Kent · Grease filter exchange
Grease Filter Exchange in Maidstone
For grease filter exchange in Maidstone, one call is all it takes: survey, fixed quote, work and sign-off. Fully insured, with CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001.
- A canopy running with filters missing
- Grease building up behind the canopy filters
- Bent or damaged filters that don’t sit properly
Common questions in Maidstone
Can you come to Maidstone after we close?
Yes, out-of-hours work is a big part of what we do. The work in Maidstone can fit around your hours. Just phone us on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email with your opening times and we’ll plan around them.
Who is the fire and rescue service for Maidstone?
That is Kent Fire and Rescue Service. 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 cover Maidstone?
Yes. We cover Maidstone and the rest of Kent, within our South East and London area. For a fixed quote, call us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form.
Do you work with multi-site operators?
Yes. We work across South East England and London, so we can schedule a run of sites as one programme. Every site has its own report.
What do you do to protect the area?
We cover floors and nearby surfaces with sheeting before work begins, and waste is contained as we go. At the end, the area is cleaned down.
What happens to the waste?
Waste is contained during the work and removed when we leave, including grease, debris and dirty water. We don’t leave it behind.
How much notice should we give?
For planned work, earlier is better, particularly if your next visit is nearly due. Emergencies are different, because our line is open 24/7.
Does a filter exchange replace TR19 cleaning?
No. The rest of the system still collects grease at an interval set by risk assessment.
Grease filter exchange in Maidstone, done properly
Think of filter exchange as routine care for the extract. Between full cleans, it keeps the airflow healthy and takes a messy task off your team. Full TR19 cleaning still comes at the right interval, with a certificate. Typical jobs include damaged filters letting grease past and grease dripping from the canopy, across island canopies, restaurants and pubs and mesh filters.
A place as big as Maidstone has kitchens of every kind, from takeaways and restaurants to school, hotel and staff kitchens. Each cooks for a different number of hours a day, so each needs cleaning at its own interval.
The paperwork matters as much as the work. You get a written report with photos after each visit, 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.
Keeping the system healthy
How long the results last depends on use and care. We suggest:
- Keep filter exchange and TR19 cleaning on the same plan
- Always run the extract while cooking
- Tell us if a filter is bent or damaged
- Never leave gaps in the filter bank
Fresh filters improve airflow at the canopy straight away. Always run the extract during cooking so they catch grease as intended.
Bent or missing filters let grease straight past. Sorting them now keeps grease where it can be caught.
What affects the cost of grease filter exchange
Before we fix a price, we need to know a few things. We look at:
- How many systems or sites are involved
- The condition we find in the survey
- When the work can happen, such as evenings, overnight or weekends
- A single visit or a regular plan
Leaving it longer rarely makes the work cheaper. Problems in a system tend to grow, which can make the next visit longer. If you are not sure what’s needed, call us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email and we will give you an honest view and a fixed quote.
Asking for a quote
We can often survey from pictures. The most useful are:
- Detail shots of panels, filters and grilles
- When the site is open and when it’s quiet
- Wide photos of the system and the area around it
- The postcode and the type of business
Want a quote for grease filter exchange? Please give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line with a few details about the site. We will talk you through the work and give you a fixed quote before anything is booked.
The process
There are three stages on the day: getting the area ready, doing the work and signing it off. Set-up means sheeting and making equipment safe, and the sign-off is a written report with pictures. The middle part takes longest, which takes anything from a few minutes to an hour or so, depending on the number of filters. Where a site in Maidstone has more than one system, we can take them one at a time to keep the rest running.
- 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.
- Anything that needs attention, such as a greasy plenum, is pointed out.
How to prepare
- Arrange a key holder or contact on site
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
- Mention any locked doors, roof access or ceiling voids
Ask for a quote
Getting a quote does not take long. Call or email with a few details and you will normally have a fixed price within one working day. If we need to see the system first, we book a survey around your hours.
Read more
Different parts, different methods
Busy restaurant and pub kitchens
When service is non-stop, filters get forgotten. An exchange service takes it off the rota.
School, care home and staff kitchens
Lighter kitchens can often go longer between changes. We agree the schedule to match.
Places near Maidstone
What else we do in Maidstone
Kitchen extracts in Maidstone
The FSA’s food hygiene register shows about 160 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 66 takeaways within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Maidstone. Swapping filters on a schedule keeps kitchens like these drawing air properly. It’s Maidstone council that sends environmental health officers to food businesses in Maidstone. 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. Fire safety in Maidstone falls to Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Grease in a kitchen extract is a recognised fire risk, and the fire authority enforces the law on managing it in most commercial premises.
If you run a church or community hall kitchen, near St Philip's Church or elsewhere in Maidstone, its extract still collects grease from every lunch and event. For kitchens close to Maidstone West station, where the day often starts early and ends late, the extract can be cleaned overnight.
Maidstone is about 31 miles south-east of London, in Kent. Anywhere in ME15, we can carry out grease filter exchange at your premises. Our Kent coverage runs to 922 places, Maidstone among them.
We work across the ME15, ME16, ME14 and ME17 postcode area for grease filter exchange and the streets around it. Whether your site is on Square Hill Road, Arundel Square and Square Hill or anywhere close by, we can help. Maidstone sits on or near the A20 and A26, which makes travel easy for grease filter exchange. Neighbouring places we cover for grease filter exchange include Tovil (1 mile west), Foley Park (1 mile north), Shepway (1 mile south-east), Penenden Heath (1 mile north) and Weavering (1 mile east). We also work in nearby towns such as Sittingbourne (10 miles north-east), Sevenoaks (15 miles west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (14 miles south-west), Gravesend (13 miles north-west), Tonbridge (12 miles south-west) and Northfleet (14 miles north-west). As one of the bigger places in Kent, Maidstone has a wide mix of commercial premises, all within our area for grease filter exchange.
Near you in Maidstone
In Maidstone, that means kitchens and buildings near St Augustine Academy, River Len LNR and Maidstone Grammar School, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Maidstone West station, roughly 0.6 miles north-west. Nearby you’ll also find Maidstone Carriage Museum (less than half a mile north-west) and Oakwood Hospital (1.8 miles west). For a walk, there’s Burham Down and Boxley Hills.
When to call us in Maidstone
Sometimes a filter is taken out and never put back. Every gap in the filter bank lets grease straight into the plenum and on into the ductwork.
What we’re most often called out for:
- Damaged filters letting grease past
- Grease filters clogged with grease
- A canopy that drips grease
- Filter washing that keeps being missed
If you run catering at a healthcare site, such as a hospital like Oakwood Hospital about 1.8 miles west, the extract may need cleaning more often than a part-time kitchen.
Comparing quotes
- Whether a written report and pictures are included
- Whether a survey comes first
- If the quote is a fixed price or an estimate
- When they can work, and whether that is outside your opening hours
Multi-site and managed buildings
We work for landlords, managing agents and facilities managers as well as the people running the site. Shared systems, like a riser serving several units, need a clear agreement on who books the work, and we are happy to quote for all of it.
The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty to manage fire risk on the responsible person, and that can be the employer, the owner, a landlord, a facilities manager or a managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
Honest limits
We’d rather tell you now than book work that will not help, so these are the things it will not cover:
- Cooking smells reaching neighbours, which need odour control
- A heavily greased plenum or canopy, which needs cleaning to TR19
- A canopy too small for the cooking beneath it
If you’re not sure, just ring 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book.
Parts of the system we cover
- School and hospital kitchens
- Island canopies
- Restaurants and pubs
- Baffle filters
- Mesh filters
- Wall canopies