Essex · Grease filter exchange
Grease Filter Exchange in Great Leighs
Our technicians work in Great Leighs on grease filter exchange. Out-of-hours visits, a fixed quote and a written report with photos as standard.
- Filter washing that keeps being missed
- Missing filters in the filter bank
- Grease left in baffles after washing
How we handle grease filter exchange in Great Leighs
Filter exchange sits between full TR19® cleans. Clean filters reduce the grease reaching the ducts, but some grease still passes through as vapour. So the canopy, plenum and ducts still need their full TR19 clean. If you have smoke and heat lingering under the hood and drips falling from the filters onto equipment, we can put it right, from school and hospital kitchens, island canopies and restaurants and pubs onwards.
For a kitchen in or near Great Leighs, the visit is planned around opening hours and the journey, and the clean covers the whole system, as it would anywhere: canopy to discharge, then a TR19® certificate and a photo report.
Good records are part of the job. Each visit is written up with pictures, covering the work done, any areas we couldn’t access and a recommended next date. Keep it with your fire safety records so it’s ready for an insurer, fire officer or EHO.
- Location
- Great Leighs (CM3)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Paperwork
- Report and photos after the visit
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, usually within a working day
- Hours
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
The process
Protection comes first: sheeting goes over floors and surfaces close to the work. Then we make the system safe and start. The work on site takes a few minutes per canopy, longer for a large kitchen with several canopies, and the area is cleaned down before we leave. Pictures of the system and its access let us plan the work in Great Leighs before we set off.
- First, we record the size, type and number of filters in each canopy.
- Together we set how often the filters should be changed.
- At every visit, the greasy filters are lifted out.
- Clean filters go straight back in, seated properly with no gaps.
- Anything we notice, such as bent filters or a dirty plenum, is pointed out.
Preparing for the visit
- Tell us the best time to work, such as after service or at a weekend
- Dig out any earlier paperwork for the system
- Let us know how we reach the system, including roofs, risers and plant rooms
How to get a quote
Getting a quote doesn’t take long. Send a few details and photos, and we usually reply with a fixed quote within one working day. If we need to see the system first, we book a survey around your hours.
Read more
Signs you need grease filter exchange in Great Leighs
Sometimes a filter is taken out and never put back. Every gap in the filter bank lets grease straight into the plenum where it settles out of sight.
Signs it’s time to call us include:
- Damaged filters letting grease past
- Grease filters clogged with grease
- Smoke and heat lingering under the hood
- Grease dripping from the canopy
Kitchens that cook twelve hours or more a day, as some healthcare kitchens do, fall into BESA’s three-monthly minimum; William Julien Courtauld Hospital is the nearest hospital to Great Leighs, about 3.6 miles north-east.
Questions to ask before booking
- What paperwork you get at the end
- If the quote is a fixed price or an estimate
- Which accreditations they hold, and whether you can check them
- Whether a survey comes first
Common questions in Great Leighs
Do you work in villages like Great Leighs?
Yes. Villages and rural sites across the South East are part of our work, Great Leighs included. The journey is planned ahead, so a few details about the route help.
Do you work overnight in Great Leighs?
Yes, nights and weekends are routine for us. That way a site in Great Leighs doesn’t have to lose a day’s trading. Let us know the hours you are closed and we’ll book within them.
Is there a survey before the work?
Yes. Photos often do the job, and larger or hidden systems get a visit.
Can damaged filters stay in the canopy?
Each filter is looked at when we exchange. We tell you about any that are damaged, because gaps let grease into the plenum.
How far ahead should we book?
It depends on the time you need and how big the job is. Mention your preferred dates with your enquiry, and for anything urgent, ring our 24/7 emergency line.
How do you keep the site clean during the work?
We start with protection: floor sheeting and covers over nearby surfaces and equipment. The area is left tidy, with our waste taken away.
Where does the waste go?
Waste is contained during the work and removed when we leave, including grease, debris and dirty water. None of it is left on site.
Do you recommend a next date?
Yes. How often depends on use and condition and the report sets out why.
When it’s something else
An honest diagnosis matters more to us than a booking, so here’s what this work cannot put right:
- Extraction problems caused by the fan rather than the filters
- A canopy too small for the cooking beneath it
- Cooking smells reaching neighbours, which need odour control
Not sure which it is? You can phone us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email and we will tell you honestly before booking.
What the work covers
- School and hospital kitchens
- Restaurants and pubs
- Mesh filters
- Island canopies
- Baffle filters
- Wall canopies
Why act early in Great Leighs
Some kitchens in Great Leighs wash filters themselves to save the cost of a service, and it works when it’s done well and never skipped. When it doesn’t happen reliably, an exchange makes it automatic. If the system at a site near Great Leighs fails, there may be nowhere nearby to move to.
Combining work into one visit or one programme often makes better use of the time. Mention every system or site you need covered, and you will get one fixed quote.
Why book with us
- We’re fully insured
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
- Photo reports with every job
- BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
Read what affects the cost and our accreditations and certificates.
Grease, kitchens and Great Leighs
Food Standards Agency records include about 3 pubs, bars and clubs across Great Leighs and its immediate surroundings (about a mile and a half). A pub or hotel kitchen that cooks every day builds up grease in its extract like any other. Environmental health officers from Chelmsford council inspect food businesses in Great Leighs. Extraction counts as kitchen equipment, so its condition can come up on the day. Before-and-after photos from each clean are a simple way to show the extract is in hand. Fire safety in Great Leighs falls to Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. Its fire safety officers can audit commercial kitchens, and grease in the extract is part of a kitchen’s fire risk.
School kitchens, at schools like Great Leighs Primary School for example, are typically cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost. A hall kitchen that only cooks for events, whether near Church of St John the Evangelist or elsewhere in Great Leighs, still needs its extract cleaned, just less often.
Great Leighs is about 4 miles south-west of Braintree, in Essex. Whether your site is in the middle of Great Leighs or further out, we cover grease filter exchange for every kind of premises, from a single unit to a large public building. Great Leighs is one of 644 towns, villages and districts in Essex we cover for grease filter exchange. Our Chelmsford page covers sites nearby, about 6 miles away.
Postcode districts we cover here for grease filter exchange: CM3. Whether your site is on Aragon Road, Fortune Close and Audley Road or a nearby road, we can help. If your site is just outside Great Leighs, we cover Gubbion's Green (1 mile east), Young's End (1 mile north-east), Fuller Street (1 mile south-east), Row Green (2 miles north-east) and Fairstead (2 miles east). Further out, we also cover Chelmsford (6 miles south), Braintree (4 miles north-east), Maldon (10 miles south-east), Billericay (14 miles south), Witham (6 miles east) and Wickford (15 miles south).
Landmarks near Great Leighs
In Great Leighs, that means kitchens and buildings near The Castle pub, among other places. Great Leighs’s nearest station is Cressing station, about 3.4 miles north-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include William Julien Courtauld Hospital (3.6 miles north-east). The countryside around Great Leighs includes Sandylay and Moat Woods.
Towns and villages near Great Leighs
Also in Great Leighs
What your team can do, and what needs us
Good housekeeping makes our visits easier, not unnecessary. Regular in-house cleaning slows the build-up, but the parts you cannot see still need a specialist at the right interval.
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. Cleaning inside ducts and units is specialist work.
Part by part
The plenum
Clean filters reduce the grease reaching the plenum, but it’s still cleaned during a full TR19 clean.
Baffle filters
A clogged baffle filter restricts airflow. Swapping them for a clean set restores it.
Keeping the system healthy
To keep the system working properly between visits:
- Mention it if the kitchen gets busier
- Do not refit a filter that is bent
- Keep every filter in place during service
- Always run the extract while cooking
Between visits, check that every filter is still in place. Gaps let grease into the plenum so tell us if you need a replacement.
Dripping filters are a clear sign they’re full. Changing them now reduces the fuel above the cooking, and it’s worth checking the plenum too.