West Sussex · Grease trap cleaning
Grease Trap Cleaning in Mackerel's Common
Emptying and cleaning of under-sink and inline grease traps in commercial kitchens in Mackerel's Common, surveyed first and signed off with a written report and photos. Call for a fixed quote.
- A full, neglected grease trap
- A bad smell from the sinks or drains
- A routine grease trap service
How we handle grease trap cleaning in Mackerel's Common
A grease trap is the kitchen drain’s first line of protection. When it’s looked after, you hardly know it’s there, but neglected, it causes blockages and smells. A regular clean keeps it healthy. The work covers school and care home kitchens, restaurants and takeaways and kitchen waste pipes, and people most often call us about a small trap that fills too quickly and a regular cleaning plan for the grease trap.
In a village or hamlet like Mackerel's Common, commercial kitchens are few, perhaps a pub, a school or a care home. Wherever there is one, it needs its grease trap and hard-to-reach areas kept clean.
Accreditations are easy to claim and worth checking. Ours are BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, plus CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, with full insurance on top.
- Where
- Mackerel's Common (RH14)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Paperwork
- Written report with photos
- Quote
- A fixed price before we start
- Hours
- When your site is closed, plus a 24/7 line
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
How the visit works
On the day, we arrive at the time agreed with you, often in the evening, overnight or at the weekend so the site keeps working. Equipment that has to be off is switched off and allowed to cool before work begins, and the area around the work is covered and protected. On site, it takes an hour or two in most kitchens, depending on the size and condition of the trap. Somewhere as small as Mackerel's Common, the date and timings are agreed with you well before the day.
- We find the trap and check how it’s connected.
- We ask for the sinks that drain into the trap not to be used.
- We take out the layer of fat, oil and grease and any solids.
- The inside, baffles and pipe connections are cleaned.
- Once it’s refitted, water is run through to check it drains, and we take the waste with us.
Preparing for the visit
- Let us know about parking and loading
- Mention any sign-in, permit or induction we need
- Tell us about access, such as roof hatches, plant rooms, ceilings or locked areas
Get a fixed quote
Getting a quote does not take long. Call or email with a few details and you’ll normally have a fixed price within one working day. If we need to see the system first, we book a survey around your hours.
Advice
Mackerel's Common: your questions answered
Do you work overnight in Mackerel's Common?
Yes. We work evenings, overnight and at weekends. That way a site in Mackerel's Common does not have to lose a day’s trading. Just phone us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email with your opening times and we’ll plan around them.
Who would carry out a food hygiene inspection at a kitchen in Mackerel's Common?
In Mackerel's Common, it’s Chichester council that carries out food hygiene inspections. An officer may look behind equipment and at drains, so it pays to have the deep clean booked before those areas build up.
Is TR19 cleaning required by law?
No. TR19® is BESA’s specification, not legislation. The law is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which makes the responsible person assess and reduce fire risk, and cleaning to TR19® is the recognised way to show grease is under control.
What types of premises do you cover?
All kinds of commercial and public premises: kitchens, offices, schools, healthcare, retail, leisure and food production. Work is timed around how each site runs.
What about areas you cannot get to?
We never leave them off the paperwork. You will know exactly which parts weren’t reached and why, and we can quote to improve the access.
How do you protect the area?
We start with protection: floor sheeting and covers over nearby surfaces and equipment. We tidy up and take our waste away before we leave.
What happens to the waste?
Anything we remove is contained as we work and taken away with us, from grease and debris to used cleaning water. We do not leave it behind.
Do I get a report after the visit?
Yes, always. It’s a dated, written report with photos, and TR19® Grease cleans come with a certificate through the BESCA VHE portal. File it with your fire safety records.
When something else is needed
To be straight with you, there are a few things this work will not fix:
- A trap undersized for the amount of cooking
- Sewer problems outside the premises
- Grease deep in the drains, which needs jetting by a drainage contractor
If in doubt, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we will say what we think before you book.
Where we work
- Pot wash sinks
- Under-sink grease traps
- School and care home kitchens
- Kitchen waste pipes
- Inline grease traps
- Restaurants and takeaways
Places near Mackerel's Common
What else we do in Mackerel's Common
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
When your team notices a problem between visits, like drips, unusual noise, smells or damaged filters, they should report it rather than try to fix it. We can diagnose it and quote.
Day-to-day cleaning is something your team can do: 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, and that is where we come in.
Different parts, different methods
Restaurant and takeaway kitchens
Kitchens that fry and wash up all day fill their traps quickly. A shorter cleaning interval usually suits them.
Grease interceptors
An interceptor works on the same principle as a smaller trap. Grease floats and solids sink.
Looking after it afterwards
Aftercare is simple, and it makes the next visit easier:
- Collect waste cooking oil separately
- Use strainers in the sink plugholes
- Do not store things on top of the trap
- Keep the grease trap on a regular cleaning schedule
Once the trap is cleaned and refitted, the sinks can be used straight away. Water is run through to check everything flows before we go.
A trap that is left too long stops catching grease. Regular emptying keeps it working and avoids a blockage.
What grease trap cleaning looks like in Mackerel's Common
It’s Chichester council that sends environmental health officers to food businesses in Mackerel's Common. Grease behind equipment or on a ceiling is the kind of thing an inspection can note. A cleaning log that includes deep cleans and grease trap visits shows the work is planned. About 37 miles out from central London, Mackerel's Common is part of the South East area we work across. The visit is fixed around your opening hours, not ours.
If you run a church or community hall kitchen, near The Parish Church of St John the Baptist or elsewhere in Mackerel's Common, a deep clean and an emptied grease trap before a busy season of events are worth booking. If you run a kitchen in an older building near Mackerel's Common, such as a historic house like Petworth House (about 4.6 miles south-west), older drains make a working grease trap all the more important.
Mackerel's Common is about 10 miles west of Horsham, in West Sussex. Mackerel's Common gets the same approach as every site we work on: a survey first, a fixed quote, work timed around your hours and a report with pictures. Our area takes in 371 places across West Sussex, large and small. For sites nearby, see our Guildford page, about 14 miles away.
Postcode districts we cover here for grease trap cleaning: RH14. Other places close to Mackerel's Common include Kirdford (1 mile south), Plaistow (2 miles north), Ifold (2 miles north), Balls Cross (2 miles south-west) and Wisborough Green (2 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Horsham (10 miles east), Broadfield (15 miles east), Storrington (9 miles south-east), Billingshurst (5 miles east), Bewbush (15 miles east) and Angmering (15 miles south).
What’s near Mackerel's Common
For rail, the closest station is Billingshurst station, about 4.8 miles south-east of the centre. Not far away are The Mens and Shillinglee Lake.
For landlords and multi-site operators
Running several sites is easier with one contractor. We cover South East England and London, so a run of sites can go into one programme and kept to a regular schedule.
Records are where multi-site compliance often slips. Each visit ends with a dated report and pictures, so you can show an insurer or inspector what was done at each site.
Why deal with it now?
A dirty grease trap smells. Rotting food and grease give off foul odours that can reach the kitchen and beyond. Cleaning it removes the cause. In a small place like Mackerel's Common, a system that fails can take a site out of use.
Leaving it longer rarely makes the work cheaper. Problems in a system tend to grow, which can make the next visit longer. If you’re unsure, call us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we’ll give you an honest view and a fixed quote.
Why choose Duct Doctor in Mackerel's Common
- BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- Survey first, then a fixed quote
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
Take a look at what affects the cost or our accreditations and certificates.