Hertfordshire · AL5
Kitchen extract cleaning in AL5
We cover every part of the AL5 postcode district, including Harpenden, Batford and Kinsbourne Green. You get a certificate and photo report after every clean.
Places in AL5
What we do in AL5
- Ductwork cleaning
- Grease filter exchange
- Fire damper testing
- Extract fan repair and replacement
- Ventilation duct cleaning
- Kitchen extract cleaning
- Canopy and hood cleaning
- Extract fan cleaning
- Air handling unit cleaning
- Grease trap cleaning
- TR19 inspections and grease testing
- Commercial kitchen deep cleaning
- All services
Let us know the job and your postcode and we’ll give you a clear price: ring 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form.
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Kitchen extract cleaning in AL5: how it works
Duct Doctor has been cleaning kitchen extract systems since 2009. As a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, we clean to BESA TR19® Grease, and we are fully insured, with CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001. The work covers extract fans, plenums and filters and horizontal duct runs, and common reasons people get in touch are rancid smells from grease in the duct and cleaning needed before an insurance renewal or survey.
The first job on site is protection: sheeting goes over floors and surfaces close to the work. Then we make the system safe and start. The work on site takes a few hours for a small kitchen, longer for a large system, and we clear up before we go.
- Diagnosis comes first, with a survey of the system and how it’s reached.
- We record grease levels at set points, then fix the price.
- We arrive after close, protect the area and contain the waste.
- Heavy deposits are scraped by hand and the system degreased to TR19® Grease.
- The sign-off: post-clean readings, a TR19 certificate and a photo report with the next clean date.
What you will pay
When the work has to happen, how we reach it and how big the site is can all change the price. Each of those is built into the quote and give you a fixed price before work begins.
Why choose Duct Doctor
- Fixed quotes, normally within one working day
- A written report with pictures after each visit
- Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus 24/7 emergency callout
- Full insurance on every job
Ask for a quote
Photos are the quickest way to a quote: 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 many jobs can be priced from that alone.
Around Harpenden
In Harpenden, that means kitchens and buildings near St Nicholas Church, Lydekker Park and Sir John Lawes School and the streets around them. Also close by are Harpenden Academy (within half a mile west) and The Junction pub (under half a mile south-west). Harpenden has its own railway station: Harpenden station. Other landmarks nearby include Harpenden Museum (less than half a mile south-west) and Luton Castle (5 miles north-west). For a walk, there’s Wheathampstead Local Nature Reserve and Verulamium Lake.
Where we work in AL5
Across AL5, from Harpenden, Batford and Kinsbourne Green outwards, kitchens range from town-centre restaurants and takeaways to pubs, hotels, schools and care homes. Every one gets the same full TR19® clean, from the canopy to the discharge.
AL5 is within the area we cover, which takes in London and the South East. Every job is surveyed first and quoted at a fixed price.
Harpenden: A hospital like St Albans City Hospital, about 3.9 miles south, is the kind of site where a kitchen may cook for patients, staff and visitors all day. A hall kitchen that only cooks for events, whether near St Nicholas Church or elsewhere in Harpenden, still needs its extract cleaned, just less often.
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty to manage fire risk on the responsible person, which may be the employer, owner, landlord, FM or managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
If you look after several sites, we can plan visits across the whole estate and price them together. Each site gets its own report and pictures, so each one has its own record.
What the work involves, part by part
Extract fan and discharge
At the end of the system is the discharge, which can collect grease and stain the surface around it. It’s cleaned as far as safe access allows, and any limits are recorded.
Grease filters
Filters need cleaning far more often than the duct and we offer a filter exchange service for that. Clean filters slow the build-up further down the system.
What we’re called out for in AL5
A kitchen in AL5 builds up grease in the same places as any other: in long flat runs, at bends and changes of direction, and in the fan housing. Cooler sections of duct collect the most.
Most sites get in touch when they notice one of these:
- An extract that no longer clears the smoke
- Stale cooking odours from the system
- A kitchen taken over without any extract records
- Extraction mentioned at an environmental health visit
Between visits
Good habits slow the build-up between visits. A few tips:
- Clean grease off the canopy surfaces regularly
- Keep grease collection points emptied
- Switch the fan on before cooking starts
- Flag any change in how the extract sounds or works
The report gives a recommended date for the next clean, based on your cooking hours and the grease we measured. We can put the system on a 3, 6 or 12-monthly plan, so the date is not missed.
Regular filter cleaning is the simplest thing a kitchen can do. Clean, well-fitted filters catch more fat before it reaches the duct, which slows build-up further down the system.
How we price kitchen extract cleaning
The quote reflects the site in front of us. We take into account:
- The times the site is available
- How big the system is
- How many systems or sites are involved
- Site rules, permits and inductions
Whatever the type of site, the quote works the same way: the size of the job, access, condition and working hours. Ask for a fixed quote and we will explain each part.
What we need to know
To speed up the quote, send us:
- The times we could work without disrupting the site
- Where the site is and what kind of site it is
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- The paperwork from the last visit, if you have it
Want a quote for kitchen extract cleaning? Please give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or email us with a few details about the site. We will explain what we’d do and send a fixed quote before anything is booked.
FAQs for AL5
How much does kitchen extract cleaning cost?
Size, condition, access and working hours all affect the cost. Ask us for a fixed quote and we will typically reply within one working day.
Do you have a 24/7 line?
Yes, day and night, every day of the year. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and the emergency line covers the rest.
How often should a kitchen extract be cleaned?
The minimum is set by BESA guidance on daily use, from 3-monthly to 12-monthly. Heavy frying and grilling can mean shorter intervals, and readings will tell you.
How long does it take to clean a kitchen extract system?
That depends on the size of the system, the amount of grease and the number of access points. As a guide, it takes a few hours for a small kitchen, longer for a large system.
Do you survey before quoting?
Yes, always. Diagnosis comes before treatment: the survey shows what needs doing and what access we need and the fixed quote is built on it.
Can you look after several sites?
Yes. We work across South East England and London, so we can schedule a run of sites on one programme. Every site has its own report.
Do I have to clean my extract to TR19 by law?
The legal duty sits in the Fire Safety Order 2005 rather than in TR19 itself. TR19 is the industry benchmark for meeting that duty in a kitchen extract, and an insurer may refuse or reduce a claim without it.