Medway · Grease filter exchange
Grease filter exchange in Hale, Medway
Grease filter exchange for Hale, with a survey first and a report with photos at the end. Call for a fixed quote.
- Filters that leave gaps in the canopy
- Smoke and heat lingering under the hood
- Filter washing that keeps being missed
Common problems we fix in Hale
Every fry, grill and sauté sends grease-laden vapour upwards. The filters catch much of it, and day by day they load up until the air can barely get through.
Most sites get in touch after spotting one of these:
- Filter washing that keeps being missed
- Weak extraction at the canopy
- Missing filters in the filter bank
- Bent or damaged filters that don’t sit properly
For schools such as Kingfisher Community Primary School, kitchen extract cleaning is normally booked for the holidays, when the canteen is closed.
Before you book anyone
- What paperwork you get at the end
- What’s included in the scope, part by part
- What happens if part of the system can’t be accessed
- Whether the work can be done while the site is closed
Grease filter exchange in Hale, done properly
A filter service works alongside TR19® cleaning, not instead of it. Clean filters reduce the grease reaching the ducts though vapour still carries some grease past them. So the canopy, plenum and ducts still need their full TR19 clean. The work covers island canopies, restaurants and pubs and mesh filters, and common reasons people get in touch are grease collecting in the filter channels and filters that come out of the sink still dirty.
For a kitchen in or near Hale, the visit is planned around opening hours and the journey, and the clean covers the whole system, as it would anywhere: canopy, filters, duct, fan and discharge, with a certificate and photo report at the end.
The sign-off is always in writing: a written report, dated and illustrated with photos, and for TR19® Grease cleans, a certificate issued through the BESCA VHE portal. Any parts we couldn’t reach are recorded on it too.
- Where
- Hale (ME5)
- Wider area
- Medway
- Records
- Photo report after each visit
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, normally within a working day
- Hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
What happens on the day
A visit follows the same order every time: protect the area, isolate whatever needs isolating, do the work, clear away and hand over the paperwork. On site, the work takes a few minutes per canopy, longer for a large kitchen with several canopies. A few photos of the system help us make the most of a visit to a place like Hale.
- We record the number, size and type of your filters.
- An exchange schedule is agreed to suit your cooking.
- The dirty set is lifted out.
- A clean set is fitted and checked for gaps.
- We take the greasy set away and confirm the next date.
Preparing for the visit
- Let us know about parking and loading
- Let us know about permits to work or site inductions
- Make sure equipment near the work can be switched off and left to cool
Ask for a quote
Photos are enough for some jobs, while others need a look on site. 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.
Related advice
FAQs for Hale
Who would carry out a food hygiene inspection at a kitchen in Hale?
That is Medway council, whose environmental health officers carry out food hygiene inspections in Hale. An officer may look up into the canopy, so clean filters on the day and a recent certificate on file both help.
Who is the fire and rescue service for Hale?
It’s Kent Fire and Rescue Service, which covers Hale. If a fire safety officer visits a commercial kitchen, they may ask about the fire risk assessment and how the extract is kept clean.
Is filter exchange enough instead of a full extract clean?
It isn’t. The rest of the system still collects grease at the right interval.
What happens to the dirty filters?
Yes. The dirty filters are taken away for cleaning and the clean set stays in the canopy.
Which kinds of sites do you work on?
Restaurants and pubs, hotels, schools and colleges, hospitals and care homes, offices and retail, plus food production and leisure sites.
Do you cover Hale?
Yes. We work in Hale and across Medway, as part of our work across South East England and London. To book, call 0345 646 2711, or email photos.
Are you insured?
Yes, fully. CHAS and SafeContractor accreditation sit alongside it, for sites that check contractor safety.
Can you set up regular visits?
Yes. We run scheduled maintenance contracts, set at the interval the system needs. The report from each visit recommends the next date.
When it’s something else
To be straight with you, there are a few things this work will not fix:
- Extraction problems caused by the fan rather than the filters
- A canopy too small for the cooking beneath it
- Grease behind the filters that a swap can’t remove
If in doubt, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or email us and we will say what we think.
What the work covers
- Island canopies
- Restaurants and pubs
- Mesh filters
- School and hospital kitchens
- Baffle filters
- Wall canopies
Different parts, different methods
Baffle filters
Baffle filters use overlapping metal blades that force the air to change direction. Grease drops out as it does.
Mesh filters
Layers of mesh catch grease droplets. They clog quickly in a busy kitchen and need frequent attention.
What grease filter exchange looks like in Hale
Hale lies within about 3 miles of the sea. Metal on the roof weathers faster close to the coast, and the extract fan and cowl are no exception. The FSA’s food hygiene register shows about 28 cafés, restaurants and staff canteens and about 47 takeaways across Hale and its immediate surroundings (about a mile and a half). Clogged filters slow the airflow, and busy kitchens like these clog them fast. In Hale, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Medway council. Extraction counts as kitchen equipment, so its condition can come up on the day. A TR19® certificate and photo report after each clean gives you a record to show an inspector.
Older buildings often hide long, awkward duct runs, and if you run a kitchen at a historic venue in the area (Restoration House is about 2.7 miles north-west), access may need planning. Where a hall near Christ Church, or anywhere in Hale, hosts lunch clubs or events, its extract gathers grease just as a café’s does.
Hale is about 1 mile south-west of Gillingham, in Medway. Hale gets the same approach as every site we work on: diagnosis first, a fixed price, out-of-hours working where needed and a written report with pictures. We cover 68 places across Medway, large and small. Our Maidstone page covers sites nearby (7 miles or so).
We work across the ME5 postcode area for grease filter exchange and the roads nearby. If your site is just outside Hale, we cover Darland (1 mile south-east), Capstone (1 mile south-east), Luton (1 mile north-west), Gillingham (1 mile north-east) and Chatham (1 mile south-west). Larger places within reach include Rochester (3 miles north-west), Strood (4 miles north-west), Hoo St Werburgh (4 miles north), Rochester Riverside (3 miles north-west), Peters Village (4 miles west) and Frindsbury (3 miles north-west).
What’s near Hale
Around Hale, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near The Star pub, Chatham Grammar School for Girls and Darland Banks, among other places. The nearest railway station is Gillingham (Kent) station, about 1.6 miles north of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Rochester Castle (2.9 miles north-west) and Pentagon Shopping Centre (1.9 miles north-west). The countryside around Hale includes Blue Bell Hill and Burham Down.
Also in Hale
What affects the quote in Hale
A fixed price needs a few facts first. We check:
- Access, including roofs, risers and ceiling voids
- The size of the system
- Whether several sites go on one quote
- Any permits to work or inductions
A single site or a whole portfolio, the quote is built the same way: the work involved, the access and the timing. You’ll have a fixed price before work begins.
What we need to know
Photos let us diagnose from a distance. Try to include:
- When the site is open and when it’s quiet
- Any symptoms, from odd noises to smells or leaks
- Detail shots of panels, filters and grilles
- Your last certificate, test record or report
Getting a quote does not take long. Call or email with a few details and you will typically have a fixed price within one working day. If we need to see the system first, we book a survey around your hours.
Leave it or put it right?
Leaving filters too long pushes more grease into the plenum and ducts. That makes the next full clean a bigger job, and grease may build up faster than the cleaning interval allows. With notice, the visit to Hale can be fitted around your bookings and events.
No two sites are the same, so each one gets its own fixed quote. Size, access, the condition of the system and when we can work all make a difference.
Why book with us
- Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus 24/7 emergency callout
- Ventilation hygiene specialists since 2009
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
- Photo reports with every job
Take a look at our cost guide or our accreditations and certificates.
What staff can safely do
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.
Some jobs should never be done in-house: opening up ductwork, cleaning fans, drop testing fire dampers and measuring grease need training, the right equipment and safe access. Leave those to us.