Medway · Grease filter exchange
Grease Filter Exchange in Rochester
A scheduled grease filter exchange, swapping dirty canopy filters for clean ones for commercial sites in Rochester and across Medway. BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease.
- Grease building up behind the canopy filters
- Blocked baffle filters
- Bent or damaged filters that do not sit properly
What the work involves, part by part
Mesh filters
Older or smaller canopies often use mesh filters. They can be on the same exchange schedule as baffle filters.
The plenum
A greasy plenum is a sign filters have been left too long, or that a full clean is due.
How we handle grease filter exchange in Rochester
An exchange visit in Rochester does not take long. The greasy filters come out, clean ones go in, and we check they’re seated with no gaps. Anything that needs attention is pointed out. The work covers island canopies, baffle filters and restaurants and pubs, and the jobs we see most are a canopy running with filters missing and filters left unwashed on busy weeks.
Most kitchens in a town like Rochester can’t close for a day, so cleans are booked after closing, early in the morning or on a quiet day. By the next service, the kitchen is ready to cook in again.
Duct Doctor has been trading since 2009, and we are a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001 are in place too, and we carry full insurance.
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
Day-to-day cleaning is something your team can do: wiping canopies, washing grease filters and recording it in a log. What they can’t safely do is clean inside the ductwork, the fan or the risers, and that’s where we come in.
If your staff spot something between visits, such as dripping grease, a noisy fan, a smell or a filter that will not come clean, they should report it rather than try to fix it. We’ll take a look and send you a fixed quote.
Grease filter exchange around Rochester
Rochester lies within about 3 miles of the sea. Salt in the air is hard on rooftop fans, discharge cowls and fixings, so we check them for corrosion as well as grease. The FSA’s food hygiene register shows about 136 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 72 sandwich bars and takeaways within 1.5 miles or so of the middle of Rochester. Clogged filters slow the airflow, and busy kitchens like these clog them fast. Food hygiene inspections in Rochester are the job of Medway council’s environmental health team. 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.
A kitchen near Rochester station that serves breakfast and dinner can run its extract twelve hours or more, which shortens the cleaning interval. Term dates shape school work: for a school like Rochester Riverside Church of England Primary School, an extract clean fits neatly into a half-term or summer break.
Rochester is about 27 miles east of London, in Medway. Whether your site is in the middle of Rochester or further out, we cover grease filter exchange for every kind of premises, from small sites to large estates. Our Medway coverage runs to 68 places, Rochester among them. For sites nearby, see our Maidstone page, about 9 miles away.
Grease filter exchange in ME2, ME1, ME3 and ME4 is surveyed, quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. If you need grease filter exchange at premises on High Street, Gundolph Square and Station Road or a nearby road, our technicians can take on the work. With the A2 and A226 close by, Rochester is simple for us to get to at any hour. Other places close to Rochester include Strood (1 mile west), Borstal (1 mile south-west), Cuxton (2 miles south-west), Lower Bush (3 miles west) and North Halling (3 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Gillingham (4 miles east), Chatham (3 miles south-east), Rainham (5 miles south-east), Park Wood (5 miles south-east), Lordswood (4 miles south-east) and Twydall (4 miles east). Rochester is one of the larger places we cover in Medway for grease filter exchange.
Local landmarks in Rochester
Around Rochester, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near Former Ordnance Store At Chatham Gun Wharf, Fort Pitt Grammar School and Broomhill Park and the streets around them. Also close by are Temple School (1.2 miles north) and Royal Crown Hotel (within half a mile east). Rochester has its own railway station: Rochester station. Well-known places in the area include Rochester Castle (less than half a mile east) and Huguenot Museum (less than half a mile east). Not far away are Gad's Hill and Rede Common.
What a clean won’t put right
We will not sell you work that does not address the problem, so these are the things it won’t cover:
- A canopy that needs a proper clean
- Extraction problems caused by the fan rather than the filters
- Odours from the discharge that filters won’t stop
If in doubt, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we’ll say what we think.
What we work on in Rochester
- Restaurants and pubs
- School and hospital kitchens
- Baffle filters
- Island canopies
- Wall canopies
- Mesh filters
What happens on the day
Everything the job needs comes with us, from protective sheeting to tools and access equipment. All we need from you is clear access and the right equipment switched off. On site, the work takes less than an hour in most kitchens. For a site in a town like Rochester, tell us your opening hours, where we can park and how we reach the roof or plant.
- 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.
- Clean filters go in and we check they sit snugly.
- We take the greasy set away and confirm the next date.
How to prepare
- Clear loose items from the work area
- Make sure someone can let us in and lock up afterwards
- Find the previous report, if there is one
Ask for a quote
Photos are enough for some jobs, while others need a look on site. Big or complicated sites, and systems that are hard to see in photos, get a survey first. Either way, the quote is fixed before any work is booked.
Related advice
Rochester questions
Do you do school kitchen extract cleaning in Rochester in the summer holidays?
Yes, and it’s the easiest time to do it. With about 18 schools and colleges on the FSA’s register within roughly a mile and a half of Rochester, it pays to plan holiday dates ahead. You can call us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form with the dates the site is empty.
Can the work in Rochester be done at night or at weekends?
Yes, out-of-hours work is a big part of what we do. Your customers, staff or residents in Rochester needn’t be disturbed. Your opening times are the first thing we ask for.
Is TR19 a legal requirement?
No. The law sets the duty; TR19® is the benchmark used to show it’s met. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person has to manage fire risk, and without records, many insurers may refuse or reduce a claim.
Do you cover Rochester?
Yes. Our technicians work in Rochester, within the South East and London area we cover.
What’s the right interval for changing filters?
It depends on how much and what the kitchen cooks. Heavy cooking means more frequent changes than lighter ones. We agree the interval with you.
Who has the legal duty for fire safety?
The Fire Safety Order 2005 calls them the responsible person: often the employer, owner or occupier. Landlords, facilities managers and managing agents can also hold responsibility.
Do you offer maintenance contracts?
Yes. Plans on a 3, 6 or 12-monthly cycle are available, depending on what the system needs.
Do you have a 24/7 line?
Yes, 24/7. Our office is open from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with the emergency line covering every other hour.
What affects the cost of grease filter exchange
We quote each job individually. This is what makes a difference:
- Travel, parking and unloading
- The number of sites or systems
- When the work can happen, such as evenings, overnight or weekends
- Whether we need access equipment or extra panels
Every site is different, so we price each one individually. The size of the job, how we reach it, its condition and the working hours all make a difference.
Asking for a quote
What to send for a quote:
- The paperwork from the last visit, if you have it
- Photos showing the whole system and its surroundings
- Any access panels or hatches you can see
- The postcode and the type of business
Quotes are quick. Call or email with a few details and you’ll usually have a fixed price within one working day. Where a survey is needed, we arrange a time that suits the site.
Aftercare tips
A little care between visits keeps the system in better shape. Our advice:
- Keep canopy surfaces wiped down
- Report damaged filters so they can be replaced
- Never cook with the extract switched off
- Clear anything stored on or near the canopy
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.
A kitchen that’s getting busier needs its filters changed more often. Adjusting the schedule now prevents a build-up behind the canopy.
Also near Rochester
Other services in Rochester
When to call us in Rochester
Kitchens in Rochester, as everywhere, find filter washing slips down the list on busy weeks. It only takes a couple of missed weeks for a filter bank to clog.
If you notice any of these, it’s worth a diagnosis:
- Filters left unwashed on busy weeks
- Grease filters clogged with grease
- Poor airflow through the filters
- A canopy that drips grease
Kitchens that cook twelve hours or more a day, as some healthcare kitchens do, fall into BESA’s three-monthly minimum; French Hospital is the nearest hospital to Rochester, about within half a mile south-east.
What to look for in a quote
- What hours they’ll be on site
- Whether they’re fully insured
- Proof of accreditation you can verify
- Whether a written report and pictures are included