Medway · Grease trap cleaning
Chatham grease trap cleaning
For emptying and cleaning of under-sink and inline grease traps in commercial kitchens in Chatham, one call is all it takes: survey, fixed quote, work and sign-off. Fully insured, with CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001.
- Grease setting in the kitchen pipework
- A full, neglected grease trap
- A small trap that fills too quickly
Grease trap cleaning around Chatham
Food Standards Agency data counts about 23 cafés, restaurants and staff canteens and about 37 takeaways within 1.5 miles or so of the middle of Chatham. A grease trap in kitchens like these fills steadily and needs emptying before it overflows. In Chatham, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Medway council. They look at the cleanliness of the whole kitchen: walls, floors, ceilings and equipment. Photos and dates from each deep clean make a useful record.
For schools such as Wayfield Primary School, deep cleans and grease trap work are usually booked for the holidays. Restoration House, about 2.4 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses around Chatham; event kitchens at places like that work in bursts, so a deep clean after a busy season helps.
Chatham is about 29 miles east of London, in Medway. If you need grease trap cleaning in Chatham, please phone us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email for a fixed quote. We work across South East England and London, including Chatham. Chatham is one of 68 towns, villages and districts in Medway we cover for commercial clients. You can also see our page for Maidstone, roughly 6 miles from Chatham.
All of ME5, ME4, ME7 and ME1 is covered for grease trap cleaning, from the main roads to the quietest streets. You will find streets such as Luton High Street, Market Place and High Street, and we cover them all for grease trap cleaning. With the A2 and A229 close by, Chatham is easy for our technicians to reach at any hour. Close by, we work in Luton (1 mile north), Hale (1 mile north-east), Darland (1 mile east), Capstone (1 mile east) and Walderslade (1 mile south). Further out, we also cover Rochester (3 miles north-west), Rainham (3 miles east), Strood (3 miles north-west), Park Wood (3 miles east), Twydall (3 miles north-east) and Hoo St Werburgh (5 miles north). Chatham is one of the larger places we cover in Medway for grease trap cleaning.
Around Chatham
Around Chatham, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near The Huntsman pub, Walderslade Girls' School and Darland Banks, among other places. The closest station to Chatham is Chatham station, about 1.7 miles north of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Six Poor Travellers House (2.5 miles north-west) and Rochester Castle (2.6 miles north-west). For a walk, there’s Blue Bell Hill and Burham Down.
How we handle grease trap cleaning in Chatham
If the sinks drain slowly or smell, the trap is often the cause. We find the trap, empty it and clean it and run water through to check it drains. Common call-outs are for drains clogged with fat and scheduled grease trap emptying, across school and care home kitchens, restaurants and takeaways and pot wash sinks.
Food businesses in Chatham are inspected by council environmental health officers, and they look at the cleanliness of the whole kitchen. A deep clean with a photo record helps show the kitchen is looked after.
For insurers and inspectors, the record counts. That’s why every job is written up in a report with photos, plus a TR19® certificate through the BESCA VHE portal where the work is a TR19® Grease clean.
How it works
The visit has three parts: set-up, the treatment itself and the sign-off. Set-up means sheeting and making equipment safe, and the sign-off is a written report with pictures. Most of the time goes on the work itself, and that takes an hour or two in most kitchens, depending on the size and condition of the trap. In the busier parts of Chatham, parking and roof access are the main things to plan.
- We start by finding the trap and checking its inlet and outlet.
- Nothing drains into the trap while it’s open.
- We take out the layer of fat, oil and grease and any solids.
- The inside, baffles and pipe connections are cleaned.
- The trap is reassembled, checked for leaks and the waste taken away.
Preparing for the visit
- Let us know about parking and loading
- Tell us the best time to work, such as after service or at a weekend
- Let us know how we reach the system, including roofs, risers and plant rooms
Getting a quote
Quotes are quick. Send a few details and pictures, and we typically reply with a fixed quote within one working day. If we need to see the system first, we book a survey around your hours.
Advice
What the work involves, part by part
Baffles and outlets
Baffles inside the trap slow the water so grease can separate. They gather grease and debris so they’re cleaned every time.
Inline grease traps
Inline traps may be under a floor panel or in a cupboard. We ask about access when we quote.
What happens if it’s left?
Some kitchens try to fix slow drains with hot water or drain cleaners. That only moves the grease further down the pipe to set somewhere harder to reach. The lasting fix starts with the trap. We can set up 3, 6 or 12-monthly visits so nothing on a site in Chatham gets missed.
A single site or a whole portfolio, the quote is built the same way: what needs doing, how we get to it and when. You’ll have a fixed price before we start.
Why Chatham businesses choose us
- Photo reports with every job
- A BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- A single point of contact for sites across the South East and London
- Full insurance on every job
See our cost guide and how to check a contractor.
Signs you need grease trap cleaning in Chatham
Food scraps go down the sink with the washing-up water. Solids settle at the bottom of the trap and fill it from below.
The symptoms we’re asked about most include:
- A routine grease trap service
- A kitchen drain that smells
- Drains that gurgle and bubble
- A slow-draining kitchen sink
Healthcare kitchens cook through the year, so a deep clean has to be fitted around meals; Medway Maritime Hospital, about 1.7 miles north, is the nearest hospital to Chatham.
What your quote should include
- What records you’ll receive afterwards
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
- What hours they’ll be on site
- Whether the quote is based on a survey or photos
What a clean won’t put right
We won’t sell you work that doesn’t address the problem, so these are the things it won’t cover:
- Grease set hard in the drain run
- Blockages in the public sewer beyond the property
- A unit that cannot cope with the kitchen’s output
Not sure which it is? You can give us a ring on 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we’ll tell you honestly.
What the work covers
- Kitchen waste pipes
- School and care home kitchens
- Under-sink grease traps
- Restaurants and takeaways
- Pot wash sinks
- Inline grease traps
Keeping the system healthy
No system stays clean for ever, but care slows the build-up. A few tips:
- Book trap cleans at a set interval
- Get food waste into the bin, not the sink
- Never pour used oil down the sink
- Hot water only moves grease further down
If we spot problems beyond the trap, such as a drain that still runs slowly, we’ll tell you. That may need a drainage contractor to look further.
If the kitchen has got busier, the trap fills faster. Booking cleans more often stops it overflowing.
How we price grease trap cleaning
Some jobs are bigger than they look, and some smaller. What affects the quote:
- How big the system is
- Where the site is and how we reach it
- How many systems or sites are involved
- Whether it’s a one-off visit or part of a schedule
When the work has to happen, how we reach it and how big the site is all affect the cost. We take each of them into account and give you a fixed price before any work starts.
Asking for a quote
You do not need the technical terms. It helps if you can send:
- Wide photos of the system and the area around it
- Detail shots of panels, filters and grilles
- When the site is open and when it’s quiet
- Problems your staff have spotted
To help us quote: where the site is, what it is and its opening hours, pictures of the system and the last certificate or report, if there is one. Then call 0345 646 2711, or send details by email.
What else we do in Chatham
Common questions in Chatham
Who inspects food businesses in Chatham?
That is Medway council, whose environmental health officers carry out food hygiene inspections in Chatham. Inspection results feed into the food hygiene rating published by the Food Standards Agency.
Can you work in Chatham outside opening hours?
Yes, out-of-hours work is a big part of what we do. Your customers, staff or residents in Chatham needn’t be disturbed. Tell us your opening hours when you ask for a quote.
Can you look after several sites?
Yes. We work across South East England and London, so we can schedule a run of sites as one programme. Each site gets its own report and pictures.
How much notice should we give?
Book as early as you can for planned work, especially if the next clean or test is due soon. Emergencies are different, because our line is open 24/7.
What do you do with what you remove?
It’s contained and taken away. Grease, debris and waste water are collected as the work goes on rather than letting it spread.
Do you recommend a next date?
Yes. The report recommends when the next visit should be, based on use and what we found.
Do you survey before quoting?
Yes. Every job is surveyed first, either from photos and details you send or on a site visit. A fixed quote follows.
Do you clean under-sink and inline grease traps?
We cover under-sink, inline and interceptor units. Each one is emptied, cleaned and checked whatever the size.