Reading · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections in Caversham
Looking for TR19 inspection in Caversham? We survey first, give you a fixed quote and work around your opening hours, finishing with a written report and photos.
- An insurer’s request for a TR19 audit
- Kitchen extract systems with no recent grease readings
- Ductwork where grease may be over the TR19 limits
What TR19 inspection looks like in Caversham
Food Standards Agency records list about 133 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 27 takeaways within about 1.5 miles of central Caversham. Kitchens like these cook for very different hours, and grease testing shows which extracts need cleaning soonest. Fire safety in Caversham falls to Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order. It’s Reading council that sends environmental health officers to food businesses in Caversham. An officer looking round a kitchen will see the canopy, and grease there is hard to miss. Keeping each certificate and photo report on file helps show the extract is looked after.
School kitchens, at schools like The Hill Primary School for example, are usually cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost. Kitchens that cook twelve hours or more a day, as some healthcare kitchens do, fall into BESA’s three-monthly minimum; Royal Berkshire Hospital is the nearest hospital to Caversham, about 1.9 miles south.
Caversham is about 2 miles north of Reading, in Reading. For TR19 inspection in and around Caversham, it’s easy to get a fixed quote: please call us on 0345 646 2711, or email photos. We work across South East England and London, including Caversham. Across Reading, we cover 34 places, and Caversham is one of them.
Our technicians cover all of RG4 for TR19 inspection and the streets around it. Streets in the area include Marshland Square, Church Road and Buckingham Gate, and we cover them all for TR19 inspection. Being close to the B3345, Caversham is easy for our technicians to reach for TR19 inspection. We also cover the places around Caversham: Emmer Green (1 mile north-east), Caversham Park Village (1 mile north-east), Lower Caversham (1 mile south), Caversham Heights (1 mile west) and Littlestead Green (1 mile north-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Norcot (3 miles south-west), Tilehurst Within (3 miles south-west), Shinfield (5 miles south), Arborfield Garrison (7 miles south-east), Horncastle (3 miles south-west) and Whitley Wood (4 miles south). As one of the bigger places in Reading, Caversham has a wide mix of commercial premises, all within our area for TR19 inspection.
Local landmarks in Caversham
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around Chiltern Nursery Nurse Training School, The White Horse pub and Eldon Square and the streets around them. Caversham’s nearest station is Reading station, about 1.3 miles south. Other landmarks nearby include Royal Berkshire Hospital (1.9 miles south) and Broad Street Mall (1.6 miles south). Not far away are South Lake and Sonning Hill.
About our TR19 inspection in Caversham
Many insurers ask for proof that kitchen extract systems are cleaned and inspected to TR19®. Without it, a claim can be refused or reduced. Our TR19 audits give sites in Caversham and across Reading a clear record of the system’s condition. If you have surveys needed before quoting a full clean and systems cleaned on a calendar with no measurements, we can put it right, from access surveys, post-clean checks and insurer audits onwards.
Kitchens in towns like Caversham are often in older buildings that were never designed for them, which can mean awkward duct routes, long flat runs and not enough access panels. Where the duct cannot be reached, new panels can be fitted, and anything left uncleaned is recorded on the report.
The report is your system’s health record: dated, with photos, and showing what was done. Grease extract cleans are also certificated to TR19® Grease through the BESCA VHE portal and sits alongside the report.
- Where
- Caversham (RG4)
- Wider area
- Reading
- Reporting
- Certificate and photo report
- Quote
- A fixed quote up front
- When we work
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
What happens if it’s left?
Do not wait for an EHO visit or insurance renewal to find gaps in your extract records. An inspection now gives a site in Caversham a current picture. Before an inspection or an insurer’s visit in Caversham, it helps to have up-to-date records.
When the work has to happen, how we reach it and how big the site is can all change the price. We take each of them into account, and the price is fixed before any work starts.
What you get with us
- In business since 2009
- Every visit written up, with pictures
- A fixed price before any work starts
- Fully insured
Take a look at what affects the cost or how to check a contractor.
What your team can do, and what needs us
Away from the kitchen, the in-house job is mainly checking: keeping grilles clear, noting unusual noise or smells and logging filter changes. The inside of ducts and units needs a specialist.
If your staff spot something between visits, such as dripping grease, a noisy fan, a smell or a filter that will not come clean, they should report it rather than try to fix it. We will take a look and give you a fixed quote.
Also near Caversham
What else we do in Caversham
Your questions about TR19 inspection in Caversham
Who would carry out a food hygiene inspection at a kitchen in Caversham?
That’s Reading council, whose environmental health officers carry out food hygiene inspections in Caversham. 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 Caversham be done out of term time?
Yes, holiday work suits schools best. There are about 12 schools, colleges and universities on the FSA’s food hygiene register within about 1.5 miles of Caversham. You can call us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line with the dates the site is empty.
Which sectors do you work in?
Any site with a kitchen or a ventilation system to look after, from a single café to a large school. We work with hotels, schools, care homes, offices, retail and leisure sites.
Is TR19 cleaning the law?
No, TR19® isn’t legislation. The Fire Safety Order 2005 still requires the responsible person to manage fire risk, and grease in the extract is part of that. Many insurers also expect TR19 cleaning.
How much notice do you need?
That depends on the slot you want and the size of the job. Mention your preferred dates with your enquiry, and if it’s an emergency, call us any time.
What do the grease readings need to be?
Between cleans, the mean should stay at 200 microns or below, and anywhere at 500 microns or more needs spot cleaning straight away.
How much time does an inspection need?
As a guide, it takes around an hour or two per canopy and duct system. The size of the system and the access make the difference.
Can you inspect our extract for our insurance company?
Yes, for kitchens across the South East and London. Share the insurer’s request so the report addresses it.
Multi-site and managed buildings
We work for landlords, managing agents and facilities managers as well as the people running the site. Shared systems, like a riser serving several units, need a clear agreement on who books the work, and we are happy to quote for all of it.
We regularly work with managing agents. Send the address, what’s needed and how access works, and we will send a fixed quote.
How it works
Protection comes first: sheeting goes over floors and surfaces close to the work. After that, the system is made safe and the work begins. It takes an hour or two for a single kitchen, longer for a large or complex system, and the area is cleaned down before we leave. Sites in a town like Caversham rarely need to lose trading hours, as the work fits around them.
- First we look at the system’s cleaning history, if there is one.
- We follow the extract from canopy to discharge.
- We note where access panels are and where more are needed.
- We measure the grease and photograph each point.
- You get a report and a fixed quote for the clean.
Before we arrive
- Tell us where we can park and unload
- Tell us about access, such as roof hatches, plant rooms, ceilings or locked areas
- Plan for cooking equipment or plant to be off before we arrive
Getting a quote
There’s no standard price list, because every site is different. We look at your system first, from photos or on a visit, and then give you a fixed quote. To get going, call 0345 646 2711, or email photos.
Advice
Between visits
Aftercare is simple, and it helps at the next visit:
- Send TR19 audit reports to your insurer on request
- Clean or swap grease filters as often as the kitchen needs
- Keep canopy edges and gutters wiped down
- Mention new equipment or longer hours at the next test
Where sections couldn’t be reached, the report says where access panels would help. With panels fitted, the next clean can cover every section.
Regular grease readings keep the cleaning interval honest. It shows if build-up is speeding up.
When to call us in Caversham
Records can go missing when a business changes hands or contractors. With no history, the current state of the extract is a guess.
Most sites get in touch when they notice one of these:
- Parts of the system left out of past cleans
- Surveys needed before quoting a full clean
- Cleaning intervals that may not suit the kitchen
- Ductwork where grease may be over the TR19 limits
A hall kitchen that only cooks for events, whether near Grace Church or elsewhere in Caversham, still needs its extract cleaned, just less often.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether the quote shows VAT
- Which accreditations they hold, and whether you can check them
- If the quote is a fixed price or an estimate
- What happens if part of the system cannot be accessed
Part by part
Canopy and plenum
Clean-looking filters do not mean a clean plenum. So we measure behind the filters, not just in front.
Restaurants, pubs and hotels
BESA’s minimum for heavy use of 12 to 16 hours a day is a clean every 3 months, with testing showing whether more is needed.