specialists since 2009
- Member of BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- A fixed price before any work starts
- We are fully insured
Read how cleaning jobs are priced or our accreditations and certificates.
Fire damper testing around Lordswood
The FSA’s food hygiene register lists about 15 schools, colleges and universities and about 17 hospitals, care homes and childcare premises with registered kitchens or food service across Lordswood and its immediate surroundings (about a mile and a half). If any of them has ducted ventilation, its dampers need an annual drop test at least. Lordswood sits within the area of Kent Fire and Rescue Service. When a fire safety officer audits a non-domestic building, maintenance of systems like dampers can come up. For Lordswood, the closest hospital is Medway Maritime Hospital, roughly 3 miles north. 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.
Historic buildings that have had ventilation added later can hide dampers in awkward places; Restoration House, about 3.9 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses in the area around Lordswood. Hospitals such as Medway Maritime Hospital, about 3 miles north, are a good example of buildings with dampers on many floors; if you manage a clinic, surgery or care home near Lordswood, the same annual testing applies.
Lordswood is about 2 miles south of Chatham, in Medway. Wherever you are in the ME5 postcode area, we can carry out fire damper testing at your premises. 68 places in Medway are on our list, large and small.
All of ME5 and ME7 is within our area for fire damper testing, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Fire damper testing is available to premises on Hall Road, Rover Road and Gould Road and nearby roads. We also cover the places around Lordswood: Lidsing (1 mile south-east), Walderslade (1 mile west), Dunn Street (1 mile south-east), Bredhurst (1 mile east) and Hempstead (2 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Gillingham (3 miles north-east), Rochester (4 miles north-west), Rainham (3 miles north-east), Strood (5 miles north-west), Twydall (3 miles north-east) and Hoo St Werburgh (6 miles north). As one of the bigger places in Medway, Lordswood has a wide mix of commercial premises, and we cover all of them for fire damper testing.
Local landmarks in Lordswood
In Lordswood, that means kitchens and buildings near Greenacre Academy, South Wood and The Harrow pub and the streets around them. The closest station to Lordswood is Chatham station, about 3.2 miles north. Other landmarks nearby include Pentagon Shopping Centre (3.4 miles north) and Medway Maritime Hospital (3 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Burham Down and Boxley Hills.
Staff cleaning versus specialist work
Day-to-day cleaning is something your team can do: wiping canopies, washing grease filters and recording it in a log. What they cannot safely do is clean inside the ductwork, the fan or the risers, which is where we come in.
When your team notices a problem between visits, like drips, unusual noise, smells or damaged filters, they should report it rather than try to fix it. We can diagnose it and quote.
Nearby places to Lordswood
More services for Lordswood
Aftercare tips
Simple habits between visits make a real difference. We recommend:
- Keep an eye out for damp around dampers
- Do not let anything obstruct a damper’s blade
- Keep ceiling hatches and duct panels easy to open
- Tell contractors where dampers are before they start work
If we couldn’t get to a damper, the report says so and why, for example a missing panel or a covered hatch. We can fit access panels so they can be tested next time.
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 Lordswood
Dampers are hidden above ceilings, inside risers and behind boxing. If there’s no hatch to reach them, they slip off everyone’s list, and one that can’t be reached can’t be tested.
If you notice any of these, it’s worth a diagnosis:
- Blades that jam part-way when released
- Dampers hidden with no access panel or hatch
- Buildings with no damper register
- Fire damper items raised by an assessor
Site managers at schools such as St Benedict's Catholic Primary School normally find the summer break the easiest time for ceiling work like damper testing.
Questions to ask before booking
- What hours they’ll be on site
- Whether the figure could change on the day
- What’s included in the scope, part by part
- How areas they can’t reach will be recorded