West Sussex · Grease trap cleaning

Grease trap cleaning in Houghton, West Sussex

For emptying and cleaning of under-sink and inline grease traps in commercial kitchens in Houghton, one call is all it takes: survey, fixed quote, work and sign-off. CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, ISO 9001 and fully insured.

  • An overdue grease trap
  • Drains that gurgle and bubble
  • Foul odours from the grease trap

Need grease trap cleaning in Houghton?

What the work involves, part by part

Grease interceptors

An interceptor works on the same principle as a smaller trap. Cooling water lets grease rise and solids settle.

Baffles and outlets

Every clean includes the baffles, inlet and outlet so the trap works as it should.

How we handle grease trap cleaning in Houghton

No two traps are quite the same. Under-sink units are small and fill quickly and larger traps hold more grease before they fill. We look at the trap, how much the kitchen uses it and how quickly it fills and suggest an interval that suits. If you have an under-sink unit that needs regular emptying and a blocked kitchen drain caused by grease, we can help, from kitchen waste pipes, pot wash sinks and inline grease traps onwards.

Rural kitchens may drain to a septic tank or a private drain rather than straight into a public sewer, so keeping fat out with a working grease trap matters even more.

We have been trading since 2009, as a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001 are in place too, and we carry full insurance.

Where
Houghton (BN18)
Wider area
West Sussex
Reporting
Photo report after each visit
Quotes
A fixed quote up front
Working hours
Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
Telephone
0345 646 2711
Last updated
30 October 2026
The Duct Doctor team standing beside their branded white and blue vans

Grease trap cleaning in Houghton: local notes

Food Standards Agency records include about 3 pubs and bars within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Houghton. Pub and hotel kitchens get the same build-up behind equipment and in the grease trap as any other. In Houghton, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Arun council. An inspection covers the structure of the kitchen as well as the food. Keeping a record of deep cleans and grease trap visits helps at inspection time. Houghton is about 46 miles from central London, well within the area we cover across London and the South East. We work evenings, overnight and at weekends, so the visit fits around the site.

If you run a church or community hall kitchen, near The Parish Church of St Nicholas or elsewhere in Houghton, a deep clean and an emptied grease trap before a busy season of events are worth booking. Healthcare kitchens, like those at hospitals such as Arundel and District Hospital (about 2.7 miles south), cook for long hours, so deep cleans and grease trap work are planned around patients’ meals. Half-term is a good time for school kitchens, at schools like Dorset House School for instance, to have the grease trap emptied and the kitchen deep cleaned.

Houghton is about 6 miles north of Littlehampton, in West Sussex. We carry out grease trap cleaning for commercial premises of every kind in Houghton and the rest of West Sussex. Across West Sussex, we cover 371 places, and Houghton is one of them. Our Brighton page covers sites nearby (19 miles or so).

Grease trap cleaning in BN18 is surveyed, quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. Close by, we work in Arundel (3 miles south), Warningcamp (3 miles south-east), Crossbush (3 miles south), Tortington (4 miles south) and Poling (4 miles south-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Worthing (8 miles south-east), Bognor Regis (9 miles south-west), Chichester (11 miles west), Selsey (15 miles south-west), Littlehampton (6 miles south) and Shoreham-by-Sea (13 miles east).

Near you in Houghton

Around Houghton, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near Arundel Park. The closest station to Houghton is Amberley station, about 0.5 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Arundel and District Hospital (2.7 miles south) and Amberley Castle (1.2 miles north-east). For a walk, there’s Amberley Wild Brooks and Bignor Hill.

Map of Houghton © OpenStreetMap contributors

Houghton: your questions answered

Do you cover smaller places like Houghton?

Yes. Villages and rural sites across the South East are part of our work, Houghton included. Photos of the system and directions to the site help us plan the visit.

Who would carry out a food hygiene inspection at a kitchen in Houghton?

Food hygiene inspections in Houghton are carried out by Arun council. An officer may look behind equipment and at drains, so it pays to have the deep clean booked before those areas build up.

What’s TR19?

TR19® is BESA’s specification for ventilation hygiene. TR19® Grease, a standalone specification since 2019, covers grease in kitchen extract systems, and TR19® Air covers general supply and extract systems.

Do you survey before quoting?

Yes. Photos often do the job, while bigger or harder-to-see systems are surveyed on site.

What do you do to protect the area?

Floors and surfaces near the work are sheeted before work begins, and anything we remove is contained. Before we leave, we tidy up and clean down.

Do you offer emergency callouts?

Yes, 24/7. Our office is open from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with the emergency line covering every other hour.

How regularly does a grease trap need emptying?

It depends on the size of the trap and how busy the kitchen is. Small under-sink units fill faster than larger traps and the busier the kitchen, the faster it fills. We will recommend a schedule once we have seen it.

What accreditations do you have?

We hold CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we are a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. Vent Hygiene Elite is run by BESCA and independently audited.

For landlords and multi-site operators

If you look after several sites, we can plan visits across the whole estate and price them together. Every building has its own written report, so records stay tidy.

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. Where responsibility is shared, records matter even more.

What happens on the day

Night work is normal for us. A lot of visits happen overnight or at weekends, so a kitchen or building can carry on as usual the next day. The visit itself takes a short visit for a small trap and longer for an inline unit or interceptor. A few pictures of the system help us make the most of a visit to a place like Houghton.

  1. First, we find the trap and look at its connections.
  2. We make sure nothing drains into the trap.
  3. Grease and solids are removed from the trap.
  4. We clean every part of the inside.
  5. The trap is refitted, tested with water and the waste taken away.

How to prepare

  • Arrange a key holder or contact on site
  • Clear loose items from the work area
  • Mention any parking or loading restrictions

Get a fixed quote

For a fixed quote, call 0345 646 2711, or send details by email with the site type, your trading hours and a short description of the system. Photos and the last report, if you have one, make the quote quicker. We usually come back within one working day.

Ask for a quote

Related advice

Why it’s worth doing now in Houghton

A blocked drain can stop a kitchen in its tracks. Sinks won’t empty, and dirty water can back up. Keeping the trap clean reduces the risk. With notice, the visit to Houghton can be fitted around your bookings and events.

Combining work into one visit or one programme can make for a more efficient booking. Tell us about everything you’d like looked at and we will price it together.

Why book with us

  • Full insurance on every job
  • Photo reports with every job
  • One contact for all your sites in London and the South East
  • Work around your opening hours, with 24/7 emergency cover

Take a look at how cleaning jobs are priced and our accreditations and certificates.

Between visits

Once we have finished, these simple steps help:

  • Make sure the trap can be reached easily
  • Do not rely on hot water to clear grease
  • Book trap cleans at a set interval
  • Act on gurgling or smelly drains

If we spot problems beyond the trap, such as a drain that still runs slowly, we’ll tell you. It may need a drainage specialist to investigate.

Grease that gets past the trap sets in the drains. Clearing it then is a bigger job so prevention is the easier route.

Staff cleaning versus specialist work

Day-to-day cleaning is something your team can do: wiping down canopy surfaces, cleaning filters and keeping a simple log. Inside the ducts, risers and fan is specialist work, which is where we come in.

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.

Honest limits

In fairness, some problems need a different fix:

  • Blockages further down the drainage network
  • A grease trap that is too small for the kitchen
  • Broken pipework below ground

If in doubt, call 0345 646 2711, or send details by email and we’ll say what we think.

Where we work

  • Inline grease traps
  • School and care home kitchens
  • Kitchen waste pipes
  • Under-sink grease traps
  • Restaurants and takeaways
  • Pot wash sinks
BESCA Vent Hygiene EliteMember, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
CHAS · SafeContractorISO 9001 and fully insured
Certificate and photo reportWith every clean
24/7 emergency calloutEvenings, nights and weekends
Since 2009South East England and London