Greater London · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections and grease testing in Barnsbury, Greater London
TR19 inspection in Barnsbury, surveyed first and signed off with a written report and pictures. Ask us for a fixed quote.
- Sections of duct that can’t be reached
- Confirming a clean reached the whole system
- Cleaning intervals that may not suit the kitchen
What we do, step by step
Our technicians bring everything the work needs, from protective sheeting to tools and access equipment. All we need from you is clear access and the right equipment switched off. The visit takes around an hour or two per canopy and duct system. A name and number for whoever controls access to the building in Barnsbury saves time on the night.
- First we book a time that will not disrupt cooking.
- We look over the canopy, plenum, ducts, fan and discharge.
- Grease readings are taken at set points using WFTT or DTT.
- Photos are taken at each point, and access gaps noted.
- We send a report setting out the readings, photos and next steps.
How to prepare
- Dig out any earlier paperwork for the system
- Clear loose items from the work area
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
Ask for a quote
Some systems can be priced from photos; others need a survey. Larger sites, and anything hidden behind walls, ceilings or floors, are normally surveyed first. Either way, the quote is fixed before any work is booked.
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TR19 inspection for kitchens and businesses in Barnsbury
Grease thickness testing tells you how much grease is sitting in the canopy, ducts and fan. Readings are taken at set points using the Wet Film Thickness Test (WFTT) or the Deposit Thickness Test (DTT). From the numbers, you can see whether cleaning is due. We are often asked to deal with missing TR19 certificates or history and confirming a clean reached the whole system, across pre-clean surveys, deposit thickness tests and post-clean checks.
In a London area like Barnsbury, a kitchen extract often passes through shared space on its way out: a riser, a service void, the floors above. A duct fire there can reach parts of the building far from the range, so a regular TR19® clean protects everyone in it.
It’s worth checking any contractor’s accreditations. Ours are BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, plus CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we are fully insured.
- Place
- Barnsbury (N1, N1P, N7)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Reporting
- Certificate plus before-and-after pictures
- Quote
- A fixed price before work begins
- Hours
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
When to call us in Barnsbury
Records can go missing when a business changes hands or contractors. Without them, nobody knows how much grease is in the system or when it was last cleaned.
Clients typically contact us after spotting something like this:
- Sites with gaps in their extract records
- Sections of duct that can’t be reached
- Cleaning intervals that may not suit the kitchen
- Kitchen extract systems with no recent grease readings
Volunteers running a hall kitchen near Former Church of St Clement, or anywhere in Barnsbury, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it.
Before you book anyone
- Whether the figure could change on the day
- Whether the quote is based on a survey or pictures
- Their accreditations, such as BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite, CHAS or SafeContractor
- Proof of insurance
Towns and villages near Barnsbury
More services for Barnsbury
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
Away from the kitchen, the in-house job is mainly checking: clear grilles, a log of filter changes and reporting anything odd. Cleaning inside ducts and units is specialist work.
Day-to-day cleaning is something your team can do: wiping down canopy surfaces, cleaning filters and keeping a simple log. What they cannot safely do is clean inside the ductwork, the fan or the risers, which is where we come in.
Questions from Barnsbury
Who carries out food hygiene inspections in Barnsbury?
That’s Islington council, whose environmental health officers carry out food hygiene inspections in Barnsbury. Have your latest TR19® certificate and photo report to hand, as an officer may ask how the extract is maintained.
Can a school canteen extract in Barnsbury be done out of term time?
Yes. The holidays are the usual time for school work. Around Barnsbury, the Food Standards Agency lists about 62 schools and colleges with registered kitchens within a mile and a half or so. Send us your term dates when you call us on 0345 646 2711, or email photos, and we will fit the work in.
What is post-clean verification?
We visit after a clean, take readings at set points and photograph the system. Any areas that weren’t cleaned properly are flagged.
How do you protect the area?
Floors and surfaces near the work are sheeted before any work starts, and anything we remove is contained. Before we leave, we tidy up and clean down.
Is TR19 cleaning the law?
No. TR19® is BESA’s specification and the industry benchmark, not legislation. The legal duty comes from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which requires the responsible person to reduce fire risk, and insurers, fire officers and EHOs look to TR19® as the benchmark.
What do you need from me for a quote?
Only a few details: where it is, what kind of site, when it’s open and the access. Photos and any previous paperwork make it quicker. Then give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form.
When should we have our next grease test?
That varies with the kitchen’s daily use. BESA sets minimum cleaning intervals of 3, 6 or 12 months by daily use, and grease readings help set the real interval.
Do you look at the system first?
Yes. We always survey first, from your photos and details, or with a visit where necessary. Then you get a fixed quote.
Between visits
So the system stays in good health:
- Send TR19 audit reports to your insurer on request
- Flag oily drips near the extract
- Keep TR19 certificates, readings and reports together
- Mention new equipment or longer hours at the next test
You get a report with the grease readings, where they were taken and photos of each point. File it alongside your TR19 certificates.
Regular grease readings keep the cleaning interval honest. It shows if build-up is speeding up.
What happens if it’s left?
Catching heavy deposits early keeps the fix small. Ignored, the layer only gets thicker. In a London building, a problem in a duct, damper or fan rarely stays in one unit.
Working hours, access and the scale of the site all affect the cost. Each of those is built into the quote and give you a fixed price before any work starts.
Why choose Duct Doctor in Barnsbury
- Fully insured
- Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus 24/7 emergency callout
- Fixed quotes from a survey or pictures
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
See our cost guide and how to check a contractor.
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
If you look after several sites, we can schedule visits across all of them on one quote. Every building has its own written report, so each one has its own record.
Where a tenant occupies the premises but the landlord owns the building, it’s worth checking the lease for who maintains the systems. We’re happy to deal with either side, and the report can go to both.
Kitchen extracts in Barnsbury
The Food Standards Agency lists about 208 pubs, bars and clubs and about 61 hotels, B&Bs and guest houses as registered food businesses in Barnsbury and the streets around it, up to about 1.5 miles out. Any of them serving cooked food has an extract to keep clean, from canopy to discharge. Food hygiene inspections in Barnsbury are the job of Islington council’s environmental health team. A greasy canopy or dripping filters are the sort of thing an inspection can pick up. Our report lists what was cleaned and when, which is useful to have ready. The fire and rescue service for Barnsbury is London Fire Brigade. Its fire safety officers can audit commercial kitchens, and grease in the extract is part of a kitchen’s fire risk.
If you run a café or takeaway near Caledonian Road & Barnsbury station, early starts and late finishes leave little time to clean, so overnight extract cleaning suits. Healthcare kitchens, like those at hospitals such as King's College Hospital Charity (about under half a mile south-west), often cook for long hours, which puts them in BESA’s heavier-use bands.
Barnsbury is about 1 mile north of St Pancras, in Greater London. Whatever kind of site you run in Barnsbury, we can take on TR19 inspection. We can work out of hours so trading is not interrupted. Barnsbury is one of 764 places in Greater London we cover for commercial clients.
All of N1, N1P and N7 is covered for TR19 inspection, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We cover sites on Cliff Road, Lough Road and North Road and the roads around them. Being close to the A5200 and A5203, Barnsbury is easy for our technicians to reach for TR19 inspection. Nearby, we also carry out TR19 inspection in Lower Holloway (1 mile north), Islington (1 mile south-east), Agar Town (1 mile south-west), Pentonville (1 mile south-east) and Holloway (1 mile north). Larger places within reach include London (3 miles south), City of Westminster (3 miles south-west), Kensington (5 miles south-west), Walthamstow (5 miles north-east), Whitechapel (3 miles south-east) and Hampstead (3 miles west).
Landmarks near Barnsbury
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, St Mary Magdalene Academy and Bingfield Park. Other local landmarks include Musical Theatre Academy (0.5 miles north-east) and The White Horse Public House (less than half a mile north-west). Barnsbury has its own railway station: Caledonian Road & Barnsbury station. A little further out are Brunswick Centre (1.4 miles south) and Montfichet's Tower (2.2 miles south). For a walk, there’s Dartmouth Park Hill and Barnsbury Wood.
When something else is needed
We will not sell you work that doesn’t address the problem, so here are the limits:
- The legal duty, which stays with the responsible person
- Removing the grease, which is a separate clean
- Hidden runs that need access panels first
If you are not sure, just call 0345 646 2711 or send us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer.
Parts of the system we cover
- Access surveys
- Wet film thickness tests
- Post-clean checks
- Insurer audits
- Pre-clean surveys
- Deposit thickness tests