Hertfordshire · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 Inspection in How Wood
TR19 inspection for How Wood, from a team that has been trading since 2009. Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus a 24/7 emergency line.
- Uncertainty over how often to clean
- Extracts that have never been grease tested
- Surveys needed before quoting a full clean
TR19 inspection in How Wood, done properly
Before any clean in How Wood, we survey the canopy, plenum, filters, ducts, fan and discharge. Access is checked along the full length, and grease readings are taken at set points. If you’re dealing with heavy grease suspected in the plenum or ducts and sections of duct that can’t be reached, we can help.
Size doesn’t change the work: a kitchen in a place like How Wood gets the whole system cleaned, canopy to discharge. We plan the visit around your hours, with the journey sorted in advance.
It’s worth checking any contractor’s accreditations. Ours are BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, plus CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we’re fully insured.
- Location
- How Wood (AL2)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Records
- Certificate plus before-and-after pictures
- Price
- Fixed quote, normally within a working day
- Working hours
- Nights, weekends or holidays to suit you
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
What we do, step by step
Your staff don’t need to do much on the day. Someone lets us in at the agreed time and shows us where everything is, and we take it from there. Before we leave, the area is tidied and the paperwork follows. Getting to the system matters more than parking in a place like How Wood, so let us know how to reach it.
- First we look at the system’s cleaning history, if there is one.
- The layout is traced from the canopy to the discharge.
- Access panels are located and any missing ones noted.
- Grease readings are taken and photos recorded.
- We report back with readings and a fixed quote.
Getting ready for the visit
- Clear the space around the work
- Find the previous report, if there is one
- Plan for cooking equipment or plant to be off before we arrive
How to get a quote
Quotes are quick. Send a few details and pictures, and we usually reply with a fixed quote within one working day. If we need to see the system first, we book a survey around your hours.
Advice
Common questions in How Wood
Who inspects food businesses in How Wood?
In How Wood, it’s St Albans City council that carries out food hygiene inspections. Have your latest TR19® certificate and photo report to hand, as an officer may ask how the extract is maintained.
Can you come to How Wood after we close?
Yes, nights and weekends are routine for us. It means the site in How Wood keeps running as normal. Tell us your opening hours when you ask for a quote.
Do you carry out TR19 audits for insurers?
Yes, for kitchens across the South East and London. Share the insurer’s request so the report addresses it.
How often should grease be tested?
Enough to be sure grease stays within the TR19® Grease figures between cleans. The readings themselves tell you if the interval needs to change.
What is grease thickness testing?
The Wet Film Thickness Test (WFTT) and Deposit Thickness Test (DTT) measure how thick the grease is at a given point. Readings are taken at set points through the system.
Where does the waste go?
It leaves the site with us when we go. While we work, it’s kept contained to keep the area clean.
Are you accredited?
Duct Doctor is a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. We also hold CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we’re fully insured.
How much does TR19 inspection cost?
The cost depends on the size of the system, its condition, access and timing. Ask us for a fixed quote and we’ll typically reply within one working day.
Managing agents and facilities teams in How Wood
From a single site to a large estate, the standard is the same: the system surveyed, the price fixed, the visit fitted around trading and everything written up afterwards.
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.
Do you need TR19 inspection in How Wood?
Insurers, fire officers and environmental health officers look to TR19® as the benchmark. It isn’t legislation; the legal duty comes from the Fire Safety Order 2005, under which the responsible person must reduce fire risk, and in a kitchen that means keeping grease under control.
Look out for any of the following:
- Systems that need surveying before cleaning
- Parts of the system left out of past cleans
- Heavy grease suspected in the plenum or ducts
- Cleaning intervals that may not suit the kitchen
Bursars and site managers at schools such as How Wood Primary and Nursery School tend to book extract cleaning for when the kitchen is empty.
Before booking anyone
- What happens if part of the system can’t be accessed
- If they look at the system before pricing
- Which accreditations they hold, and whether you can check them
- Whether the whole system is included, or only the parts that are easy to reach
Keeping the system healthy
Here’s the after-treatment advice, in brief:
- Store grease readings where your insurer can see them
- Send TR19 audit reports to your insurer on request
- Mention new equipment or longer hours at the next test
- Clean or swap grease filters as often as the kitchen needs
Keep the verification report next to the certificate it relates to. The pair gives a clear record of the clean and the check.
Clean, correctly fitted filters stop more grease reaching the duct. Gaps around filters let grease get past them.
What TR19 inspection looks like in How Wood
Food Standards Agency records list about 11 cafés, restaurants and staff canteens and about 13 takeaways within about 1.5 miles of central How Wood. Kitchens like these cook for very different hours, and grease testing shows which extracts need cleaning soonest. It’s St Albans City council that sends environmental health officers to food businesses in How Wood. The cleanliness of the kitchen and its equipment, extraction included, is part of what they check. A dated certificate in the maintenance file answers the question before it’s asked. How Wood sits within the area of Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order.
Kitchens that cook twelve hours or more a day, as some healthcare kitchens do, fall into BESA’s three-monthly minimum; Napsbury Hospital is the nearest hospital to How Wood, about 1.8 miles east. Church and community hall kitchens, near Church of the Holy Trinity or anywhere around How Wood, are easy to forget, but their extracts collect grease like any other.
How Wood is about 2 miles south-west of St Albans, in Hertfordshire. If you need TR19 inspection in How Wood, please phone us on 0345 646 2711 or email us for a fixed quote. Our area covers London and the South East, including How Wood. How Wood is one of 381 places in Hertfordshire where we work for TR19 inspection. For sites nearby, see our London page (19 miles or so).
Here we cover the AL2 postcode area for TR19 inspection. If you need TR19 inspection at premises on Ringway Road, Alder Close and How Wood or a nearby road, we can help. If your site is just outside How Wood, we cover Park Street (1 mile north-east), Chiswell Green (1 mile north-west), Frogmore (1 mile east), Bricket Wood (1 mile south-west) and Colney Street (1 mile south-east). Larger places within reach include Watford (4 miles south-west), Hemel Hempstead (5 miles north-west), Stevenage (15 miles north-east), Welwyn Garden City (9 miles north-east), Harpenden (7 miles north) and Hoddesdon (15 miles east).
What’s near How Wood
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to Marlborough Science Academy and The Falcon pub and the streets around them. How Wood has its own railway station: How Wood station. Nearby you’ll also find Hilfield Castle (4.6 miles south) and Hypocaust Museum (2.1 miles north). Not far away are Broad Colney Lakes and Verulamium Lake.
What a clean won’t put right
Some problems need a different service or another trade:
- The responsible person’s own fire risk assessment
- Parts of the duct nobody can reach yet
- A faulty or failing extract fan
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 booking.
Where we work
- Insurer audits
- Pre-clean surveys
- Access surveys
- Deposit thickness tests
- Post-clean checks
- Wet film thickness tests
What affects the quote in How Wood
We quote each job individually. These are the things that affect it:
- How many systems or sites are involved
- Whether we need access equipment or extra panels
- The condition of the system
- When the work can happen, such as evenings, overnight or weekends
Kitchens, offices, schools and hospitals are all priced the same way: the size of the job, access, condition and working hours. Call for a fixed quote and we’ll explain each part.
Asking for a quote
Before you ask for a quote, gather:
- Your last certificate, test record or report
- Any access panels or hatches you can see
- The times we could work without disrupting the site
- The site address and the type of premises
There’s no standard price list, because no two systems are the same. We look at your system first, from photos or on a visit, then send a fixed quote. To get going, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form.
Places near How Wood
Other services in How Wood
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 won’t come clean, they should report it rather than try to fix it. We can diagnose it and quote.
Away from the kitchen, the in-house job is mainly checking: keeping grilles clear, noting unusual noise or smells and logging filter changes. Cleaning inside ducts and units is specialist work.