Hertfordshire · Grease filter exchange
Grease filter exchange in Charlton, Hertfordshire
Grease filter exchange for Charlton and the surrounding area: diagnosis first, then a fixed quote, the work and a report with photos. Ask us for a fixed quote.
- Blocked baffle filters
- Staff short of time to wash filters
- Gaps where filters have been removed
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must assess and reduce fire risk, which may be the employer, owner, landlord, FM or managing agent. Where responsibility is shared, records matter even more.
Records are where multi-site compliance often slips. Each visit produces a dated report with pictures, ready to show insurers, fire officers or EHOs.
About our grease filter exchange in Charlton
Washing filters in the kitchen sink is messy and easily missed on a busy week. An exchange service means clean filters arrive and greasy ones leave and the canopy is refilled straight away. Common call-outs are for filters that come out of the sink still dirty and filters so greasy the air can barely pass, across restaurants and pubs, school and hospital kitchens and island canopies.
Rural kitchens often have long, low duct runs through a roof space or along an outside wall, where grease settles in the flat sections. We agree access and timings in advance.
The sign-off is always in writing: a written report, dated and illustrated with pictures, and for TR19® Grease cleans, a certificate issued through the BESCA VHE portal. It shows what was done and what, if anything, couldn’t be reached.
- Place
- Charlton (SG5)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Paperwork
- Photo report after every visit
- Quote
- A fixed price before work begins
- Hours
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
Between visits
Simple habits between visits make a real difference. We recommend:
- Mention it if the kitchen gets busier
- Keep every filter in place during service
- Keep the extract on whenever the range is in use
- Clean the canopy surfaces regularly
There’s no waiting: the canopy is ready as soon as the clean set is fitted. We take the greasy filters with us for cleaning.
A kitchen that is getting busier needs its filters changed more often. Changing the interval early stops grease building up unseen in the ducts.
Other services in Charlton
How it works
We start by comparing what we find with the survey or your pictures. If anything is different, we talk it through with the person on site before carrying on. From there, it takes a few minutes per canopy, longer for a large kitchen with several canopies. Somewhere like Charlton, lanes, gates and parking are worth mentioning in advance.
- First, we check the canopies and the filters in them.
- We note any filters that are bent, damaged or missing.
- We exchange the dirty filters for a clean set.
- We check the filters are seated and the canopy is ready to use.
- Anything that needs attention, such as a greasy plenum, is pointed out.
Preparing for the visit
- Make sure equipment near the work can be switched off and left to cool
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
- Clear the space around the work
How to get a quote
For a fixed quote, phone us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email 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. You will normally have a quote within one working day.
Advice
What affects the cost of grease filter exchange
The price is fixed before any work begins. It’s based on:
- How easy every part is to reach
- Travel, parking and unloading
- Site rules, permits and inductions
- The times the site is available
Whatever the type of site, the quote works the same way: the size of the job, access, condition and working hours. Call for a fixed quote and we’ll go through it with you.
What to send for a quote
Photos let us diagnose from a distance. The most useful are:
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- The postcode and the type of business
- Your last certificate, test record or report
- When the site is open and when it’s quiet
Some systems can be priced from photos; others need a survey. 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.
What the work involves, part by part
Busy restaurant and pub kitchens
Heavy cooking means more grease reaching every part of the system. Regular changes help protect the ductwork.
The plenum
Behind the filters sits the plenum, where air gathers before the duct. Grease that gets past the filters settles there.
FAQs for Charlton
Which council inspects kitchens in Charlton?
Food hygiene inspections in Charlton are carried out by North Hertfordshire council. Ratings are published by the Food Standards Agency, so a clean extract and good records are worth keeping up.
Do you do school kitchen extract cleaning in Charlton in the summer holidays?
Yes, and it’s the easiest time to do it. There are about 12 schools, colleges and universities on the FSA’s food hygiene register within about 1.5 miles of Charlton. Tell us your holiday dates and we will book the visit for when the site is empty.
Do you cover Charlton?
Yes. Our area takes in London and the counties of South East England, Charlton included.
Will I get paperwork for my records?
Yes, on every job. The report is dated and includes pictures, and TR19® Grease cleans come with a certificate through the BESCA VHE portal. File it with your fire safety records.
Do you have insurance?
Yes. Full insurance covers our work, and we’ve been trading since 2009.
Where does the waste go?
It’s contained and taken away. Grease, debris and waste water are collected as the work goes on, so it doesn’t spread.
Do you have a 24/7 line?
Yes. Our emergency line runs 24/7 for anything that can’t wait until a planned visit. Call us any time and explain what’s happened.
How long does the visit take?
Your quote will say how long we expect to be there. In most cases, the work takes less than an hour in most kitchens.
Why act early in Charlton
Dripping canopies and greasy smells often start with the filters. Drips land on surfaces and equipment below, which an EHO may well notice. In a small place like Charlton, a system that fails can take a site out of use.
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 play a part.
Why choose Duct Doctor in Charlton
- Trading since 2009
- Every job surveyed first
- CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, with ISO 9001
- Fixed quotes from a survey or photos
Grease, kitchens and Charlton
The FSA’s food hygiene register shows about 87 cafés, restaurants and staff canteens and about 32 takeaways and sandwich shops within 1.5 miles or so of the middle of Charlton. Any of those kitchens with a canopy relies on its filters to catch grease before it reaches the duct. Environmental health officers from North Hertfordshire council inspect food businesses in Charlton. An officer looking round a kitchen will see the canopy, and grease there is hard to miss. Our report lists what was cleaned and when, which is useful to have ready. Charlton sits within the area of Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order.
Volunteers running a hall kitchen near St Mary's Church, or anywhere in Charlton, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it. A hospital like Lister Hospital, about 3.3 miles east, is the kind of site where a kitchen may cook for patients, staff and visitors all day. For schools such as Highbury Infant School and Nursery, kitchen extract cleaning is normally booked for the holidays, when the canteen is closed.
Charlton is about 1 mile south-west of Hitchin, in Hertfordshire. If you need grease filter exchange in Charlton, it’s easy to get a fixed quote: please phone us on 0345 646 2711, or email photos. Our area covers London and the South East, Charlton included. Our area takes in 381 places across Hertfordshire, from busy centres to quieter spots. Milton Keynes is in our area too, about 22 miles from Charlton.
Every address in SG5 is covered for grease filter exchange, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We also cover the places around Charlton: Gosmore (1 mile south-east), Hitchin (1 mile north-east), Benslow (1 mile north-east), Bearton (1 mile north) and Westmill (1 mile north). Larger places within reach include Hemel Hempstead (15 miles south-west), Stevenage (5 miles south-east), St Albans (13 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (11 miles south), Harpenden (9 miles south) and Hatfield (12 miles south).
Around Charlton
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around Hitchin Boys' School, The Three Moorhens Public House and Kingshott School. Charlton’s nearest station is Hitchin station, about 1.4 miles north-east. Nearby you will also find North Hertfordshire Museum (0.8 miles north-east) and Lister Hospital (3.3 miles east). The countryside around Charlton includes Markham's Hill and Oughtonhead Nature Reserve.
What grease filter exchange cannot fix
We will always give you a straight diagnosis, so here’s what grease filter exchange won’t do:
- Grease deep in the extract system
- A canopy that doesn’t capture the vapour properly
- A canopy that needs a proper clean
If you’re not sure, just give us a ring on 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we’ll give you a straight answer.
What the work covers
- School and hospital kitchens
- Island canopies
- Baffle filters
- Mesh filters
- Wall canopies
- Restaurants and pubs