Essex · Grease filter exchange
Little Leighs grease filter exchange
For grease filter exchange in Little Leighs, one call is all it takes, from survey to sign-off. CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, ISO 9001 and fully insured.
- Filters that come out of the sink still dirty
- Grease building up behind the canopy filters
- Filters so greasy the air can barely pass
About our grease filter exchange in Little Leighs
Each visit is quick and tidy. We lift out the dirty filters and fit a clean set, and we check they’re seated with no gaps. Anything that needs attention is pointed out. The work covers wall canopies, school and hospital kitchens and island canopies, and the jobs we see most are grease collecting in the filter channels and bent or damaged filters that don’t sit properly.
In a small place like Little Leighs, kitchens are often in older or extended buildings, with long single-storey duct runs, and those horizontal sections are where grease settles. We agree access and timings in advance.
Good records are part of the job. You get a written report with photos after every visit, listing what was done, anything we couldn’t reach and when the next visit is due. Keep it with your fire safety records so it’s ready for an insurer, fire officer or EHO.
- Place
- Little Leighs (CM3)
- Region
- Essex
- Paperwork
- Written report with photos
- Quotes
- A fixed price before work begins
- Working hours
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
Staff cleaning versus specialist work
Staff cleaning and specialist work are not the same thing. A daily filter wipe and a weekly filter wash keep grease down at the front of the system, but they don’t reach the grease that builds up further in. Reaching it takes a specialist with the right equipment.
Day-to-day cleaning is something your team can do: wiping down canopy surfaces, cleaning filters and keeping a simple log. What they can’t safely do is clean inside the ductwork, the fan or the risers, and that’s where we come in.
When something else is needed
Some problems need a different service or another trade:
- Grease behind the filters that a swap cannot remove
- Smell complaints that need odour control equipment
- A canopy that does not capture the vapour properly
If in doubt, ring 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we will say what we think before booking.
Where we work
- Baffle filters
- Island canopies
- Wall canopies
- Restaurants and pubs
- School and hospital kitchens
- Mesh filters
Looking after it afterwards
Looking after the system between visits is straightforward, and it helps at the next visit:
- Look out for drips from the canopy
- Book full TR19 cleans alongside filter changes
- Always run the extract while cooking
- Tell us if the menu or opening hours change
Your team carries on as normal, without the filter washing. Make sure we can reach the canopy on exchange day and let us know of any changes to opening hours.
Filters that are left too long stop protecting the system. A regular cycle keeps the rest of the system cleaner between full cleans.
What grease filter exchange looks like in Little Leighs
In Little Leighs, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Chelmsford 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. The fire and rescue service for Little Leighs is Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. Fire and rescue authorities enforce the Fire Safety Order in most non-domestic premises, and in a kitchen that fire risk includes the grease in the extract.
Where a hall near Church of St John the Evangelist, or anywhere in Little Leighs, hosts lunch clubs or events, its extract gathers grease just as a café’s does. School kitchens, at schools like Great Leighs Primary School for example, are usually cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost.
Little Leighs is about 5 miles south-west of Braintree, in Essex. Every kind of commercial site in Little Leighs, grease filter exchange is something we can help with. Visits can be booked for evenings, overnight or weekends so the site keeps running. Our Essex coverage runs to 644 places, Little Leighs among them. You can also see our page for Chelmsford, about 6 miles away.
Here we cover the CM3 postcode area for grease filter exchange. If you need grease filter exchange at premises on Church Lane, Main Road and The Crescent or a nearby road, we can help. Nearby, we also carry out grease filter exchange in Chatham Green (1 mile south-west), Howe Street (2 miles south-west), Willows Green (2 miles north), Hartford End (2 miles west) and Ford End (3 miles west). Further out, we also cover Chelmsford (6 miles south), Braintree (5 miles north-east), Maldon (10 miles south-east), Billericay (14 miles south), Witham (6 miles east) and Wickford (15 miles south).
What’s near Little Leighs
In Little Leighs, that means kitchens and buildings near The Castle pub, among other places. The closest station to Little Leighs is Cressing station, about 4.1 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Broomfield Hospital (3.5 miles south-west). The countryside around Little Leighs includes Sandylay and Moat Woods.
Also near Little Leighs
What else we do in Little Leighs
The process
We start by comparing what we find with the survey or your photos. If anything is different, we talk it through with the person on site before carrying on. After that, the work takes a few minutes per canopy, longer for a large kitchen with several canopies. The timing of a visit to Little Leighs is set by you, and the travel is our side of the planning.
- We look at the canopies and the condition of the filters.
- Any damaged or missing filters are noted.
- Greasy filters are swapped for clean ones.
- The filters are checked for fit before we go.
- We tell you if the plenum or canopy needs a clean.
How to prepare
- Allow time for equipment near the work to be turned off and cool down
- Clear the space around the work
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
Ask for a quote
Want a quote for grease filter exchange? Please phone us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line with a few details about the site. We’ll explain what we’d do and send a fixed quote before you commit to anything.
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Little Leighs questions
Which fire and rescue service is responsible for Little Leighs?
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service for Little Leighs. If a fire safety officer visits a commercial kitchen, they may ask about the fire risk assessment and how the extract is kept clean.
Do you work at weekends in Little Leighs?
Yes, evening, overnight and weekend work is normal for us. The work in Little Leighs can fit around your hours. Just phone us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line with your opening times and we will plan around them.
Can we skip TR19 cleans if the filters are changed regularly?
It is not. Clean filters help keep grease down, but the ducts and plenum still need cleaning at an interval set by risk assessment.
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.
How much notice should we give?
The more notice, the better, especially for out-of-hours work. Quotes typically come back within one working day, and emergencies are covered by our 24/7 line.
How regularly do grease filters need exchanging?
The right interval depends on the kitchen. If filters clog early, the interval needs shortening and we’ll adjust it.
What happens to the waste?
It’s contained and taken away. We collect grease, debris and waste water as we go rather than letting it spread.
Do we lose a day’s trading?
Not typically. We work when the area is out of use, such as evenings, overnight, early mornings or weekends, so you keep your normal hours.
What the work involves, part by part
Busy restaurant and pub kitchens
The more a kitchen cooks, the more grease the filters see. Regular changes help protect the ductwork.
The plenum
A greasy plenum is a sign filters have been left too long or that the next TR19 clean is due.
Signs you need grease filter exchange in Little Leighs
Missing filters are more common than you’d think. Every gap in the filter bank lets grease straight into the plenum where it settles out of sight.
What we’re most often called out for:
- Hand-washed filters that still look greasy
- Grease filters clogged with grease
- Grease building up behind the canopy filters
- Staff short of time to wash filters
Healthcare kitchens, like those at hospitals such as Broomfield Hospital (about 3.5 miles south-west), often cook for long hours, which puts them in BESA’s heavier-use bands.
Questions to ask before booking
- When the next visit should be, and why
- Whether the whole system is included, or only the parts that are easy to reach
- Which accreditations they hold, and whether you can check them
- Whether a written report and pictures are included
What affects the cost of grease filter exchange
Some jobs are bigger than they look, and some smaller. The main factors:
- When the work can happen, such as evenings, overnight or weekends
- What state the system is in
- Whether it’s a one-off visit or part of a schedule
- How easy every part is to reach
No two sites are the same, so each one gets its own fixed quote. The size of the job, how we reach it, its condition and the working hours all make a difference.
What to send for a quote
Photos let us diagnose from a distance. The most useful are:
- Where the site is and what kind of site it is
- Detail shots of panels, filters and grilles
- Photos showing the whole system and its surroundings
- How we’d reach plant on a roof or in a plant room
To help us quote: the address, the type of site and when it’s open, pictures of the system and the last certificate or report, if there is one. Then ring 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line.