Kent · Fire damper testing
Fire Damper Testing in Tickham
Fire damper drop testing and smoke damper testing, with a record for each damper for commercial sites in Tickham and across Kent. BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease.
- Dampers overdue for their annual drop test
- Dampers clogged with dust or grease
- Fire dampers that fail to drop shut
Fire damper testing in Tickham, done properly
For every damper, we record where it is, whether it passed and the state it’s in. Passes are reset and left ready to work, while failures are flagged with what we found. That record belongs with the building’s fire safety paperwork. If you’re dealing with corroded dampers in damp risers and plant rooms and fire dampers with no recent test record, we can put it right.
Testing in a small place like Tickham is planned around the journey and access, and every damper is drop tested, reset and recorded, the same as anywhere.
A written report with photos follows every visit, so you have a record of what was done and when. Kitchen extract cleaning to TR19® Grease is certificated through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal.
- Location
- Tickham (ME9)
- Region
- Kent
- Reporting
- Report and pictures after the visit
- Quotes
- A fixed quote up front
- Working hours
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
When something else is needed
Fire damper testing cannot fix everything, and we’d rather say so up front. It doesn’t solve:
- Gaps in the wall or floor around the damper
- Fire alarm or control system faults behind a smoke damper
- Sign-off of the whole building’s fire safety
Not sure which it is? You can call us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we will tell you honestly before you book.
What we work on in Tickham
- Wall and floor dampers
- Riser dampers
- Motorised smoke dampers
- Offices and schools
- Fusible link fire dampers
- Hospitals and care homes
Questions from Tickham
Can you work in Tickham outside opening hours?
Yes. We work evenings, overnight and at weekends. Your customers, staff or residents in Tickham needn’t be disturbed. Just phone us on 0345 646 2711 or email us with your opening times and we will plan around them.
Do you cover smaller places like Tickham?
Yes. Villages and rural sites across the South East are part of our work, Tickham included. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
What does TR19 mean?
It’s BESA’s specification and the benchmark insurers, fire officers and EHOs look to. It covers how systems are inspected, cleaned and checked and expects a risk-based approach.
How long does fire damper testing take?
Testing takes anything from a couple of hours for a handful of dampers to a full day for a large building. Large buildings can be split over several visits, so call us on 0345 646 2711 or email us for a quote.
Whose job is it to make sure fire dampers are tested?
The responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, who might be the employer, owner, landlord, facilities manager or managing agent. Keeping fire safety systems working, dampers included, is part of their duty.
Which kinds of sites do you work on?
Commercial premises of every kind: kitchens, offices, schools, healthcare, retail, leisure and food production. Work is timed around how each site runs.
How often should fire dampers be tested?
BESA guidance calls for testing by a competent person at least once a year. A test on completion of installation comes first.
Is a quote from photos possible?
Yes, for many jobs. Send wide shots, close-ups of any access panels and anything that worries you, and we normally come back within one working day. If pictures are not enough, we’ll survey first.
How it works
We work around your opening hours, not the other way round. We book the visit for a time the area is closed, whether that’s an evening, overnight or a weekend. When the team arrives, the work area is protected and the relevant equipment is switched off to cool, and the job takes anything from a couple of hours for a handful of dampers to a full day for a large building. The timing of a visit to Tickham is set by you, and the travel is our side of the planning.
- 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.
- The blade is released and watched to make sure it closes fully.
- We reset it and record any dirt, corrosion or damage.
- Panels and tiles go back, and the results are written up.
Before we arrive
- Agree a time when the area can be out of use
- Mention any sign-in, permit or induction we need
- Let us know how we reach the system, including roofs, risers and plant rooms
Ask for a quote
Some systems can be priced from photos; others need a survey. Larger sites, and anything hidden behind walls, ceilings or floors, are normally surveyed first. Either way, the quote is fixed before any work is booked.
Advice
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
Some jobs should never be done in-house: entering ducts, working on fans, testing dampers and taking grease readings need training, the right equipment and safe access. Leave those to us.
For ventilation and air handling systems, in-house care is mostly about checks: keeping grilles clear, noting unusual noise or smells and logging filter changes. The inside of ducts and units needs a specialist.
Nearby places to Tickham
What else we do in Tickham
When to call us in Tickham
Fusible links and springs do not last for ever. Damaged or painted links and weak springs mean the blade may stop short, which only shows up when the damper is dropped.
These are the problems we see most often:
- Dampers that can’t be reached without an access panel
- Fire dampers that haven’t been tested for over a year
- Gaps in the fire damper test log
- Motorised smoke dampers due for testing
Historic houses near Tickham, with Belmont House and Gardens about 3.2 miles south-east, are a reminder that older buildings can hold dampers in unexpected places.
What your quote should include
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
- How VAT is shown on the quote
- When the next visit should be, and why
- Whether the price is fixed
Why deal with it now?
Sites in Tickham tested every year build up a history for each damper so repeat problems show up early. If the same damper keeps giving trouble, the record shows it long before it fails outright. Rural sites can’t always move to another kitchen or room when something fails.
The price reflects the work, not guesswork. That’s why we survey first, from photos or on site, and the price is agreed before work begins.
Why Tickham businesses choose us
- CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, with ISO 9001
- Fully insured
- One contact for all your sites in London and the South East
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
For landlords and multi-site operators
Running several sites is easier with one contractor. We work across London and the South East, so visits at different addresses can be planned together and kept on a regular cycle.
If you look after several sites, we can plan visits across the whole estate and price them together. Each site gets its own report and photos, so each one has its own record.
Looking after it afterwards
Results last longer with the right care. We suggest:
- Store test records alongside the fire risk assessment
- Keep an eye out for damp around dampers
- Don’t let hatches get painted shut or boarded over
- Diary the annual test well ahead
Failed dampers are set out separately, each with the fault we found, along with an offer to repair or replace them. After a repair, we retest the damper and update the record.
Deal with leaks and condensation near dampers quickly. Rusted parts are one of the main reasons dampers fail to close.
Fire dampers in Tickham buildings
Food Standards Agency records list about 4 care, childcare and hospital premises registered as food businesses in Tickham and the streets around it, up to about 1.5 miles out. Larger buildings like these are often divided into fire compartments, with dampers where ducts pass between them. Tickham is covered by Kent 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. At about 41 miles from central London, Tickham sits well inside the area we cover. We work evenings, overnight and at weekends, so the visit fits around the site.
Site managers at schools such as Lynsted and Norton Primary School usually find the summer break the easiest time for ceiling work like damper testing.
Tickham is about 3 miles west of Faversham, in Kent. Whatever kind of site you run in Tickham, fire damper testing is something we can help with. Visits can be booked for evenings, overnight or weekends so trading is not interrupted. Tickham is one of 922 places in Kent where we work for fire damper testing. Our Maidstone page covers sites nearby, about 13 miles away.
We cover every part of the ME9 postcode area for fire damper testing and the roads nearby. If you need fire damper testing at premises on Nouds Lane and Tickham Lane or a nearby road, we can help. Close by, we work in Lewson Street (1 mile north-east), Loyterton (1 mile south-west), Norton Ash (1 mile north-east), Teynham (1 mile north) and Deerton Street (1 mile north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Maidstone (13 miles west), Ashford (12 miles south), Canterbury (12 miles east), Sittingbourne (4 miles north-west), Whitstable (10 miles east) and Faversham (3 miles east).
Landmarks near Tickham
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around The Plough Inn, among other places. The nearest railway station is Teynham station, roughly 1.4 miles north. Nearby you’ll also find Sittingbourne Heritage Museum (3.4 miles north-west) and Newnham Castle (1.9 miles south).