Hertfordshire · Grease filter exchange
Grease filter exchange in Hitchin, Hertfordshire
A scheduled grease filter exchange, swapping dirty canopy filters for clean ones for commercial sites in Hitchin and across Hertfordshire. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and fully insured.
- Grease collecting in the filter channels
- Filters left unwashed on busy weeks
- Grease dripping from the canopy
Signs you need grease filter exchange in Hitchin
Repeated removal and washing takes its toll on filters. A bent filter does not seat properly and grease passes round them.
Clients typically contact us when they notice something like this:
- Filters that leave gaps in the canopy
- Smoke and heat lingering under the hood
- Hand-washed filters that still look greasy
- Blocked baffle filters
Volunteers running a hall kitchen near Church of the Holy Saviour, or anywhere in Hitchin, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether a survey comes first
- Which accreditations they hold, and whether you can check them
- Whether the whole system is included, or only the parts that are easy to reach
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
How we handle grease filter exchange in Hitchin
Whether your canopy has baffle or mesh filters, they load up with grease. Clogged filters choke the airflow and the fan has to work harder. A steady cycle of clean filters keeps extraction strong. If you have damaged filters letting grease past and staff short of time to wash filters, we can help.
Many kitchens in a town like Hitchin were fitted into buildings built for something else, which can mean awkward duct routes, long flat runs and not enough access panels. Where the duct cannot be reached, new panels can be fitted, and anything left uncleaned is recorded on the report.
For insurers and inspectors, the record counts. That is why every job is written up in a report with pictures, and grease extract cleans come with a TR19® certificate issued through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal.
- Where
- Hitchin (SG4, SG5)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Records
- Photo report after each visit
- Quotes
- A fixed price before we start
- Hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
Aftercare tips
Good habits slow the build-up between visits. Our tips:
- Clear anything stored on or near the canopy
- Keep every filter in place during service
- Don’t refit a filter that is bent
- Never cook with the extract switched off
Fresh filters improve airflow at the canopy from the moment they’re fitted. Always run the extract during cooking so they catch grease as intended.
Filter exchange and TR19 cleaning work best together. Setting both up on a schedule keeps everything on track.
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
When the building owner and the occupier are different, the lease normally sets out who maintains what. We can quote either party and send the paperwork to whoever needs it.
Multi-site operators often want one contractor and one number. We cover South East England and London, so visits at different addresses can be planned together and kept on a regular cycle.
Grease, kitchens and Hitchin
The FSA’s food hygiene register shows about 92 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 37 takeaways within about 1.5 miles of central Hitchin. Any of those kitchens with a canopy relies on its filters to catch grease before it reaches the duct. The fire and rescue service for Hitchin is Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. The Fire Safety Order puts the duty on whoever runs a kitchen to control its fire risk, and a greasy duct is fuel. In Hitchin, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from North Hertfordshire council. An officer looking round a kitchen will see the canopy, and grease there is hard to miss. A dated certificate in the maintenance file answers the question before it’s asked.
School kitchens, at schools like Hitchin Girls' School for example, are normally cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost. Kitchens that cook twelve hours or more a day, as some healthcare kitchens do, fall into BESA’s three-monthly minimum; Lister Hospital is the nearest hospital to Hitchin, about 3.1 miles south-east.
Hitchin is about 5 miles north-west of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire. Across the SG4 area, we can take on grease filter exchange. Across Hertfordshire, we cover 381 places, Hitchin among them. You can also see our page for Milton Keynes, about 22 miles away.
We work across the SG4 and SG5 postcode area for grease filter exchange and the streets around it. Whether your site is on Market Place, London Road and Harrison Close or anywhere close by, our technicians can take on the work. Hitchin is on the A505 and A600, which makes it straightforward for our technicians to reach for out-of-hours visits. Neighbouring places we cover for grease filter exchange include Benslow (1 mile east), Poets Estate (1 mile east), Bearton (1 mile north-west), Walsworth (1 mile north-east) and Westmill (1 mile north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Stevenage (5 miles south-east), St Albans (14 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (11 miles south), Harpenden (10 miles south), Hatfield (13 miles south) and Hertford (13 miles south-east). As one of the bigger places in Hertfordshire, Hitchin has a wide mix of commercial premises, and we cover all of them for grease filter exchange.
Around Hitchin
In Hitchin, that means kitchens and buildings near Highbury Infant School and Nursery, Butts Close and Kingshott School and the streets around them. Nearby too are Radcliffe Arms (under half a mile north-east) and St Mary's Church (less than half a mile south-west). Hitchin has its own railway station: Hitchin station. Other landmarks nearby include Wymondley Castle (1.7 miles east) and Lister Hospital (3.1 miles south-east). Not far away are Purwell Ninesprings and Markham's Hill.
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.
Busy restaurant and pub kitchens
The more a kitchen cooks, the more grease the filters see. Changing them on time protects the ducts behind.
The process
A visit follows the same order every time: sheeting and protection first, make the system safe, do the work, clear away and hand over the paperwork. On site, the work takes anything from a few minutes to an hour or so, depending on the number of filters. In Hitchin, the visit is planned around your opening hours, parking and access to the system.
- We look at the canopies and the condition of the filters.
- Any damaged or missing filters are noted.
- 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.
Getting ready for the visit
- Allow time for equipment near the work to be turned off and cool down
- Agree a time when the area can be out of use
- Mention any locked doors, roof access or ceiling voids
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, you get a fixed price before any work starts.
Advice
Staff cleaning versus specialist work
Logging matters as much as cleaning. A dated log of in-house cleaning and checks shows an inspector that the system is looked after between visits, alongside our reports.
Some jobs should never be done in-house: opening up ductwork, cleaning fans, drop testing fire dampers and measuring grease call for the right kit, training and safe access. Leave those to us.
Questions from Hitchin
Can you come to Hitchin after we close?
Yes, we can come after you close and finish before you open. The site is handed back ready to open. Just give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email with your opening times and we’ll plan around them.
Who inspects food businesses in Hitchin?
The local authority for Hitchin is North Hertfordshire council, and its environmental health team does the inspecting. How often a business is inspected depends on the risk rating the council gives it, so it’s worth staying ready all year.
What does TR19 mean?
TR19® is BESA’s specification for ventilation hygiene. TR19® Grease, a standalone specification since 2019, covers grease in kitchen extract systems, while TR19® Air covers other supply and extract ductwork.
Do you provide a certificate or report?
Yes. Every visit ends with a written report and pictures, covering the work, any areas we couldn’t access and the recommended next date. Kitchen extract cleans to TR19® Grease also get a certificate through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal.
How long will you be on site?
It depends on the size of the system, but for many sites it takes less than an hour in most kitchens. We will confirm it with the quote.
What happens to the waste?
Anything we remove is contained as we work and taken away with us, including grease, debris and dirty water. None of it is left on site.
Does the law say we must follow TR19?
No. TR19® itself isn’t law; it’s a BESA specification. The legal duty comes from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005: the responsible person must assess and reduce fire risk, and TR19® is the benchmark for showing that grease in the extract is under control.
Will we have to shut during the visit?
Not normally. Visits are timed for when the area is closed, such as overnight or at a weekend, so the site can carry on as normal.
Leave it or put it right?
Dripping canopies and greasy smells often start with the filters. Left, it ends up on equipment, food areas and staff and that is the kind of thing inspectors look for. If an inspection, an insurer’s survey or a fire risk assessment is coming up in Hitchin, having the work done and recorded first helps.
Kitchens, offices, schools and hospitals are all priced the same way: the size of the job, access, condition and working hours. Call for a fixed quote and we will explain each part.
Why us?
- One contact for all your sites in London and the South East
- We are fully insured
- Trading since 2009
- Work around your opening hours, with 24/7 emergency cover
Take a look at how cleaning jobs are priced or our accreditations.