Greater London · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections and grease testing in Chinatown, Greater London
TR19 inspections and grease testing in Chinatown, surveyed first and signed off with a written report and pictures. Call for a fixed quote.
- Surveys needed before quoting a full clean
- Missing access panels found on survey
- Heavy grease suspected in the plenum or ducts
TR19 inspection for kitchens and businesses in Chinatown
After a clean, post-clean verification checks the result, with new readings and photos of the cleaned areas. It shows whether the system was left in the condition the paperwork describes. The work covers post-clean checks, access surveys and deposit thickness tests, and the jobs we see most are sites with gaps in their extract records and checking the result of a recent clean.
London kitchens tend to trade late and open early, so extract cleaning in Chinatown is usually done overnight, after the last service. Parking, loading and access to the roof are agreed with the building before the night of the clean.
The paperwork matters as much as the work. You get a written report with pictures 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
- Chinatown (W1F, W1D, W1T)
- Region
- Greater London
- Paperwork
- Certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- A fixed price before any work starts
- Working hours
- Nights, weekends or holidays to suit you
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
What TR19 inspection cannot fix
We’d rather tell you now than book work that will not help, so these are the things it won’t cover:
- Removing the grease, which is a separate clean
- Sections with no access, until panels are fitted
- Fan breakdowns, which need a repair visit
Not sure which it is? You can phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and we’ll tell you honestly before you book.
Parts of the system we cover
- Access surveys
- Wet film thickness tests
- Deposit thickness tests
- Pre-clean surveys
- Insurer audits
- Post-clean checks
Nearby places to Chinatown
Also in Chinatown
Different parts, different methods
Vertical risers
Vertical risers take the extract up through the floors. Grease can run down and collect at the base, so we check there.
Horizontal duct runs
Flat duct runs collect grease along their base. We test at points along the run through access panels.
What happens on the day
Your trading hours come first. We book the visit for a time the area is closed, whether that is an evening, overnight or a weekend. Once we’re in, the area is sheeted and anything that has to be off is turned off and cooled, and the work takes anything from an hour for a small canopy and short duct to a good part of a day for a large site. For a job in Chinatown, tell us about loading bays, permits, lifts and roof access when you book.
- First we book a time that won’t 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.
- You get a report with readings, pictures and recommendations.
Getting ready for the visit
- Let us know how we reach the system, including roofs, risers and plant rooms
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
- Let us know about permits to work or site inductions
Getting a quote
Want a quote for TR19 inspection? Please ring 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and tell us about the site. We’ll talk you through the work and give you a fixed quote before you commit to anything.
Read more
Staff cleaning versus specialist work
Good housekeeping makes our visits easier, not unnecessary. Clean filters and tidy surfaces slow the build-up, but the parts you can’t see still need a specialist at the right interval.
A few tasks are always specialist work: opening up ductwork, cleaning fans, drop testing fire dampers and measuring grease need training, the right equipment and safe access. Leave those to us.
Multi-site and managed buildings
Records are where multi-site compliance often slips. Each visit produces a dated report with photos, so you can show an insurer or inspector what was done at each site.
From a single site to a large estate, you get the same standard: a survey first, a fixed quote, the work timed around the site and a report with photos.
Why act early in Chinatown
Skipping grease testing leaves the cleaning interval to guesswork. If grease reaches 500 microns anywhere, TR19® Grease calls for immediate spot cleaning, which you won’t know without measuring. It’s better booked as a planned job in Chinatown than handled as an emergency.
Several systems or sites on one quote can make for a more efficient booking. Tell us about everything you’d like looked at and we will price it together.
Why book with us
- Ventilation hygiene specialists since 2009
- Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus 24/7 emergency callout
- A single point of contact for sites across the South East and London
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
Read our cost guide and our accreditations.
TR19 inspection around Chinatown
Look up Chinatown on the FSA’s food hygiene register and you’ll find about 4,059 restaurants, cafés and canteens and about 602 sandwich bars and takeaways within about 1.5 miles of central Chinatown. For any of them with a canopy, measuring grease is better than guessing when to clean. Environmental health officers from Westminster council inspect food businesses in Chinatown. A greasy canopy or dripping filters are the sort of thing an inspection can pick up. Before-and-after pictures from each clean are a simple way to show the extract is in hand. The fire and rescue service for Chinatown is London Fire Brigade. Grease in a kitchen extract is a recognised fire risk, and the fire authority enforces the law on managing it in most commercial premises.
If you run a café or takeaway near Tottenham Court Road station, early starts and late finishes leave little time to clean, so overnight extract cleaning suits. If you run catering at a healthcare site, such as a hospital like St James Workhouse about under half a mile north-west, the extract may need cleaning more often than a part-time kitchen. Volunteers running a hall kitchen near St Anne's Church, or anywhere in Chinatown, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it.
Chinatown is about 1 mile east of City of Westminster, in Greater London. Sites in Chinatown get the same service as everywhere we cover: diagnosis first, a fixed price, out-of-hours working where necessary and a written report with photos. Our Greater London coverage runs to 764 places, and Chinatown is one of them.
Every address in W1F, W1D and W1T is covered for TR19 inspection, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Whether your site is on Duck Lane, Drury Lane and Bruton Lane or a nearby road, we can help. Chinatown sits on or near the A4 and A301, which makes travel easy for TR19 inspection. We also cover Soho (1 mile north), St James's (1 mile south), West End (1 mile north-east), Seven Dials (1 mile north-east) and St Giles (1 mile north-east). Further out, we also cover Kensington (3 miles west), Shoreditch (3 miles north-east), Walthamstow (7 miles north-east), Hoxton (3 miles north-east), Whitechapel (3 miles east) and Hampstead (4 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Chinatown
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around LITE Regal International School, London Library and Waxy O'Connor's pub, among other places. Also close by are St Anne's Churchyard (less than half a mile north-west) and Harris Westminster Sixth Form (0.8 miles south). There’s a railway station in Chinatown itself: Tottenham Court Road station. Other landmarks nearby include Leverian collection (less than half a mile south-east) and Montfichet's Tower (1.3 miles east). For a walk, there’s Barnsbury Wood and St. James's Park Lake.
Common questions in Chinatown
Which fire authority looks after Chinatown?
It’s London Fire Brigade, which covers Chinatown. Records of extract cleaning are a sensible thing to have ready if a fire safety officer carries out an audit.
Can you come to Chinatown after we close?
Yes. We work evenings, overnight and at weekends. Your customers, staff or residents in Chinatown needn’t be disturbed. Tell us your opening hours when you ask for a quote.
How do you protect the area?
Protection goes down first: floor sheeting and covers over nearby surfaces and equipment. The area is left tidy, with our waste taken away.
What happens on a pre-clean survey?
A survey finds out how the system is laid out, how dirty it is and what can be reached, so the clean goes to plan. Missing access panels are noted so they can be sorted first.
What is grease thickness testing?
We measure the grease at set points with a WFTT or DTT test, then compare them with the TR19® Grease figures.
Is a quote from photos possible?
Yes, for many jobs. Send a few wide pictures plus close-ups of panels, filters or grilles, and we typically come back within one working day. If photos aren’t enough, we will survey first.
What is post-clean verification?
Post-clean verification is a check after a clean, with fresh grease readings and photos. It can follow our own cleans or another contractor’s.
How long does grease testing take?
An inspection takes around an hour or two per canopy and duct system. Large or multiple systems take longer, and you can call 0345 646 2711 or email us to book it in.
What affects the cost of TR19 inspection
We quote each job individually. These are the things that affect it:
- Where the site is and how we reach it
- One-off work versus a regular cycle
- Site rules, permits and inductions
- How big the system is
Kitchens, offices, schools and hospitals are all priced the same way: how much there is, how we reach it, what state it’s in and when we can work. Call for a fixed quote and we’ll go through it with you.
What to send for a quote
We can often survey from photos. Try to include:
- Anything you’ve noticed, such as smells, noise, drips or poor airflow
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- A few general shots of the system
- Any previous report or certificate
There’s no standard price list, because every site is different. We look at your system first, from pictures or on a visit, and then send you a fixed quote. To start, call us on 0345 646 2711, or email photos.