Hertfordshire · Grease filter exchange
The Willows grease filter exchange
Our technicians work in The Willows on a scheduled grease filter exchange, swapping dirty canopy filters for clean ones. Out-of-hours visits, a fixed quote and a written report with pictures on every job.
- Grease collecting in the filter channels
- Grease filters clogged with grease
- Poor airflow through the filters
How we handle grease filter exchange in The Willows
A filter that doesn’t sit right lets grease straight past. Gaps in the filter bank are a direct route into the plenum, so we check every one at each visit. Damaged filters are flagged so they can be replaced. Common call-outs are for filters that come out of the sink still dirty and grease filters clogged with grease, on mesh filters, restaurants and pubs and baffle filters.
For a kitchen in or near The Willows, the visit is planned around opening hours and the journey, and the clean covers the whole system, as it would anywhere: canopy to discharge, then a TR19® certificate and a photo report.
Think of the report as the system’s health record: a dated account with photos of everything we did. For TR19® Grease cleans, the certificate comes through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal and sits alongside the report.
- Place
- The Willows (SG9)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Paperwork
- Photo report after each visit
- Quote
- A fixed price before any work starts
- Hours
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
What the work involves, part by part
The plenum
A greasy plenum is a sign filters have been left too long or that the next TR19 clean is due.
Baffle filters
Baffle filters are robust and widely used in commercial canopies. They still need regular cleaning as the collected grease builds up between the blades.
For landlords and multi-site operators
Whether it’s one building or many, the standard is the same: diagnosis, a fixed price, work booked around your hours and a written report with photos.
Keeping records across a portfolio is half the battle. Each visit ends with a dated report and pictures, ready to show insurers, fire officers or EHOs.
What affects the cost of grease filter exchange
The survey tells us what the work involves. The main factors are:
- Whether it’s a one-off visit or part of a schedule
- The scale of the work
- The condition we find in the survey
- Site rules, permits and inductions
The cost depends on how big the system is, the condition it’s in and access to every part of it. You get a fixed price before any work starts, so you know where you stand.
What we need to know
What to send for a quote:
- How we’d reach plant on a roof or in a plant room
- Anything you’ve noticed, such as smells, noise, drips or poor airflow
- A few general shots of the system
- Your last certificate, test record or report
There’s no standard price list, because every site is different. Instead, we look at your site first, from pictures or a survey, and then give you a fixed quote. To get going, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email.
Questions from The Willows
Which fire authority looks after The Willows?
It’s Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, which covers The Willows. If a fire safety officer visits a commercial kitchen, they may ask about the fire risk assessment and how the extract is kept clean.
Can you come to The Willows after we close?
Yes. We work evenings, overnight and at weekends. It means the site in The Willows keeps running as normal. Just phone us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email with your opening times and we’ll plan around them.
Can you give a price for filter changes?
Every kitchen is different, so we need to know the filters and interval first. We send you a fixed quote before the first visit.
Can you clean our existing filters instead?
We can. Cleaning your existing filters is an option while others want an exchange. We make sure the canopy is ready for service either way.
Which kinds of sites do you work on?
Any commercial site with kitchens or ventilation, from a single café to a large school. Hotels, schools, care homes, offices, shops and leisure sites are all part of our work.
Which accreditations do you hold?
Duct Doctor is a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. We also hold CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we are fully insured.
Do you have insurance?
Yes. We are fully insured, and we can share the details when you need them.
Where does the waste go?
It leaves the site with us at the end of the visit. While we work, it’s kept contained so the area stays clean.
When it’s something else
To be straight with you, there are a few things this work won’t fix:
- A canopy that needs a proper clean
- Greasy ducts and risers that a filter change will not reach
- A canopy too small for the cooking beneath it
If in doubt, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email and we will say what we think before booking.
Where we work
- Island canopies
- Mesh filters
- Wall canopies
- Restaurants and pubs
- School and hospital kitchens
- Baffle filters
Kitchen extracts in The Willows
The Willows sits within the area of Hertfordshire 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. The Willows is about 31 miles from central London, well within the area we cover across London and the South East. The visit is fixed around your opening hours, not ours.
If you look after a school kitchen, at a school such as Furneux Pelham Church of England School or anywhere near The Willows, the holidays are the usual time for a TR19® clean. If you run catering at a healthcare site, such as a hospital like Herts and Essex Hospital about 5.6 miles south-east, the extract may need cleaning more often than a part-time kitchen.
The Willows is about 5 miles north-west of Bishop's Stortford, in Hertfordshire. Wherever you are in the SG9 postcode area, we cover grease filter exchange for commercial sites. 381 places in Hertfordshire are on our list, from busy centres to quieter spots. For sites nearby, see our Chelmsford page (21 miles or so).
Work in SG9 is surveyed, quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. You will find streets such as Ginns Road and The Wash, all of which we cover for grease filter exchange. Other places close to The Willows include Stocking Pelham (1 mile north-east), Berden (2 miles north-east), Uppend (2 miles south-east), Starling's Green (2 miles north-east) and Mount Pleasant (2 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Stevenage (12 miles west), Bishop's Stortford (5 miles south-east), Hoddesdon (13 miles south), Hertford (12 miles south-west), Letchworth (14 miles west) and Ware (10 miles south-west).
Near you in The Willows
In The Willows, that means kitchens and buildings near The Cock pub and the streets around them. The Willows’s nearest station is Stansted Mountfitchet station, about 4.7 miles south-east of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Brent Pelham (2.2 miles north-west) and Herts and Essex Hospital (5.6 miles south-east). Open spaces near The Willows include Aubrey Buxton Nature Reserve.
What we do, step by step
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 photos. Most of the time goes on the work itself, which takes well under an hour for most canopies. In a small place like The Willows, the journey is planned ahead and the visit arranged around the site’s hours.
- The filters in each canopy are measured and counted.
- 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.
Before we arrive
- Let us know about permits to work or site inductions
- Let us know when the site is closed or quiet
- Find the previous report, if there is one
How to get a quote
For grease filter exchange in The Willows, call 0345 646 2711, or send details by email. Tell us what kind of premises it is and when it’s open, plus photos or the previous report if they’re to hand. We typically send a fixed quote within one working day.
Advice
Nearby places to The Willows
What else we do in The Willows
What we are called out for in The Willows
Washing filters by hand does not always get them clean. Grease lodges deep in baffles and mesh, and a quick rinse leaves it there.
Look out for these warning signs:
- Poor airflow through the filters
- Missing filters in the filter bank
- Grease collecting in the filter channels
- Grease left in baffles after washing
Church and community hall kitchens, near Church of St Mary or anywhere around The Willows, are easy to forget, but their extracts collect grease like any other.
Before you book anyone
- How they set the interval to the next visit
- What insurance they carry
- How VAT is shown on the quote
- Whether a survey comes first
What your team can do, and what needs us
Staff cleaning and specialist work are not the same thing. Wiping filters daily and washing them weekly keeps the visible parts in order, but grease that has passed the filters is out of reach. Reaching it takes a specialist with the right equipment.
Staff cleaning does not replace a specialist visit; it supports it. Clean filters and tidy surfaces slow the build-up, but hidden parts of the system still need specialist attention.