Pre-clean surveys

Why we survey first

Every job we do is surveyed first. Kitchen extracts vary enormously: a short duct straight out through a wall, a long run above a ceiling, a riser through several floors of a hotel. Without knowing the route, the access and how much grease is inside, nobody can quote accurately or plan a clean that covers the whole system.

A survey is the diagnosis before the treatment. It means the right people and equipment arrive on the night, the clean covers everything it should, and the price you agreed is the price you pay.

A survey also protects you. It records the condition of the system before anyone starts, so you can see what the clean will deal with, and it flags anything we can’t reach before the night, not after. If something needs agreeing with a landlord, a neighbour or building management, such as roof access or work in a shared riser, the survey gives time to sort it out.

Photos and details, or a site visit

For many systems, a survey can be done from photos and details you send us: the canopy, the filters, where the duct goes, where the fan is and any access panels you know about. For larger or more complex systems, first cleans, multi-storey risers and sites with access problems, we’ll visit. Either way, you get a fixed quote, usually within one working day.

Helpful photos include the whole canopy, the filters in place, the inside of the plenum with a filter removed if it’s safe to do so, any access panels you can see, the fan if it’s easy to reach, and where the duct leaves the building. Tell us your opening hours and when the kitchen could be closed for cleaning.

What a full survey covers

• The route: canopy, plenum, horizontal runs, risers, attenuators, fan and discharge, traced and noted.
• Access: every existing access panel, and the sections that can’t be reached.
• Grease readings: taken by Wet Film Thickness Test (WFTT) or Deposit Thickness Test (DTT) at set points where we can reach them.
• Photos: of the system’s condition, so you can see what we saw.
• Working arrangements: roof and plant room access, keys, parking, working hours and anything else that affects the clean.
• Related items: fire dampers, odour control units and grease traps that may need attention.

Finding the gaps

One of the most useful things a survey shows is where the system can’t be cleaned. Many older systems don’t have enough access panels, so parts of the duct have never been reached. TR19® Grease expects those parts to be recorded on the report, but it’s far better to fix the problem. The survey shows where new access panels are needed, so they can be fitted before or during the first clean.

It’s also the time to spot other issues, such as damaged filters or a struggling fan.

Your survey report

You get a summary of what we found, photos, any grease readings, a list of access panels needed, our recommended cleaning interval based on your hours of cooking and BESA’s minimum frequencies, and a fixed quote for the work. If the system is close to or over BESA’s guidance (a mean of 200 microns between cleans, or 500 microns or more at any point), we’ll tell you plainly. Our article on what to expect from a pre-clean survey has more.

The report also becomes the baseline for future cleans. Readings and photos from the survey can be compared with those taken after the first clean, and with later visits, so you can see how quickly the system fouls and whether the cleaning interval is right.

When a survey is most useful

• Your first clean with us, or the first clean of a system in years.
• A kitchen you’ve just taken over.
• Large, shared or multi-storey systems.
• Previous reports listing large inaccessible sections.
• Before an insurer’s visit or audit (see TR19 audits for insurers).

What it costs

We don’t publish prices. Many surveys are done from photos and details as part of quoting. For a full site survey with readings, we’ll tell you what’s involved and agree it with you first.

There is no obligation to go ahead once you have the quote.