Medway · Fire damper testing
Fire and smoke damper testing in Upper Upnor
Fire damper testing in Upper Upnor, surveyed first and signed off with a written report and photos. Call for a fixed quote.
- Smoke dampers with no recent test
- Dampers that stick or won’t close fully
- Dampers flagged on a fire risk assessment
Fire damper testing in Upper Upnor
A drop test is simple in principle: we release the blade, watch it close fully, then reset it. We do this for buildings in Upper Upnor and across Medway, keeping a log for each damper so there’s a history to look back on. We’re often asked to deal with buildings with no damper register and dampers that can’t be reached without an access panel, on riser dampers, wall and floor dampers and fusible link fire dampers.
Somewhere as small as Upper Upnor, fire dampers are usually found in a school, a care home, a hotel or a converted building, wherever there is one. Each damper still needs testing at least once a year.
Our accreditations include CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we’re fully insured. We’re also a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, and we’ve been trading since 2009.
- Where
- Upper Upnor (ME2)
- Wider area
- Medway
- Paperwork
- Report and pictures after the visit
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, normally within a working day
- Hours
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Questions from Upper Upnor
Can the work in Upper Upnor be done at night or at weekends?
Yes, we can come after you close and finish before you open. Your customers, staff or residents in Upper Upnor needn’t be disturbed. Just call us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email with your opening times and we’ll plan around them.
Does the sea air around Upper Upnor make a difference to fire damper testing?
It can. Being within about 2 miles of the sea means more corrosion on metalwork in Upper Upnor than inland. Corrosion is one of the things that can stop a damper closing, so it’s noted at every test.
What does TR19 mean?
It’s BESA’s specification and the benchmark insurers, fire officers and EHOs look to. It sets out inspection, cleaning and record keeping and expects a risk-based approach.
What if parts of the system can’t be reached?
We record them on the report, with pictures where possible, and we tell you what would make it reachable, such as extra access panels in ductwork.
How long does fire damper testing take?
A visit takes a morning or an afternoon for a small number of dampers, longer where there are many. Large buildings can be split over several visits, and you can call 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form to talk it through.
How much notice do you need?
The more notice, the better, especially for out-of-hours work. Quotes usually come back within one working day, and emergencies are covered by our 24/7 line.
Where does the waste go?
We take it away when we go. While we work, it’s kept contained to keep the area clean.
Can you price the work without visiting?
Often, yes. Photos of the system and the access, plus your opening hours and last report, are often enough. Where we can’t see enough, we arrange a survey.
Leave it or put it right?
A sticking blade caught on an annual test can be a small repair. Years of corrosion and dirt can mean the whole damper needs replacing instead. With notice, the visit to Upper Upnor can be fitted around your bookings and events.
Kitchens, offices, schools and hospitals are all priced the same way: how much there is, how we reach it, what state it’s in and when we can work. Ask for a fixed quote and we will go through it with you.
Why book with us
- CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001
- Every visit written up, with photos
- A fixed price before any work starts
- One number for every site across the South East and London
Read our cost guide or our accreditations.
How it works
We’re used to working while the site is closed. A lot of visits happen overnight or at weekends, so the site can open as normal afterwards. The visit itself takes anything from a couple of hours for a handful of dampers to a full day for a large building. Somewhere like Upper Upnor, lanes, gates and parking are worth mentioning in advance.
- We go through the damper schedule and any previous faults.
- We locate every damper and note any we cannot reach.
- We test fire dampers by dropping them and smoke dampers by operating them through the controls.
- Passes are reset and any failures recorded with the reason.
- The report sets out the results, and we can quote to repair or replace failed dampers.
Preparing for the visit
- Agree a time when the area can be out of use
- Let us know about permits to work or site inductions
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
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, the quote is fixed before any work is booked.
Read more
When something else is needed
It’s worth knowing the limits before booking:
- Designing the building’s fire compartments
- Holes around ductwork in fire-resisting walls
- Missing dampers that a designer needs to specify
If in doubt, ring 0345 646 2711, or send details by email and we will say what we think before you book.
What the work covers
- Hospitals and care homes
- Offices and schools
- Riser dampers
- Fusible link fire dampers
- Wall and floor dampers
- Motorised smoke dampers
Nearby places to Upper Upnor
Also in Upper Upnor
Fire damper testing around Upper Upnor
At about 2 miles from the coast, Upper Upnor is close enough for sea air to matter. Corrosion is a known cause of damper failure, and coastal air adds to the risk near intakes and louvres. Food Standards Agency data includes about 15 schools, colleges and universities, about 23 care, childcare and hospital premises and about 4 hotels, B&Bs and guest houses in Upper Upnor and the streets around it, up to about 1.5 miles out. Many buildings of this kind have ductwork through fire-resisting walls and floors, and the dampers at those points need testing at least annually. Fire safety in Upper Upnor falls to Kent Fire and Rescue Service. When a fire safety officer audits a non-domestic building, maintenance of systems like dampers can come up.
Site managers at schools such as Wainscott Primary School normally find the summer break the easiest time for ceiling work like damper testing. If you manage an older building converted to a hotel or venue, like many historic houses in the area (Restoration House is about 1.6 miles south-west), finding every damper is the first job.
Upper Upnor is about 2 miles north-east of Rochester, in Medway. Whether your site is in the middle of Upper Upnor or further out, fire damper testing is available to all kinds of commercial premises, from small sites to large estates. Upper Upnor is one of 68 places in Medway we cover for commercial clients. Maidstone is in our area too, about 10 miles from Upper Upnor.
Fire damper testing in ME2 follows the same survey, fixed quote and written report as everywhere else we cover. If you need fire damper testing at premises on High Street, Upnor Road and Castle Street or anywhere close by, we can help. We also cover the places around Upper Upnor: Lower Upnor (1 mile north-east), Wainscott (1 mile north-west), Chattenden (1 mile north), Hoo St Werburgh (2 miles north-east) and Cooling Street (3 miles north). Further out, we also cover Gillingham (3 miles south-east), Chatham (3 miles south), Rainham (5 miles south-east), Luton (3 miles south), Park Wood (5 miles south-east) and Lordswood (5 miles south).
Local landmarks in Upper Upnor
Around Upper Upnor, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near The Kings Arms, Lower Lines Park and Waterfront University Technical College, among other places. Other local landmarks include Former Ordnance Store At Chatham Gun Wharf (1.4 miles south) and Waterfront UTC (1.3 miles south-east). For rail, the closest station is Strood station, about 1.2 miles south-west of the centre. Nearby you will also find French Hospital (1.5 miles south-west) and Pentagon Shopping Centre (1.6 miles south). Not far away are Gad's Hill and Rede Common.
What affects the cost of fire damper testing
You’ll get a fixed price before work begins. It’s based on:
- The number of sites or systems
- Any permits to work or inductions
- How big the system is
- Whether it’s a one-off visit or part of a schedule
The price reflects the work, not guesswork. That is why every job is surveyed first, and the price is agreed before any work starts.
What to send for a quote
You do not need the technical terms. It helps if you can send:
- Where the plant sits or the system leaves the building, such as a roof or outside wall
- Photos showing the whole system and its surroundings
- The paperwork from the last visit, if you have it
- Anything you’ve noticed, such as smells, noise, drips or poor airflow
Every quote begins with a look at the system, either from pictures 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.
Multi-site and managed buildings
We also work for facilities teams across offices, schools and healthcare in Upper Upnor and across Medway. Larger estates can be phased building by building to keep disruption down.
We work for landlords, managing agents and facilities managers as well as the people running the site. Shared systems, like a riser serving several units, need a clear agreement on who books the work, and we’re happy to quote for all of it.
How the job changes from site to site
Fusible link fire dampers
For dampers closed by a spring, BESA guidance is annual testing as a minimum. A weak spring or a sticking blade shows up when the damper is dropped.
Schools, hospitals and care homes
Buildings where people sleep or need help to leave rely heavily on compartments holding fire back. Regular damper testing supports that.
What we’re called out for in Upper Upnor
Over the life of a building, owners, tenants and contractors come and go, and the damper records do not always go with them. Without a register, nobody knows how many dampers there are or when they were last tested.
The symptoms we are asked about most include:
- Dampers hidden with no access panel or hatch
- Motorised smoke dampers due for testing
- Missing or out-of-date damper records
- Fire damper items raised by an assessor
Healthcare buildings such as French Hospital (about 1.5 miles south-west) rely on fire compartments, and the dampers in them need testing at least annually.
Questions to ask before you book
- Which accreditations they hold, and whether you can check them
- What paperwork you get at the end
- How VAT is shown on the quote
- How they set the interval to the next visit