Greater London · Grease filter exchange
Grease filter exchange in Old Ford, Greater London
For a scheduled grease filter exchange, swapping dirty canopy filters for clean ones in Old Ford, one call is all it takes, from survey to sign-off. CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, ISO 9001 and fully insured.
- A canopy running with filters missing
- Drips falling from the filters onto equipment
- Filters that come out of the sink still dirty
Grease, kitchens and Old Ford
The FSA’s food hygiene register includes about 70 bars, pubs and nightclubs and about 13 hotels and B&Bs within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Old Ford. Breakfasts, bar meals and functions all put grease into the extract wherever they’re cooked. In London, kitchens are usually cleaned overnight, when the kitchen is closed and loading is easier. Fire safety in Old Ford falls to London Fire Brigade. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order.
Where a hall near St Paul Old Ford, or anywhere in Old Ford, hosts lunch clubs or events, its extract gathers grease just as a café’s does. A kitchen near Hackney Wick station that serves breakfast and dinner can run its extract twelve hours or more, which shortens the cleaning interval.
Old Ford is about 2 miles west of Plaistow, in Greater London. For grease filter exchange in and around Old Ford, it’s easy to get a fixed quote: please phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form. We work across South East England and London, including Old Ford. Old Ford is one of 764 towns, villages and districts in Greater London where we work for grease filter exchange.
Postcode districts we cover here for grease filter exchange: E3, E15 and E9. We cover sites on Bow Road, Wick Lane and Dace Road and the roads around them. If your site is just outside Old Ford, we cover Donnybrook Quarter (1 mile west), Fish Island (1 mile north), Bow (1 mile south-west), Hackney Wick (1 mile north) and Bromley (1 mile south). Larger places within reach include London (4 miles south-west), City of Westminster (6 miles west), Marylebone (6 miles west), Kensington (8 miles west), St Pancras (4 miles west) and Walthamstow (4 miles north).
Local landmarks in Old Ford
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to The Lea Tavern, Grove Hall Park and Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy. The nearest railway station is Hackney Wick station, roughly 0.6 miles north of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Tower of London (3 miles south-west) and St Clement's Hospital (0.7 miles south-west). Not far away are Hollow Pond and Old Ford Island.
How we handle grease filter exchange in Old Ford
The filters in the canopy are the first thing cooking vapour meets. They catch grease before it reaches the plenum and ductwork and they do it best when they’re clean. With grease filter exchange, clean filters replace greasy ones at regular intervals. Typical jobs include filters that leave gaps in the canopy and gaps where filters have been removed, on island canopies, restaurants and pubs and wall canopies.
London kitchens are often tucked into basements or the back of a building, with extract ducts that can climb several floors to discharge at roof level. In Old Ford, as elsewhere in the capital, a long duct run means more access points to open and more grease to remove.
The sign-off is always in writing: a written report, dated and illustrated with pictures, plus a certificate through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal when the work is a TR19® Grease clean. Any parts we couldn’t reach are recorded on it too.
- Location
- Old Ford (E3, E15, E9)
- Region
- Greater London
- Reporting
- Report and pictures after the visit
- Price
- A fixed quote up front
- Hours
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Also near Old Ford
What else we do in Old Ford
Why it’s worth doing now in Old Ford
In Old Ford, as everywhere, a filter service isn’t a substitute for TR19 cleaning. They do help keep the system in better shape between cleans, and that shows when the next clean comes round. Leaving it on a busy London site only adds to the work.
Whatever the type of site, the quote works the same way: how much there is, how we reach it, what state it’s in and when we can work. Ask for a fixed quote and we will explain each part.
Why book with us
- Fully insured
- In business since 2009
- A written report with photos after each visit
- We diagnose before we treat
Take a look at our cost guide and how to check a contractor.
The process
We work around your opening hours, not the other way round. Most visits are booked for when the area is out of use, such as evenings, overnight, early mornings or weekends. Once we’re in, the area is sheeted and anything that has to be off is turned off and cooled, and the job takes well under an hour for most canopies. In Old Ford, as across London, we usually work overnight or at weekends and hand the site back ready to open.
- The filters in each canopy are measured and counted.
- We set the interval with you.
- On each visit, we remove the greasy filters.
- Clean filters go in and we check they sit snugly.
- The dirty filters leave with us and the next visit is booked.
Preparing for the visit
- Let us know how we reach the system, including roofs, risers and plant rooms
- Find the previous report, if there is one
- Plan for cooking equipment or plant to be off before we arrive
Get a fixed quote
Quotes are quick. Call or email with a few details and you’ll typically have a fixed price within one working day. Where a survey is needed, we arrange a time that suits the site.
Read more
What we are called out for in Old Ford
Wherever you are, Old Ford included, filter washing is the job that gets skipped when the kitchen is busy. A missed wash or two is all it takes for filters to fill with grease.
Clients normally contact us when they notice one of these:
- Hand-washed filters that still look greasy
- Filters so greasy the air can barely pass
- Poor airflow through the filters
- Filters left unwashed on busy weeks
If you run catering at a healthcare site, such as a hospital like St Clement's Hospital about 0.7 miles south-west, the extract may need cleaning more often than a part-time kitchen.
Before you book anyone
- Whether they recommend a next date
- Whether a written report and pictures are included
- What happens if part of the system can’t be accessed
- Which accreditations they hold, and whether you can check them
What your team can do, and what needs us
If your staff spot something between visits, like drips, unusual noise, smells or damaged filters, they should report it rather than try to fix it. We’ll take a look and send you a fixed quote.
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.
Aftercare tips
Simple habits between visits make a real difference. We recommend:
- Keep every filter in place during service
- Keep filter exchange and TR19 cleaning on the same plan
- Keep the extract on whenever the range is in use
- Wipe the outside of the canopy as part of daily cleaning
There’s no waiting: the canopy is ready as soon as the clean set is fitted. The dirty set leaves with us to be cleaned.
Saturated filters let more grease through. Getting onto a regular exchange now keeps grease out of the plenum and ductwork between full cleans.
When something else is needed
Some problems need a different service or another trade:
- Grease behind the filters that a swap can’t remove
- A fan that is failing or too weak for the system
- Grease already built up in the ductwork, which needs a full TR19 clean
If in doubt, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and we will say what we think before booking.
Parts of the system we cover
- Mesh filters
- Island canopies
- School and hospital kitchens
- Restaurants and pubs
- Baffle filters
- Wall canopies
What affects the cost of grease filter exchange
Sites vary more than people expect. What affects the quote:
- Working hours and out-of-hours timing
- How many systems or sites are involved
- Access, including roofs, risers and ceiling voids
- Parking and loading at the site
We don’t list prices on the website, because each job is priced on what it involves. Call for a fixed quote, and we will explain what it covers.
What we need to know
To speed up the quote, send us:
- Your opening hours and when the area is out of use
- Anything you’ve noticed, such as smells, noise, drips or poor airflow
- A few general shots of the system
- The paperwork from the last visit, if you have it
The quickest way to a quote is to send pictures: wide shots of the system, close-ups of anything that worries you and how we’d get to it. Tell us what kind of site it is and when it’s open, and we can price many jobs without a visit.
Common questions in Old Ford
Can you clean school kitchen extracts in Old Ford during the holidays?
Yes, holiday work suits schools best. Around Old Ford, the Food Standards Agency lists about 61 schools and colleges with registered kitchens within a mile and a half or so. Send us your term dates when you ring 0345 646 2711 or send us an email, and we will fit the work in.
Which fire authority looks after Old Ford?
Fire safety enforcement in Old Ford is handled by London Fire Brigade. It’s worth keeping your fire risk assessment, TR19® certificates and photo reports together, ready to show.
How long does the visit take?
It depends on the size of the system, but for many sites it takes a few minutes per canopy, longer for a large kitchen with several canopies. We will confirm it with the quote.
Can you look after several sites?
Yes. We work across South East England and London, so sites at different addresses can be planned together on one programme. Every site has its own report.
Which accreditations do you hold?
Duct Doctor is a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001 are in place too, and we’re fully insured.
What happens if you cannot reach some of it?
They’re marked on the report. Often the fix is extra access, such as new panels in ductwork, which we can install.
Can you clean our existing filters instead?
Yes. Some kitchens prefer their own filters cleaned on a schedule, and others prefer a straight swap. Either way, the canopy is not left without filters during service.
How much notice should we give?
For planned work, earlier is better, especially if the next clean or test is due soon. Emergencies are different, because our line is open 24/7.