Kent · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections and grease testing in Chipstead, Kent
Looking for TR19 inspection in Chipstead? We diagnose first, fix the price and book the work around your hours, finishing with a written report and photos.
- Sections of duct that cannot be reached
- Kitchens taken over with no cleaning records
- An insurer’s request for a TR19 audit
TR19 inspection in Chipstead, done properly
BESA sets minimum cleaning intervals by daily use: heavy use (12 to 16 hours a day) every 3 months, moderate use (6 to 12 hours) every 6 months and light use (2 to 6 hours) every 12 months. Those are minimums, and grease readings help set the real interval. If you have an insurer’s request for a TR19 audit and systems that need surveying before cleaning, we can put it right, from post-clean checks, wet film thickness tests and pre-clean surveys onwards.
Somewhere as small as Chipstead, commercial kitchens are few: perhaps a pub, a school or care home kitchen, or a hall used for events. Each still has a canopy and duct that collect grease.
Good records are part of the job. Each visit is written up with photos, listing what was done, anything we couldn’t reach and when the next visit is due. File it in your maintenance log so it’s to hand when an insurer or inspector asks.
- Location
- Chipstead (TN13, TN14)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Records
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, usually within a working day
- Working hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
Keeping the system healthy
Think of this as the after-treatment advice, in brief:
- Clean or swap grease filters as often as the kitchen needs
- File every inspection report with your certificates
- Have the latest report ready for insurance renewals
- Keep to the recommended interval
Each report suggests the next clean and the next test, based on the readings and how the kitchen is used.
Fit access panels where the survey finds sections can’t be reached, so every part of the duct can be cleaned.
TR19 inspection in Chipstead: the local picture
Look up Chipstead on the FSA’s food hygiene register and you’ll find about 18 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 9 sandwich bars and takeaways within 1.5 miles or so of the middle of Chipstead. Each kitchen extract among them can be measured for grease to set the right cleaning interval. The fire and rescue service for Chipstead is Kent Fire and Rescue Service. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order. Food hygiene inspections in Chipstead are the job of Sevenoaks council’s environmental health team. The cleanliness of the kitchen and its equipment, extraction included, is part of what they check. Keeping each certificate and photo report on file helps show the extract is looked after.
Older buildings often hide long, awkward duct runs, and if you run a kitchen at a historic venue in the area (Knole House is about 2.8 miles south-east), access may need planning. A hospital like Sevenoaks Hospital, about 2 miles east, is the kind of site where a kitchen may cook for patients, staff and visitors all day.
Chipstead is about 2 miles west of Sevenoaks, in Kent. Wherever you are in the TN13 postcode area, we cover TR19 inspection for commercial sites. Chipstead is one of 922 places in Kent where we work for commercial clients. Maidstone is in our area too, about 16 miles from Chipstead.
Work in TN13 and TN14 is surveyed, quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your site is on High Street, Homedean Road and Chevening Road or anywhere close by, our technicians can take on the work. Other places close to Chipstead include Bessels Green (1 mile south-east), Riverhead (1 mile east), Dunton Green (1 mile north-east), Sundridge (1 mile south-west) and Chevening (1 mile north-west). Further out, we also cover Dartford (11 miles north), Royal Tunbridge Wells (12 miles south-east), Gravesend (14 miles north-east), Tonbridge (8 miles south-east), Northfleet (13 miles north-east) and Swanley (8 miles north).
Around Chipstead
In Chipstead, that means kitchens and buildings near Montreal Park, The Bricklayers Arms and Trinity School, among other places. Chipstead’s nearest station is Dunton Green station, about 1.2 miles north-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Sevenoaks Museum (2.2 miles south-east) and Kemsing Castle Bank (3.8 miles north-east). Open spaces near Chipstead include Betsom's Hill and Dryhill Nature Reserve.
The process
Protection comes first: floors, worktops and anything near the work are covered. After that, the system is made safe and the work begins. It takes a couple of hours for a typical kitchen extract system, and we clear up before we go. A quick note on how to find the site and where to park makes a visit to Chipstead run smoothly.
- We agree a time when the kitchen is closed or quiet.
- Every part of the system is examined, end to end.
- Grease thickness is measured at set points by 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.
Getting ready for the visit
- Tell us about site rules, permits or sign-in
- Move anything stored near the system
- Tell us the best time to work, such as after service or at a weekend
How to get a quote
Want a quote for TR19 inspection? Please give us a ring on 0345 646 2711, or email photos and tell us about the site. We will explain what we’d do and send a fixed quote before you commit to anything.
Related advice
What your team can do, and what needs us
Some jobs should never be done in-house: entering ducts, working on fans, testing dampers and taking grease readings need training, the right equipment and safe access. That is our job.
Keep a record of what your team does. A simple log of filter washes, wipe-downs and checks helps show that the system is managed between specialist visits, alongside our reports.
Why it’s worth doing now in Chipstead
A check after cleaning shows whether the work reached every part it should have, while there’s still time to put anything right. In a place like Chipstead, ductwork and fans are easy to forget until something goes wrong.
One small site or a whole estate, we price it on the same basis: what needs doing, how we get to it and when. You will have a fixed price before we start.
Why us?
- CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, with ISO 9001
- One contact for all your sites in London and the South East
- Fully insured
- Each visit written up, with pictures
Take a look at what affects the cost or our accreditations and certificates.
What we are called out for in Chipstead
Insurers, fire officers and environmental health officers look to TR19® as the benchmark. TR19® itself is not law, but the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to assess and reduce fire risk, and grease in the extract is part of that risk.
Look out for any of the following:
- Cleaning intervals that may not suit the kitchen
- Confirming a clean reached the whole system
- Sections of duct that cannot be reached
- Kitchens taken over with no cleaning records
For schools such as Amherst School, kitchen extract cleaning is normally booked for the holidays, when the canteen is closed.
Comparing quotes
- What records you will receive afterwards
- When they can work, and whether that is outside your opening hours
- Whether the quote shows VAT
- Whether they recommend a next date
Honest limits
To be straight with you, there are a few things this work won’t fix:
- Removing the grease, which is a separate clean
- Sections with no access, until panels are fitted
- The responsible person’s own fire risk assessment
If you’re not sure, just phone us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book.
What we work on in Chipstead
- Pre-clean surveys
- Insurer audits
- Post-clean checks
- Deposit thickness tests
- Access surveys
- Wet film thickness tests
Questions from Chipstead
Which fire and rescue service is responsible for Chipstead?
That’s Kent Fire and Rescue Service. It’s worth keeping your fire risk assessment, TR19® certificates and photo reports together, ready to show.
Which council inspects kitchens in Chipstead?
In Chipstead, it’s Sevenoaks council that carries out food hygiene inspections. How often a business is inspected depends on the risk rating the council gives it, so it’s worth staying ready all year.
What if parts of the system cannot be reached?
We record them on the report, with photos where possible, and we tell you what would make it reachable, for example new access panels.
What grease levels does TR19 allow?
Under TR19® Grease, the mean thickness should not exceed 200 microns between cleans. 500 microns or more at any point calls for immediate spot cleaning.
Is there a survey before the work?
Yes. Photos often do the job, while bigger or harder-to-see systems are surveyed on site.
How often should a kitchen extract be inspected?
That varies with the kitchen’s daily use. BESA sets minimum cleaning intervals of 3, 6 or 12 months by daily use, and testing shows if your kitchen needs more.
Can you verify a clean after it’s been done?
Verification means repeat readings and pictures once the clean is done. The report flags anything missed.
How long does grease testing take?
An inspection takes a morning or less for one kitchen, more where there are several systems. Large or multiple systems take longer, and you can phone us on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email to book it in.
Also near Chipstead
Other services in Chipstead
What the work involves, part by part
Horizontal duct runs
Grease can gather thickly at bends and along long runs, out of sight of the kitchen.
Restaurants, pubs and hotels
A kitchen running from breakfast to late service builds grease quickly. Readings show if the cleans are frequent enough.