Kent · Grease trap cleaning
Grease trap cleaning in Ashford, Kent
Professional grease trap cleaning in and around Ashford, timed so the site keeps working and signed off in writing with pictures.
- An interceptor full of grease and solids
- An under-sink unit that needs regular emptying
- Gurgling drains in the kitchen
Part by part
Inline grease traps
An inline trap sits in the pipework between the kitchen and the drain. They hold more than under-sink units but still need regular emptying.
Restaurant and takeaway kitchens
Kitchens that fry and wash up all day fill their traps quickly. A shorter cleaning interval normally suits them.
How we handle grease trap cleaning in Ashford
Grease trap cleaning keeps the drains running and the smells away. The fat, oil, grease and solids are taken out and the chambers and baffles cleaned and the trap checked before we leave. The work covers inline grease traps, school and care home kitchens and kitchen waste pipes, and the jobs we see most are gurgling from the sink waste and an overdue grease trap.
Council environmental health officers inspect kitchens in Ashford, and the state of walls, floors, ceilings and equipment is part of the inspection. A deep clean with a photo record helps show the kitchen is looked after.
We’re CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, we hold ISO 9001 and we are fully insured. We’re also a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, trading since 2009.
Common questions in Ashford
Who would carry out a food hygiene inspection at a kitchen in Ashford?
The local authority for Ashford is Ashford council, and its environmental health team does the inspecting. Keep the dates of your last deep clean and grease trap visit with your food safety records, ready if an officer asks.
Can you work in Ashford outside opening hours?
Yes, we can come after you close and finish before you open. The site is handed back ready to open. Tell us your opening hours when you ask for a quote.
Where does the grease from the trap go?
We take it away. There’s nothing left for your team to deal with once the clean is done.
How long will the sinks be out of use?
A typical clean takes a short visit for a small trap and longer for an inline unit or interceptor including checking it drains. It’s booked when the sinks are not needed.
Is TR19 cleaning required by law?
No. TR19® itself is not law; it’s a BESA specification. The legal duty comes from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005: the responsible person must assess and reduce fire risk, and cleaning to TR19® is the recognised way to show grease is under control.
Who is responsible for fire safety on the premises?
The law calls them the responsible person. It’s normally the employer, or whoever controls the building, and where several people have control, each can have duties. Your lease and fire risk assessment should make it clear.
What accreditations do you have?
CHAS, SafeContractor, ISO 9001 and BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. We have been trading since 2009 and we’re fully insured.
How much notice do you need?
Book as early as you can for planned work, particularly if your next visit is nearly due. Emergencies are different, because our line is open 24/7.
When it’s something else
We won’t sell you work that does not address the problem, so here are the limits:
- A trap undersized for the amount of cooking
- Broken pipework below ground
- Blockages in the public sewer beyond the property
If in doubt, phone us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email and we will say what we think.
Parts of the system we cover
- Pot wash sinks
- Kitchen waste pipes
- Inline grease traps
- School and care home kitchens
- Restaurants and takeaways
- Under-sink grease traps
Keeping the system healthy
Simple habits between visits make a real difference. We recommend:
- Keep access to the trap clear
- Keep waste oil out of the drains
- Do not wait for a blockage to book a clean
- Use strainers in the sink plugholes
The waste we remove leaves with us. There’s no greasy waste left on site when we’re done.
A trap that is left too long stops catching grease. Cleaning it before it’s full keeps grease out of the drains and saves a call-out for a blocked drain.
Common problems we fix in Ashford
Fats, oils and grease from cooking and washing up go down the sink. In the trap, they cool and separate and the grease layer grows.
It’s time to book a visit if you see:
- A bad smell from the sinks or drains
- A blocked kitchen drain caused by grease
- A routine grease trap service
- Drains that gurgle and bubble
If you run a church or community hall kitchen, near Christ Church or elsewhere in Ashford, a deep clean and an emptied grease trap before a busy season of events are worth booking.
What your quote should include
- Whether VAT is included
- When the next visit should be, and why
- Proof of insurance
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
Leave it or put it right?
In Ashford, as anywhere, grease trap cleaning is a short, routine visit. Waiting for a blockage turns it into an urgent problem and normally at the worst moment. The longer a system in Ashford goes without attention, the more there is to clean or fix.
Leaving it longer rarely makes the work cheaper. Build-up, wear and faults tend to get worse, not better, which can make the next visit longer. If you’re not sure what’s needed, phone us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email for straight advice and a fixed quote.
Why choose Duct Doctor in Ashford
- CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001
- BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- Work around your opening hours, with 24/7 emergency cover
- Fully insured
Read what affects the cost or our accreditations and certificates.
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
Landlords, managing agents and facilities managers book us, not only the businesses that use the systems. 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.
From a single site to a large estate, you get the same standard: diagnosis, a fixed price, work booked around your hours and a written report with pictures.
Also near Ashford
Also in Ashford
Grease trap cleaning in Ashford: local notes
The FSA’s food hygiene register shows about 107 restaurants, cafés and canteens and about 38 takeaways and sandwich shops across Ashford and its immediate surroundings (about a mile and a half). Wherever they wash pans and plates, fat heads for the drain unless a trap catches it. In Ashford, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Ashford council. The state of floors, drains and hard-to-reach corners all feeds into the inspection. Keeping a record of deep cleans and grease trap visits helps at inspection time.
School kitchens, at schools like Chilmington Green Primary School for example, usually have their deep cleans and grease trap work done while the canteen is closed. Healthcare kitchens, like those at hospitals such as William Harvey Hospital (about 2.1 miles east), cook for long hours, so deep cleans and grease trap work are planned around patients’ meals.
Ashford is in Kent. Wherever you are in the TN23 postcode area, we cover grease trap cleaning for commercial sites. Our Kent coverage runs to 922 places, and Ashford is one of them. You can also see our page for Maidstone, about 17 miles away.
Every address in TN23, TN24, TN25 and TN26 is covered for grease trap cleaning, from the main roads to the quietest streets. You will find streets such as Market Lane, Church Road and Station Road, all of which we cover for grease trap cleaning. Being close to the A20 and A28, Ashford is simple for us to get to at any hour. We also cover the places around Ashford: Stanhope (1 mile south-west), Newtown (1 mile south-east), South Willesborough (1 mile south-east), Godinton (1 mile north-west) and Willesborough (1 mile east). Within a short drive, we also cover Canterbury (13 miles north-east), Sittingbourne (15 miles north), Folkestone (14 miles east), Faversham (12 miles north), Hythe (10 miles south-east) and Davington (12 miles north). Ashford is one of the larger places we cover in Kent for grease trap cleaning.
Around Ashford
In Ashford, that means kitchens and buildings near The Locomotive pub, Ashford Green Corridors and Ashford School, among other places. There’s a railway station in Ashford itself: Ashford International station. Nearby you will also find William Harvey Hospital (2.1 miles east) and Ashford Designer Outlet (0.6 miles south-east). For a walk, there’s Hatch Park.
What we do, step by step
We start by comparing what we find with the survey or your photos. Anything unexpected is raised with you before we go further. After that, the work takes an hour or two in most kitchens, depending on the size and condition of the trap. Where a site in Ashford has more than one system, we can take them one at a time to keep the rest running.
- First, we find the trap and look at its connections.
- Sinks feeding the trap are taken out of use.
- Grease and solids are removed from the trap.
- We clean every part of the inside.
- The trap is refitted, tested with water and the waste taken away.
Preparing for the visit
- Allow time for equipment near the work to be turned off and cool down
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
- Tell us about site rules, permits or sign-in
Get a fixed quote
We do not publish a price list, because every site is different. We look at your system first, from pictures or on a visit, and then give you a fixed quote. To get going, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form.