West Sussex · Grease filter exchange
Grease filter exchange in Tilgate, West Sussex
Looking for grease filter exchange in Tilgate? We diagnose first, fix the price and book the work around your hours, finishing with a written report and pictures.
- Missing filters in the filter bank
- Smoke and heat lingering under the hood
- Filters so greasy the air can barely pass
What your team can do, and what needs us
Your own staff can handle the daily basics: 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, which is where we come in.
Some jobs should never be done in-house: opening up ductwork, cleaning fans, drop testing fire dampers and measuring grease need training, the right equipment and safe access. That’s our job.
Grease filter exchange in Tilgate, done properly
Grease filters are the first line of defence in a kitchen extract. Their job is to stop grease getting further into the system and they do it best when they’re clean. With grease filter exchange, clean filters replace greasy ones at regular intervals. The work covers island canopies, baffle filters and mesh filters, and people most often call us about grease left in baffles after washing and gaps where filters have been removed.
Kitchens around a place like Tilgate are often in older buildings or single-storey extensions, with the duct running through a roof space or up an outside wall. Long horizontal runs like that hold grease and need access panels to reach.
The sign-off is always in writing: a dated report with photos of the work, and for TR19® Grease cleans, a certificate issued through the BESCA VHE portal. Any parts we couldn’t reach are recorded on it too.
- Location
- Tilgate (RH10, RH11)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Reporting
- Report and photos after the visit
- Price
- A fixed quote up front
- Hours
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Nearby places to Tilgate
More services for Tilgate
Grease filter exchange in Tilgate: the local picture
Food Standards Agency records list about 88 restaurants, cafés and canteens and about 48 takeaways in Tilgate and the streets around it, up to about 1.5 miles out. Clogged filters slow the airflow, and busy kitchens like these clog them fast. Kitchens in Tilgate get their food hygiene inspections from Crawley council. The cleanliness of the kitchen and its equipment, extraction included, is part of what they check. A dated certificate in the maintenance file answers the question before it’s asked. Tilgate is covered by West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order.
Volunteers running a hall kitchen near Holy Trinity, or anywhere in Tilgate, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it. For schools such as The Oaks Primary School & Nursery, kitchen extract cleaning is normally booked for the holidays, when the canteen is closed. Healthcare kitchens cannot easily close, so their extracts are cleaned overnight or between meal services; the nearest hospital to Tilgate is Crawley Hospital, about 1.2 miles north-west.
Tilgate is about 1 mile south-east of Crawley, in West Sussex. Across the RH10 area, we cover grease filter exchange for commercial sites. Tilgate is one of 371 towns, villages and districts in West Sussex we cover for commercial clients. Our Brighton page covers sites nearby, about 19 miles away.
Grease filter exchange in RH10 and RH11 follows the same survey, fixed quote and written report as everywhere else we cover. You will find streets such as York Road, Nash Road and Cook Road, and we cover them all for grease filter exchange. Nearby, we also carry out grease filter exchange in Southgate (1 mile west), Crawley (1 mile north-west), Three Bridges (1 mile north-east), Maidenbower (1 mile east) and West Green (1 mile north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Horsham (7 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (8 miles south-east), Burgess Hill (10 miles south), East Grinstead (7 miles east), Billingshurst (13 miles south-west) and Roffey (6 miles west).
Local landmarks in Tilgate
Typical jobs here are in premises near Thomas Bennett Community College, The Grasshopper pub and Tilgate Park, among other places. The nearest railway station is Crawley station, roughly 0.6 miles north-west. A little further out are County Mall (0.7 miles north-west) and Crawley Hospital (1.2 miles north-west). Not far away are Tilgate Lake.
Tilgate questions
Do you cover smaller places like Tilgate?
Yes. Villages and rural sites across the South East are part of our work, Tilgate included. The journey is planned ahead, so a few details about the route help.
Who would carry out a food hygiene inspection at a kitchen in Tilgate?
Kitchens in Tilgate are inspected by Crawley council’s environmental health officers. Have your latest TR19® certificate and photo report to hand, as an officer may ask how the extract is maintained.
Can you give a price for filter changes?
Every kitchen is different, so we quote once we know your filters and schedule. We send you a fixed quote before the service starts.
Can you come out in an emergency?
Yes. There’s a 24/7 emergency line, for problems that cannot wait. Call us any time and explain what’s happened.
Can damaged filters stay in the canopy?
Damaged filters don’t seat properly and let grease through. We flag any we find so they can be replaced.
Are you insured?
Yes. We carry full insurance, and we’ve been trading since 2009.
Can we book visits on a schedule?
Yes. Plans on a 3, 6 or 12-monthly cycle are available, to suit the system and how it’s used.
Do you clean filters as well as exchanging them?
Yes, that’s an option. The first step is looking at the filters you have because bent or damaged ones may need replacing.
The process
There are three stages on the day: set-up, the treatment itself and the sign-off. Set-up means sheeting and making equipment safe, while signing off means the written report and pictures. The middle part takes longest, which takes a short visit, depending on how many filters the canopies hold. For a site near Tilgate, the work is booked around your opening hours, evenings and weekends included.
- We record the number, size and type of your filters.
- We set the interval with you.
- 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.
Getting ready for the visit
- Dig out any earlier paperwork for the system
- Let us know about permits to work or site inductions
- Let us know when the site is closed or quiet
How to get a quote
Quoting starts with a diagnosis, either from photos and details you send or from a site visit. After that, you get a fixed price for the work so you know the cost before any work starts.
Advice
Managing agents and facilities teams in Tilgate
When the building owner and the occupier are different, the lease normally sets out who maintains what. We can quote either party and send the paperwork to whoever needs it.
We also work for facilities teams across offices, schools and healthcare across West Sussex. Work can be phased by floor, building or site to keep disruption down.
What happens if it’s left?
Some kitchens in Tilgate wash filters themselves to save the cost of a service, and it works when it’s done well and never skipped. When it does not happen reliably, an exchange makes it automatic. Systems on quieter sites still build up dirt and wear, just more slowly.
Working hours, access and the scale of the site can all change the price. We take each of them into account and give you a fixed price before work begins.
Why choose Duct Doctor in Tilgate
- Fixed quotes from a survey or pictures
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
- Every visit written up, with photos
- Full insurance on every job
Take a look at what affects the cost or our accreditations and certificates.
What grease filter exchange cannot fix
A few issues sit outside what this work can do:
- A fan that is failing or too weak for the system
- Grease behind the filters that a swap cannot remove
- Odours from the discharge that filters will not stop
If in doubt, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we’ll say what we think before you book.
Where we work
- Mesh filters
- Wall canopies
- School and hospital kitchens
- Restaurants and pubs
- Island canopies
- Baffle filters
Between visits
So the system stays in good health:
- Let us know if your cooking hours increase
- Report damaged filters so they can be replaced
- Always run the extract while cooking
- Keep every filter in place during service
The next exchange is already in the diary. If the kitchen gets busier, the interval can be shortened to keep up.
Filters that are left too long stop protecting the system. A regular cycle keeps the rest of the system cleaner until the next TR19 clean.
Different parts, different methods
Busy restaurant and pub kitchens
Heavy cooking means more grease reaching every part of the system. Changing them on time protects the ducts behind.
School, care home and staff kitchens
For kitchens closed in the holidays, visits can be timed around term or rota, keeping the filters ready for the busy weeks.