Hampshire · Fire damper testing
Fire and smoke damper testing in Matchams
Fire damper drop testing and smoke damper testing, with a record for each damper for Matchams, with a survey first and a report with pictures at the end. Call for a fixed quote.
- Damper actions from a fire risk assessment
- Gaps in the fire damper test log
- Fire dampers with no recent test record
Do you need fire damper testing in Matchams?
Dust settles on damper blades, runners and springs over the years. Where the duct carries grease or cooking vapour, grease coats them too, and either can stop the blade dropping fully.
Keep an eye out for any of the following:
- Dust or grease build-up on damper blades
- Corroded dampers in damp risers and plant rooms
- Dampers that can’t be reached without an access panel
- Fire dampers that fail to drop shut
Hospitals such as St Leonard's Hospital, about 1.7 miles west, are a good example of buildings with dampers on many floors; if you manage a clinic, surgery or care home near Matchams, the same annual testing applies.
Questions to ask before you book
- How VAT is shown on the quote
- What paperwork you get at the end
- Whether they’re fully insured
- When the next visit should be, and why
How we handle fire damper testing in Matchams
Not every damper relies on heat. Smoke dampers are motorised and are opened and closed by a control system, so testing means running them through their controls and confirming every blade travels fully and comes back. Common call-outs are for dust or grease build-up on damper blades and missing or out-of-date damper records, on riser dampers, fusible link fire dampers and hospitals and care homes.
In rural areas, conversions, country hotels and care homes can have ductwork crossing fire-resisting walls, where the dampers are easy to overlook. The first visit starts by locating each damper.
Good records are part of the job. You get a written report with photos after every visit, covering the work done, any areas we couldn’t access and a recommended next date. File it in your maintenance log so it’s to hand when an insurer or inspector asks.
- Place
- Matchams (BH24)
- Region
- Hampshire
- Paperwork
- Written report with pictures
- Quote
- A fixed price before any work starts
- When we work
- When your site is closed, plus a 24/7 line
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
Towns and villages near Matchams
More services for Matchams
Matchams: your questions answered
Do you cover smaller places like Matchams?
Yes. Villages and rural sites across the South East are part of our work, Matchams included. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the site when you book.
Do you work overnight in Matchams?
Yes, nights and weekends are routine for us. The site is handed back ready to open. Tell us your opening hours when you ask for a quote.
What information do you need?
Some pictures and a quick description of the system, with the address and opening hours. We’ll ask for anything else we need.
How long will damper testing take?
Expect it to take a few hours for a single floor, with bigger buildings phased over more than one visit. Access is the biggest factor, and we will give you an idea when we quote.
What if parts of the system can’t be reached?
Anything we cannot reach goes on the report, with a note of where it is, and we tell you what would make it reachable, such as extra access panels in ductwork.
What’s TR19?
TR19® is BESA’s specification for ventilation hygiene. Since 2019, TR19® Grease has been a standalone specification for grease in kitchen extract systems, and TR19® Air covers general supply and extract systems.
Is a quote from pictures possible?
Often, yes. With good pictures, the site type and your last report, we can price many jobs. Where we can’t see enough, we arrange a survey.
Do you offer maintenance contracts?
Yes. Regular plans can run on 3, 6 or 12-monthly cycles, to suit the system and how it’s used.
What staff can safely do
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. Leave those to us.
When your team notices a problem between visits, such as dripping grease, a noisy fan, a smell or a filter that will not come clean, they should report it rather than try to fix it. We can diagnose it and quote.
Managing agents and facilities teams in Matchams
When the building owner and the occupier are different, it’s worth checking the lease for who maintains the systems. We can quote either party, and the report can go to both.
We also work for facilities teams across offices, schools and healthcare across Hampshire. Work can be phased by floor, building or site around the people who use them.
What affects the quote in Matchams
We quote each job individually. These are the things that affect it:
- The scale of the work
- Whether we need access equipment or extra panels
- Where the site is and how we reach it
- The times the site is available
What you pay depends on how big the system is, what state it’s in and access to every part of it. We give you a fixed price before we start, so there are no surprises.
What to send for a quote
Photos let us diagnose from a distance. Try to include:
- Your opening hours and when the area is out of use
- The roof, plant room or outside wall the system runs to
- The paperwork from the last visit, if you have it
- Wide photos of the system and the area around it
If you need fire damper testing in Matchams, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line. Let us know the site type and the opening hours, and send photos or your last report if you can. A fixed quote normally follows within one working day.
How the visit works
We are used to working while the site is closed. Evenings, nights and weekends are when much of our work happens, so the site can open as normal afterwards. On site, the work takes a few hours for a single floor, with bigger buildings phased over more than one visit. Photos of the system and how to reach it help us plan a visit to Matchams.
- We gather what’s known about the dampers, from drawings, registers or past reports.
- We find every damper and open it up through the access panel.
- Every fire damper is dropped, and every smoke damper is tested through its controls.
- Dampers that close fully are reset and left open.
- You get a report listing each damper, its result and any remedials needed.
How to prepare
- Tell us the best time to work, such as after service or at a weekend
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
- Mention any sign-in, permit or induction we need
Get a fixed quote
Here’s what helps us quote: the address, the type of site and when it’s open, pictures of the system and the last certificate or report, if there is one. Once you have those, ring 0345 646 2711, or send details by email.
Related advice
Why act early in Matchams
Testing every year builds 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. Somewhere as small as Matchams, losing a kitchen or building to a fault is felt by everyone who uses it.
You won’t find a price list here, because the cost depends on the site in front of us. For a fixed quote, ring 0345 646 2711 or send us an email, and we will talk you through it.
Why book with us
- Fully insured
- CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001
- We diagnose before we treat
- One number for every site across the South East and London
Different parts, different methods
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
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.
Fire damper testing around Matchams
Matchams sits within the area of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service. Under the Fire Safety Order, the responsible person has to keep fire safety systems, dampers included, in working order, and the fire authority enforces that in most non-domestic premises. The nearest hospital to Matchams is St Leonard's Hospital, about 1.7 miles west. 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.
Avon Tyrrell House, about 3.6 miles east, is one of the historic houses near Matchams, and older buildings converted to new uses often have ventilation added later.
Matchams is in Hampshire. We carry out fire damper testing for commercial premises of every kind in Matchams and the rest of Hampshire. 683 places in Hampshire are on our list, large and small. Our Southampton page covers sites nearby, about 20 miles away.
Fire damper testing in BH24 follows the same survey, fixed quote and written report as everywhere else we cover. If you need fire damper testing at premises on Maple Walk, Ash Tree Close and Sycamore Way or a nearby road, we can help. If your site is just outside Matchams, we cover Avon Castle (1 mile north-east), St Ives (1 mile north), St Leonards (1 mile north-west) and Ashley Heath (2 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Totton (15 miles north-east), Lymington (12 miles east), New Milton (8 miles south-east), Ringwood (3 miles north-east), Barton on Sea (8 miles south-east) and Ashley (9 miles south-east).
Near you in Matchams
In Matchams, that means kitchens and buildings near Avon Heath Country Park. Well-known places in the area include St Leonard's Hospital (1.7 miles west). The countryside around Matchams includes St Catherine's Hill and Blashford Lakes.