Medway · Grease trap cleaning
Grease trap cleaning in Higham, Medway
Professional grease trap cleaning in and around Higham, timed so the site keeps working and finished with a written report and photos.
- An under-sink trap that keeps filling up
- A regular cleaning plan for the grease trap
- A bad smell from the sinks or drains
Grease trap cleaning in Higham
A clean trap means flowing drains and no foul smells. The fat, oil, grease and solids are taken out and the chambers and baffles cleaned, and check the trap is working properly. The work covers kitchen waste pipes, restaurants and takeaways and under-sink grease traps, and people most often call us about an under-sink unit that needs regular emptying and gurgling from the sink waste.
Rural kitchens may drain to a septic tank or a private drain rather than straight into a public sewer, and fat getting past a grease trap can cause real trouble there.
Our accreditations include CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we’re fully insured. On top of that, we are a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, and we’ve been trading since 2009.
- Location
- Higham (ME3, DA12)
- Wider area
- Medway
- Records
- Photo report after every visit
- Price
- A fixed price before work begins
- Working hours
- Out of hours as standard, 24/7 emergency line
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
What a clean won’t put right
We will always give you a straight diagnosis, so here’s what grease trap cleaning won’t do:
- Blockages in the public sewer beyond the property
- Drains that need jetting rather than trap cleaning
- A trap undersized for the amount of cooking
If in doubt, call us on 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we will say what we think.
Parts of the system we cover
- Restaurants and takeaways
- School and care home kitchens
- Inline grease traps
- Under-sink grease traps
- Kitchen waste pipes
- Pot wash sinks
What staff can safely do
Some jobs should never be done in-house: entering ducts, working on fans, testing dampers and taking grease readings need training, the right equipment and safe access. Leave those to us.
Away from the kitchen, the in-house job is mainly checking: clear grilles, a log of filter changes and reporting anything odd. The inside of ducts and units needs a specialist.
Why it’s worth doing now in Higham
Some kitchens try to fix slow drains with hot water or drain cleaners. It just shifts the grease further along, where it sets again. Emptying and cleaning the trap deals with the source. Somewhere as small as Higham, losing a kitchen or building to a fault is felt by everyone who uses it.
Combining work into one visit or one programme often makes better use of the time. Mention every system or site you need covered and we will price it together.
Why choose Duct Doctor in Higham
- Trading since 2009
- Every job surveyed first
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
- A fixed price before any work starts
Take a look at what affects the cost and how to check a contractor.
Nearby places to Higham
What else we do in Higham
What grease trap cleaning looks like in Higham
Look up Higham on the FSA’s food hygiene register and you’ll find about 8 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 4 takeaways within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Higham. Kitchens like these wash fat, oil and grease down the sink every day, and a grease trap is what stops it reaching the sewer. In Higham, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Gravesham council. The state of floors, drains and hard-to-reach corners all feeds into the inspection. Having the dates of the last deep clean to hand saves digging for them on the day.
If you run a care home or healthcare kitchen near Higham (the nearest hospital is French Hospital, about 2.8 miles south-east), a grease trap on a set schedule avoids a blocked drain mid-service. For busy kitchens close to Higham station, deep cleans and grease trap work can be done after closing.
Higham is about 2 miles north-west of Rochester, in Medway. We provide grease trap cleaning for businesses, landlords and public buildings in Higham and the rest of Medway. We cover 68 places across Medway, from busy centres to quieter spots. Our Maidstone page covers sites nearby (11 miles or so).
Here we cover the ME3 and DA12 postcode area for grease trap cleaning. Local streets include Villa Road, Darby Gardens and Ash Crescent, all of which we cover for grease trap cleaning. Neighbouring places we cover for grease trap cleaning include Gadshill (1 mile south), Lower Higham (1 mile north), Shorne (1 mile west), Shorne Ridgeway (1 mile south-west) and Mockbeggar (2 miles east). We also work in nearby towns such as Gillingham (6 miles south-east), Chatham (5 miles south-east), Rainham (8 miles south-east), Luton (5 miles south-east), Park Wood (8 miles south-east) and Lordswood (7 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Higham
In Higham, that means kitchens and buildings near Rede Common, Sir John Falstaff Public House and Strood Academy. For rail, the closest station is Higham station, roughly 0.9 miles north-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Rochester Castle (2.6 miles south-east) and French Hospital (2.8 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Gad's Hill and Rede Common.
When to call us in Higham
Fats, oils and grease from cooking and washing up go down the sink. In the trap, they cool and separate, and the layer gets thicker day by day.
These are the problems we see most often:
- Grease setting in the kitchen pipework
- Gurgling drains in the kitchen
- A larger grease trap that needs emptying
- A kitchen drain that smells
If you look after a school kitchen, at a school such as Higham Primary School or anywhere near Higham, the holidays are the time for a deep clean or a grease trap clean.
What your quote should include
- What insurance they carry
- Whether the price is fixed
- How VAT is shown on the quote
- How they set the interval to the next visit
Fixed quotes for grease trap cleaning in Higham
Sites vary more than people expect. The main factors:
- What state the system is in
- Site requirements such as sign-in and permits
- How easy every part is to reach
- Travel, parking and unloading
Kitchens, offices, schools and hospitals are all priced the same way: how much there is, how we reach it, what state it’s in and when we can work. Ask for a fixed quote and we’ll go through it with you.
What to send for a quote
When you contact us, these details help:
- Your opening hours and when the area is out of use
- Any access panels or hatches you can see
- Your last certificate, test record or report
- Where the site is and what kind of site it is
The quickest way to a quote is to send pictures: wide shots of the system, close-ups of anything that worries you and how we’d get to it. Tell us what kind of site it is and when it’s open, and we can price many jobs without a visit.
For landlords and multi-site operators
When the building owner and the occupier are different, it’s worth checking the lease for who maintains the systems. We can quote either party, and the report can go to both.
The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty to manage fire risk on the responsible person, and that can be the employer, the owner, a landlord, a facilities manager or a managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
Higham questions
Do you work in villages like Higham?
Yes. Villages and rural sites across the South East are part of our work, Higham included. A survey first, from photos or a visit, means we arrive with the right kit.
Can you work in school kitchens in Higham during the holidays?
Yes, holiday work suits schools best. There are about 5 schools, colleges and universities on the FSA’s food hygiene register within about 1.5 miles of Higham. Booking early in the term gives the best choice of holiday dates.
Can one contract cover all our sites?
Yes. You deal with one contact for every site in our area, with visits on a regular schedule.
How often should a grease trap be cleaned?
It varies. The interval depends on how quickly your trap fills and we will advise on timing.
Are you fully insured?
Yes. We’re fully insured, and the details are available on request.
Are you accredited?
Duct Doctor is a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. We also hold CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we’re fully insured.
Do you clean under-sink and inline grease traps?
We cover under-sink, inline and interceptor units. They’re emptied, cleaned and checked whatever the size.
Can you give me a price for grease trap cleaning?
Every trap is different, so we quote once we know what you have. We give you a fixed price, normally within one working day.
How the visit works
We are used to working while the site is closed. Evenings, nights and weekends are when much of our work happens, so the site can open as normal afterwards. On site, the work takes an hour or so for an under-sink trap, longer for a larger unit. For a village or hamlet like Higham, tell us about narrow lanes, gates and parking when you book.
- We find the trap and check how it’s connected.
- Nothing drains into the trap while it’s open.
- We take out the layer of fat, oil and grease and any solids.
- We clean the chambers, baffles and connections.
- The trap is reassembled, checked for leaks and the waste taken away.
Before we arrive
- Plan for cooking equipment or plant to be off before we arrive
- Let us know how we reach the system, including roofs, risers and plant rooms
- Clear the space around the work
Getting a quote
Every quote begins with a look at the system, either from pictures and details you send or from a site visit. After that, you get a fixed price for the work, before any work starts.