Essex · TR19 inspections and grease testing
Harlow TR19 inspection
TR19 inspections and grease testing for Harlow, with a survey first and a report with photos at the end. Ask us for a fixed quote.
- Insurers asking for TR19 evidence
- Uncertainty over how often to clean
- Post-clean verification after another contractor’s clean
TR19 inspection for kitchens and businesses in Harlow
Under TR19® Grease, the mean grease thickness should stay at or below 200 microns between cleans, and 500 microns or more at any point needs immediate spot cleaning. Grease testing shows which side of those lines you are on. The work covers wet film thickness tests, pre-clean surveys and deposit thickness tests, and the jobs we see most are kitchens whose menu or hours have changed and heavy grease suspected in the plenum or ducts.
Many kitchens in a town like Harlow were fitted into buildings built for something else, so duct runs can be awkward, with bends, long horizontal sections and too few access panels. Sections we cannot reach are listed on the report, and access panels can be added.
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.
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 call for the right kit, training and safe access. That’s our job.
Day-to-day cleaning is something your team can do: wiping down canopy surfaces, cleaning filters and keeping a simple log. What they can’t safely do is clean inside the ductwork, the fan or the risers, and that is where we come in.
How it works
Your trading hours come first. Most visits are booked for when the area is out of use, such as evenings, overnight, early mornings or weekends. When the team arrives, the work area is protected and the relevant equipment is switched off to cool, and the work takes a couple of hours for a typical kitchen extract system. Three things shape a visit in Harlow: when you’re closed, where we can park and how we get to the system.
- First we look at the system’s cleaning history, if there is one.
- The layout is traced from the canopy to the 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.
Before we arrive
- Allow time for equipment near the work to be turned off and cool down
- Mention any sign-in, permit or induction we need
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
Getting a quote
There’s no standard price list, because no two systems are the same. Instead, we look at your site first, from photos or a survey, and then send you a fixed quote. To start, call 0345 646 2711 or email us.
Read more
Also in Harlow
Part by part
Vertical risers
Risers in multi-storey buildings can pass through other areas, so access is planned in advance.
Horizontal duct runs
Sections without access are recorded so panels can be added.
What affects the quote in Harlow
We quote each job individually. These are the things that affect it:
- A single visit or a regular plan
- How easy every part is to reach
- The size of the system
- Site requirements such as sign-in and permits
Combining work into one visit or one programme often makes better use of the time. Tell us about everything you’d like looked at and we’ll price it together.
What we need to know
The more you tell us, the more accurate the quote. With your enquiry, please include:
- Your opening hours and when the area is out of use
- How we’d reach plant on a roof or in a plant room
- The site address and the type of premises
- Any symptoms, from odd noises to smells or leaks
Quotes are quick. Call or email with a few details and you will normally have a fixed price within one working day. Where a survey is needed, we arrange a time that suits the site.
Why it’s worth doing now in Harlow
Post-clean verification shows whether the system was left the way the certificate says, before the next clean is due. Before an inspection or an insurer’s visit in Harlow, it helps to have up-to-date records.
No two sites are the same, so we price each one individually. The size of the job, how we reach it, its condition and the working hours all play a part.
Why Harlow businesses choose us
- BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- Full insurance on every job
- A written report with photos after each visit
- One number for every site across the South East and London
Read how cleaning jobs are priced and how to check a contractor.
FAQs for Harlow
Do you work overnight in Harlow?
Yes, out-of-hours work is a big part of what we do. It means the site in Harlow keeps running as normal. Your opening times are the first thing we ask for.
Can you clean school kitchen extracts in Harlow during the holidays?
Yes, and it’s the easiest time to do it. The FSA’s register shows about 30 schools and colleges with food registrations within roughly a mile and a half of Harlow. You can call 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line with the dates the site is empty.
What’s TR19?
It’s the industry benchmark for cleaning ventilation and kitchen extract systems, written by BESA. It covers how systems are inspected, cleaned and checked, and it takes a risk-based approach.
What do you do with what you remove?
Anything we remove is contained as we work and taken away with us, from grease and debris to used cleaning water. None of it is left on site.
Do you carry out TR19 audits for insurers?
Yes, anywhere in the area we cover. Share the insurer’s request so the report addresses it.
What about areas you can’t get to?
They’re marked on the report. In ductwork, new access panels are often the answer, and we can fit those.
Can we book visits on a schedule?
Yes. Tell us what you have and how it’s used and we’ll propose a schedule with a fixed quote.
How long does a TR19 inspection take?
An inspection takes a couple of hours for a typical kitchen extract system. Large or multiple systems take longer, and you can call us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email to book it in.
For landlords and multi-site operators
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must assess and reduce fire risk, which may be the employer, owner, landlord, FM or managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
Landlords, managing agents and facilities managers book us, not only the businesses that use the systems. Shared systems, like a riser serving several units, need a clear agreement on who books the work, and we can quote for the whole system.
Kitchen extracts in Harlow
There are about 100 restaurants, cafés and canteens and about 40 takeaways and sandwich shops within 1.5 miles or so of the middle of Harlow, according to the Food Standards Agency’s register. Where they cook under a canopy, a grease reading is the way to tell whether the extract is due a clean. The fire and rescue service for Harlow is Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order. In Harlow, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Harlow council. The cleanliness of the kitchen and its equipment, extraction included, is part of what they check. Before-and-after pictures from each clean are a simple way to show the extract is in hand.
School kitchens, at schools like Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery for example, are typically cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost. Where a hall near St Andrew's Methodist Church, or anywhere in Harlow, hosts lunch clubs or events, its extract gathers grease just as a café’s does. Kitchens that cook twelve hours or more a day, as some healthcare kitchens do, fall into BESA’s three-monthly minimum; Princess Alexandra Hospital is the nearest hospital to Harlow, about 1.2 miles west.
Harlow is about 21 miles north-east of London, in Essex. We provide TR19 inspection for businesses, landlords and public buildings in Harlow and the rest of Essex. Our Essex coverage runs to 644 places, and Harlow is one of them. We also work in Chelmsford, about 16 miles from Harlow.
Our technicians cover all of CM17, CM20, CM18 and CM19 for TR19 inspection and the roads nearby. You’ll find streets such as London Road, Soper Square and Square Street, and we cover them all for TR19 inspection. You’ll find Harlow on the A414 and A1019, which makes it straightforward for our technicians to reach for out-of-hours visits. Other places close to Harlow include Mark Hall South (1 mile north-east), Netteswell (1 mile west), Latton (1 mile south-east), Mark Hall North (1 mile north) and Bush Fair (1 mile south). We also work in nearby towns such as Brentwood (13 miles south-east), Loughton (9 miles south), Waltham Abbey (7 miles south-west), Great Dunmow (13 miles north-east), Epping (5 miles south) and Stansted Mountfitchet (10 miles north). Being one of Essex’s larger places, Harlow has commercial sites of every size, all within our area for TR19 inspection.
Around Harlow
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to Harlow Marsh, Purple Emperor pub and BMAT STEM Academy. The closest station to Harlow is Harlow Town station, roughly 1.2 miles north-west of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Princess Alexandra Hospital (1.2 miles west) and Mark Hall Cycle Museum (0.7 miles north-east). For a walk, there’s Hunsdon Mead.
What a clean will not put right
Before you book, it helps to know what’s not included:
- Fan breakdowns, which need a repair visit
- Removing the grease, which is a separate clean
- Hidden runs that need access panels first
Not sure which it is? You can call us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email and we will tell you honestly.
Where we work
- Insurer audits
- Post-clean checks
- Pre-clean surveys
- Wet film thickness tests
- Access surveys
- Deposit thickness tests