Greater London · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections and grease testing in Chelsea, Greater London
TR19 inspection across Chelsea and nearby, timed so the site keeps working and finished with a written report and pictures.
- Cleaning intervals that may not suit the kitchen
- Parts of the system left out of past cleans
- Systems that need surveying before cleaning
TR19 inspection for kitchens and businesses in Chelsea
A fixed schedule doesn’t always match how a kitchen really cooks. Some kitchens build up grease faster than the minimum intervals assume, which is why measurement matters. We give your risk assessment measured figures rather than guesses. We are often asked to deal with ductwork where grease may be over the TR19 limits and systems that need surveying before cleaning, on wet film thickness tests, post-clean checks and deposit thickness tests.
In a London area like Chelsea, a kitchen extract often passes through shared space on its way out: a riser, a service void, the floors above. Grease in a duct like that is a fire risk to the whole building, not just the kitchen, which is why keeping it clean to TR19® matters.
The paperwork matters as much as the work. You get a written report with photos after each visit, listing what was done, anything we couldn’t reach and when the next visit is due. Keep it with your fire safety records so it’s to hand when an insurer or inspector asks.
- Place
- Chelsea (SW3, SW10, SW1X, SW1W)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Paperwork
- Certificate plus before-and-after pictures
- Quote
- A fixed price before work begins
- When we work
- When your site is closed, plus a 24/7 line
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Checked
- 30 October 2026
What staff can safely do
For ventilation and air handling systems, in-house care is mostly about checks: clear grilles, a log of filter changes and reporting anything odd. The inside of ducts and units needs a specialist.
Staff cleaning and specialist work aren’t the same thing. A daily filter wipe and a weekly filter wash keep grease down at the front of the system, but they don’t reach the grease that builds up further in. Reaching it takes a specialist with the right equipment.
Common problems we fix in Chelsea
Grease builds up as cooking vapour cools inside the extract. The thickest layers can sit out of sight in the plenum, at bends and along flat runs.
Look out for these warning signs:
- Kitchens whose menu or hours have changed
- Pre-clean surveys before a first TR19 clean
- Extracts that have never been grease tested
- Confirming a clean reached the whole system
Historic houses near Chelsea, such as Carlyle's House about 0.4 miles south-west, are a reminder that older buildings with event kitchens can have long, awkward duct routes.
What to look for in a quote
- What records you will receive afterwards
- When they can work, and whether that is outside your opening hours
- How VAT is shown on the quote
- How they set the interval to the next visit
How the job changes from site to site
Canopy and plenum
The plenum behind the filters can carry a lot of grease. We take readings there and photograph it as part of every survey.
Horizontal duct runs
Grease can gather thickly at bends and along long runs, well away from where anyone looks.
What TR19 inspection looks like in Chelsea
The FSA’s food hygiene register shows about 1,391 cafés, restaurants and staff canteens and about 158 takeaways within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Chelsea. Where they cook under a canopy, a grease reading is the way to tell whether the extract is due a clean. Most London extract cleaning happens at night, after the last service. In Chelsea, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Kensington and Chelsea council. Extraction counts as kitchen equipment, so its condition can come up on the day. A dated certificate in the maintenance file answers the question before it’s asked.
Where a hall near Former Welsh Congregational Church, or anywhere in Chelsea, hosts lunch clubs or events, its extract gathers grease just as a café’s does. Healthcare kitchens cannot easily close, so their extracts are cleaned overnight or between meal services; the nearest hospital to Chelsea is Royal Brompton Hospital, about within half a mile west.
Chelsea is about 2 miles south-east of Kensington, in Greater London. Anywhere in SW3, we can carry out TR19 inspection at your premises. Across Greater London, we cover 764 places, Chelsea among them.
We work across SW3, SW10, SW1X and SW1W for TR19 inspection and the streets around it. Whether your site is on Markham Square, Wellington Square and Tedworth Square or anywhere close by, our technicians can take on the work. Main roads around Chelsea include the B302 and B304, which makes travel easy for TR19 inspection. Other places close to Chelsea include Brompton (1 mile north), South Kensington (1 mile west), Little Chelsea (1 mile south-west), Belgravia (1 mile north-east) and World's End (1 mile south-west). Further out, we also cover London (3 miles east), St Pancras (3 miles north-east), Shoreditch (5 miles north-east), Walthamstow (9 miles north-east), Hoxton (5 miles north-east) and Whitechapel (5 miles north-east).
What’s near Chelsea
Typical jobs here are in premises near Burton’s Court, St Thomas More RC Language College and Markham Arms Public House, among other places. You will also find Natural History Museum Library and Archives (0.7 miles north-west) and Hellenic College of London (0.5 miles north). For rail, the closest station is London Victoria station, about 1 mile north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Baynard's Castle (3.2 miles north-east) and Harrods (0.7 miles north). Not far away are Campden Hill and Battersea Park Lake.
What we do, step by step
Everything the job needs comes with us, including protection sheets, the right tools and access kit. You only need to give us clear access and switch off what needs to be off. The visit takes a couple of hours for a typical kitchen extract system. If your building in Chelsea has sign-in rules, permits or key holders, mention them when you book.
- After the clean, we arrange a time to check the system.
- We open the access points used on the clean.
- We repeat the WFTT or DTT readings.
- We photograph each area to record how it was left.
- We report the findings and flag any areas that need more work.
Getting ready for the visit
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
- Clear loose items from the work area
How to get 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 we can price many jobs without a visit.
Advice
What affects the quote in Chelsea
The quote reflects the site in front of us. We take into account:
- How big the system is
- The condition we find in the survey
- Where the site is and how we reach it
- Any permits to work or inductions
No two sites are the same, so we price each one individually. Size, access, the condition of the system and when we can work all make a difference.
What to send for a quote
You do not need the technical terms. It helps if you can send:
- Any symptoms, from odd noises to smells or leaks
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- How we’d reach plant on a roof or in a plant room
- The times we could work without disrupting the site
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, you get a fixed price before we start.
Between visits
Results last longer with the right care. We suggest:
- Clean or swap grease filters as often as the kitchen needs
- Clean grease off the canopy between professional cleans
- Store grease readings where your insurer can see them
- Diary the next grease test and clean
If any reading is 500 microns or more, the report flags it for immediate spot cleaning, and we can quote to do it.
Close the access gaps found during inspection, so grease is not left building in hidden parts.
Chelsea: your questions answered
Do you work overnight in Chelsea?
Yes, evening, overnight and weekend work is normal for us. The site is handed back ready to open. Your opening times are the first thing we ask for.
Do you clean school canteen extracts around Chelsea out of term?
Yes. Half-terms and the summer break are the natural time for school work. There are about 65 schools, colleges and universities on the FSA’s food hygiene register within about 1.5 miles of Chelsea. You can phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form with the dates the site is empty.
What does TR19 inspection cost?
Every site is different, so each gets its own fixed quote. For a quote, call 0345 646 2711, or send details by email with the site type, opening hours and a few photos.
Can you set up regular visits?
Yes. We run scheduled maintenance contracts, with visits at the interval your system needs. Each report recommends when the next visit should be.
At what point does grease need cleaning?
Two figures matter: a mean of no more than 200 microns between cleans, and 500 microns at any single point, which needs immediate spot cleaning. Our report sets your readings against both.
Do you look at the system first?
Yes. We always survey first, either from pictures and details you send or on a site visit. Then you get a fixed quote.
What about areas you cannot get to?
They’re marked on the report. Often the fix is extra access, such as new panels in ductwork, and we can fit those.
What does TR19 mean?
A BESA specification, with two parts that matter most here: TR19® Grease for kitchen extract systems and TR19® Air for general ventilation. It isn’t legislation, but it’s the standard people check against.
Multi-site and managed buildings
From a single site to a large estate, you get the same standard: diagnosis, a fixed price, work booked around your hours and a written report with pictures.
Facilities teams in offices, schools and healthcare sites book us too in Chelsea and across Greater London. Work can be phased by floor, building or site to keep disruption down.