Medway · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections and grease testing in Hale, Medway
TR19 inspection across Hale and nearby, booked around your opening hours and finished with a written report and photos.
- An insurer’s request for a TR19 audit
- Uncertainty over how often to clean
- Pre-clean surveys before a first TR19 clean
TR19 inspection in Hale: the local picture
The coast is only about 3 miles from Hale. Corrosion on the fan housing and cowl is worth a look at every clean, alongside the grease. According to Food Standards Agency records, there are about 12 bars, pubs and nightclubs within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Hale. A pub or hotel kitchen that cooks every day builds up grease in its extract like any other. Environmental health officers from Medway council inspect food businesses in Hale. 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.
If you run catering at a historic house or estate in the area (Restoration House is about 2.7 miles north-west), event kitchens in older buildings often have awkward duct runs that need planning. If you run a church or community hall kitchen, near Christ Church or elsewhere in Hale, its extract still collects grease from every lunch and event.
Hale is about 1 mile south-west of Gillingham, in Medway. Whether your site is in the middle of Hale or further out, we cover TR19 inspection for every kind of premises, from a single unit to a large public building. Our Medway coverage runs to 68 places, Hale among them. You can also see our page for Maidstone, about 7 miles away.
All of ME5 is within our area for TR19 inspection, from busy streets to back roads. Neighbouring places we cover for TR19 inspection include Darland (1 mile south-east), Capstone (1 mile south-east), Luton (1 mile north-west), Gillingham (1 mile north-east) and Chatham (1 mile south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Rochester (3 miles north-west), Strood (4 miles north-west), Hoo St Werburgh (4 miles north), Rochester Riverside (3 miles north-west), Peters Village (4 miles west) and Frindsbury (3 miles north-west).
Near you in Hale
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around The Star pub, Chatham Grammar School for Girls and Darland Banks and the streets around them. The closest station to Hale is Gillingham (Kent) station, roughly 1.6 miles north. Nearby you’ll also find Rochester Castle (2.9 miles north-west) and Pentagon Shopping Centre (1.9 miles north-west). Green spaces nearby include Blue Bell Hill and Burham Down.
TR19 inspection for kitchens and businesses in Hale
A grease test measures how thick the grease is inside a kitchen extract system. We use the Wet Film Thickness Test (WFTT) or the Deposit Thickness Test (DTT), taking readings at set points. From the numbers, you can see whether cleaning is due. If you are dealing with pre-clean surveys before a first TR19 clean and sites with gaps in their extract records, we can put it right.
Somewhere as small as Hale, commercial kitchens are few: perhaps a pub, a school or care home kitchen, or a hall used for events. Every one of them still needs its extract kept clear of grease, whatever the size of the place.
Our accreditations include CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we’re fully insured. We are also a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, trading since 2009.
- Location
- Hale (ME5)
- Region
- Medway
- Reporting
- Certificate and photo report
- Price
- A fixed quote up front
- When we work
- Out of hours as standard, 24/7 emergency line
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
What else we do in Hale
Why it’s worth doing now in Hale
Skipping grease testing leaves the cleaning interval to guesswork. If grease reaches 500 microns anywhere, TR19® Grease calls for immediate spot cleaning, which you will not know without measuring. Out of sight is the usual reason a rural system goes too long without attention.
Several systems or sites on one quote can make for a more efficient booking. Tell us about everything you’d like looked at, and you will get one fixed quote.
Why us?
- Fixed quotes from a survey or photos
- Trading since 2009
- Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus 24/7 emergency callout
- Every job surveyed first
Between visits
To keep the system working properly between visits:
- Clean or swap grease filters as often as the kitchen needs
- Flag oily drips near the extract
- Do not box in or cover duct access panels
- Mention new equipment or longer hours at the next test
You get a report with the grease readings, where they were taken and pictures of each point. File it alongside your TR19 certificates.
Keep all TR19 records together so you can produce them quickly.
Common problems we fix in Hale
Grease in a duct is flammable fuel. Flames from the range can be pulled into the canopy and travel through the ducts to other parts of the building. Knowing how much there is lets you act before it becomes a hazard.
It’s time to book a visit if you see:
- Uncertainty over how often to clean
- Confirming a clean reached the whole system
- Extracts that may be over the 200 micron mean
- Systems cleaned on a calendar with no measurements
School kitchens, at schools like Kingfisher Community Primary School for example, are usually cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost.
Comparing quotes
- Which accreditations they hold, and whether you can check them
- Whether the work can be done while the site is closed
- Proof of insurance
- If they look at the system before pricing
What a clean won’t put right
It’s worth knowing the limits before booking:
- Parts of the duct nobody can reach yet
- Fan breakdowns, which need a repair visit
- The grease itself, which needs a full or spot clean
Not sure which it is? You can call us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and we will tell you honestly before you book.
What the work covers
- Deposit thickness tests
- Pre-clean surveys
- Post-clean checks
- Access surveys
- Wet film thickness tests
- Insurer audits
How the visit works
Your staff do not need to do much on the day. A contact on site lets us in at the agreed time and points us to the system, and we take it from there. Before we leave, the area is tidied and the paperwork follows. A quick note on how to find the site and where to park makes a visit to Hale run smoothly.
- We go through any past certificates and reports.
- 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.
- We report back with readings and a fixed quote.
How to prepare
- Agree a time when the area can be out of use
- Make sure equipment near the work can be switched off and left to cool
- Dig out any earlier paperwork for the system
Ask for a quote
There’s no standard price list, because every site is different. Instead, we look at your site first, from pictures or a survey, and then give you a fixed quote. To start, call 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line.
Read more
Common questions in Hale
Does being near the coast affect TR19 inspection in Hale?
It can. Hale is within about 3 miles of the coast, and salt air speeds up corrosion. A fan housing that’s rusting near the coast can fail sooner, so it’s worth catching early.
Can a school canteen extract in Hale be done out of term time?
Yes, and it’s the easiest time to do it. There are about 25 schools, colleges and universities on the FSA’s food hygiene register within about 1.5 miles of Hale. Send us your term dates when you call us on 0345 646 2711 or email us, and we’ll fit the work in.
What happens on a pre-clean survey?
We look at the system from canopy to discharge, take grease readings and check access. It lets us plan the clean and send you a fixed quote.
Which accreditations do you hold?
BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, plus CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001. We’re fully insured and have been trading since 2009.
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.
When should we have our next grease test?
We suggest a next test date in every report, taking the readings and the kitchen’s hours into account. The interval should come from a competent person’s risk assessment backed by grease measurement.
Do you carry out TR19 audits for insurers?
Yes. Insurers often want evidence the extract is managed to TR19®, and an audit report gives you that, with recommendations where something needs doing.
How far ahead should we book?
It depends on the time you need and how big the job is. Mention your preferred dates with your enquiry, and if it’s an emergency, call us any time.
Multi-site and managed buildings
The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty to manage fire risk on the responsible person, and that can be the employer, the owner, a landlord, a facilities manager or a managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
When the building owner and the occupier are different, the lease normally sets out who maintains what. We’re happy to deal with either side and send the paperwork to whoever needs it.
What staff can safely do
When your team notices a problem between visits, such as dripping grease, a noisy fan, a smell or a filter that will not come clean, it’s best reported rather than tackled in-house. We’ll take a look and give you a fixed quote.
Staff cleaning does not replace a specialist visit; it supports it. Regular in-house cleaning slows the build-up, but hidden parts of the system still need specialist attention.