West Sussex · Fire damper testing
Fire and smoke damper testing in Worthing
Fire damper testing for commercial sites in Worthing and across West Sussex. BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease.
- Buildings with no damper register
- Fire dampers nobody can get to
- Dampers clogged with dust or grease
About our fire damper testing in Worthing
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. We’re often asked to deal with smoke dampers that need testing through their controls and dampers affected by leaks or condensation, across offices and schools, motorised smoke dampers and wall and floor dampers.
Busy buildings in Worthing stay open while their dampers are tested, so the work is planned area by area, out of hours where necessary.
It’s worth checking any contractor’s accreditations. Ours are BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, plus CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we’re fully insured.
- Place
- Worthing (BN13, BN11, BN14, BN12)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Paperwork
- Photo report after each visit
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, typically within a working day
- When we work
- Nights, weekends or holidays to suit you
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
Different parts, different methods
Schools, hospitals and care homes
Where residents cannot easily get out, holding fire and smoke back matters even more. Annual damper testing is part of keeping that in place.
Access panels
Over time, hatches and panels get covered up. Letting us know where they are speeds the visit up.
Fire damper testing in Worthing: local notes
The coast is only about 2 miles from Worthing. Salt air speeds up corrosion, and corrosion is one of the things that can stop a fire damper closing. The FSA’s food hygiene register lists about 18 schools, colleges and universities, about 82 care, childcare and hospital premises and about 7 hotels, B&Bs and guest houses with registered kitchens or food service within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Worthing. Larger buildings like these are often divided into fire compartments, with dampers where ducts pass between them. West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service covers Worthing. 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.
For buildings around West Worthing station with ducted ventilation, any fire dampers need an annual test at least. A school like Durrington High School can have any dampers tested over half-term without disturbing lessons.
Worthing is in West Sussex. Anywhere in BN13, we can take on fire damper testing. Our area takes in 371 places across West Sussex, large and small. You can also see our page for Brighton, about 12 miles away.
Every address in BN13, BN11, BN14 and BN12 is within our area for fire damper testing, from busy streets to back roads. That includes premises on Church Road, Market Place and High Street and nearby roads. With the A24 and A27 close by, Worthing is simple for us to get to at any hour. Neighbouring places we cover for fire damper testing include Salvington (1 mile north), Offington (1 mile north-east), Broadwater (1 mile east), Findon Valley (2 miles north) and East Worthing (2 miles east). Larger places within reach include Bognor Regis (13 miles west), Burgess Hill (15 miles north-east), Littlehampton (6 miles west), Shoreham-by-Sea (6 miles east), Lancing (3 miles east) and Rustington (5 miles west). As one of the bigger places in West Sussex, Worthing has a wide mix of commercial premises, all within our area for fire damper testing.
Around Worthing
Typical jobs here are in premises near The George And Dragon Public House, Durrington Minature Railway and Thomas A Becket First School, among other places. The nearest railway station is West Worthing station, about 0.5 miles south-east of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find The Acre (1.2 miles south-east) and Old Castle (under half a mile east). Not far away are Highdown Hill and Widewater Lagoon.
Signs you need fire damper testing in Worthing
The law puts a duty on the responsible person to keep fire safety systems, dampers included, in working order. Whoever that is, whether employer, owner, landlord, facilities manager or managing agent, needs to be able to show the dampers work.
Look out for any of the following:
- Fire dampers that haven’t been tested for over a year
- Fire dampers nobody can get to
- Fire dampers that fail to drop shut
- Dampers flagged on a fire risk assessment
The Acre, about 1.2 miles south-east of Worthing, is the kind of building where dampers protect every compartment; smaller care sites need the same annual tests.
Comparing quotes
- What’s included in the scope, part by part
- What records you will receive afterwards
- If they look at the system before pricing
- Whether the quote shows VAT
For landlords and multi-site operators
For anyone managing more than one site, we can schedule visits across all of them on one quote. Every building has its own written report, so each one has its own record.
The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty to manage fire risk on the responsible person, and that can be the employer, the owner, a landlord, a facilities manager or a managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
Aftercare tips
Results last longer with the right care. Here’s what we suggest:
- Keep the damper register up to date after any building work
- Tell contractors where dampers are before they start work
- Get remedials done soon after a failed test
- Keep ceiling hatches and duct panels easy to open
Share the results with your fire risk assessor, so the assessment reflects where the dampers stand. Outstanding faults should be dealt with, not left on file.
Clean ductwork means less dust and grease reaching the dampers. It makes sense to plan duct cleaning and damper testing together.
Honest limits
An honest diagnosis matters more to us than a booking, so here’s what fire damper testing won’t do:
- Faults in the alarm or building controls that signal smoke dampers
- Holes around ductwork in fire-resisting walls
- Ductwork crossing a fire wall with no damper fitted
If you’re not sure, just call us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and we’ll give you a straight answer.
What the work covers
- Fusible link fire dampers
- Riser dampers
- Motorised smoke dampers
- Wall and floor dampers
- Hospitals and care homes
- Offices and schools
Questions from Worthing
Can you work in Worthing outside opening hours?
Yes, nights and weekends are routine for us. That way a site in Worthing doesn’t have to lose a day’s trading. Let us know the hours you’re closed and we will book within them.
Which fire service covers Worthing?
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service for Worthing. Failed dampers on a report should be followed by a record of the repair, so the file shows the problem was closed out.
Can you quote from photos?
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. Some sites still need a visit, and we’ll say so.
How do you deal with dampers that can’t be reached?
We don’t leave it off the report; we note it as not reached. With an access panel fitted, it can be tested on a return visit.
What if a fire damper won’t close?
The fault is recorded and explained in the report. We can then repair or replace the damper as a remedial job and test it again.
Do you have a 24/7 line?
Yes, 24/7. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, with the emergency line covering every other hour.
Do you survey before quoting?
Yes. Every job is surveyed first, either from pictures and details you send or on a site visit. Then you get a fixed quote.
What do you do to protect the area?
With sheeting and covers, before anything else happens. We keep the work contained and leave the area clean.
How it works
When we arrive, we check the system against the survey or the photos you sent. If anything is different, we talk it through with the person on site before carrying on. From there, it takes a morning or an afternoon for a small number of dampers, longer where there are many. Whoever holds the keys and signs off contractors at your site in Worthing is the person we need to speak to before the day.
- We plan access and timing with you first, including any out-of-hours work.
- Ceiling tiles and hatches are opened and each damper’s access panel removed.
- The blade is released and watched to make sure it closes fully.
- The damper is reset and its condition noted.
- Panels and tiles go back, and the results are written up.
Before we arrive
- Allow time for equipment near the work to be turned off and cool down
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
How to get a quote
Photos are enough for some jobs, while others need a look on site. Big or complicated sites, and systems that are hard to see in pictures, get a survey first. Either way, you get a fixed price before work begins.
Advice
What affects the cost of fire damper testing
You’ll get a fixed price before work begins. It’s based on:
- Working hours and out-of-hours timing
- Travel, parking and unloading
- A single visit or a regular plan
- The condition we find in the survey
Every site is different, so we price each one individually. The size of the job, how we reach it, its condition and the working hours all make a difference.
What we need to know
Many jobs can be priced from photos and some basics. Send what you can of the following:
- Any previous report or certificate
- A few general shots of the system
- Where the plant sits or the system leaves the building, such as a roof or outside wall
- Where the site is and what kind of site it is
Quoting starts with a diagnosis, from your pictures and details or, where that isn’t enough, a survey on site. Then we send a fixed price, before work begins.