Essex · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections and grease testing in Lexden, Essex
For TR19 inspection in Lexden, one call is all it takes: survey, fixed quote, work and sign-off. Fully insured, with CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001.
- Uncertainty over how often to clean
- Missing access panels found on survey
- Ductwork where grease may be over the TR19 limits
TR19 inspection in Lexden, done properly
BESA sets minimum cleaning intervals by daily use: every 3 months for heavy use of 12 to 16 hours a day, every 6 months for moderate use of 6 to 12 hours, and every 12 months for light use of 2 to 6 hours. Grease testing shows whether your kitchen needs cleaning more often than that. The work covers deposit thickness tests, pre-clean surveys and wet film thickness tests, and the jobs we see most are extracts that may be over the 200 micron mean and confirming a clean reached the whole system.
In a smaller place like Lexden, the kitchens with extract systems are more likely to be a pub, a café, a takeaway or a school or care home kitchen than a big restaurant. A kitchen that cooks fewer hours still builds up grease, so the interval is set by hours of use and grease readings.
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, with full insurance on top.
- Place
- Lexden (CO3, CO2)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Reporting
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- A fixed quote up front
- When we work
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Checked
- 30 October 2026
The process
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. Once we’re in, the area is sheeted and anything that has to be off is turned off and cooled, and the job takes anything from an hour for a small canopy and short duct to a good part of a day for a large site. Tell us about any gates, ladders or locked plant areas at your site near Lexden when you book.
- 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.
- We measure the grease and photograph each point.
- We report back with readings and a fixed quote.
Getting ready for the visit
- Allow time for equipment near the work to be turned off and cool down
- Clear loose items from the work area
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
Ask for a quote
For TR19 inspection in Lexden, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form. Let us know the site type and the opening hours, plus photos or the previous report if they’re to hand. A fixed quote typically follows within one working day.
Related advice
Places near Lexden
What else we do in Lexden
Common problems we fix in Lexden
TR19® is the benchmark that insurers, fire officers and EHOs refer to. 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.
Keep an eye out for any of the following:
- Systems cleaned on a calendar with no measurements
- Parts of the system left out of past cleans
- Insurance renewals needing proof of TR19 cleaning
- Surveys needed before quoting a full clean
Kitchens that cook twelve hours or more a day, as some healthcare kitchens do, fall into BESA’s three-monthly minimum; Essex County Hospital is the nearest hospital to Lexden, about 1 mile east.
Comparing quotes
- What insurance they carry
- Whether the whole system is included, or only the parts that are easy to reach
- What happens if part of the system cannot be accessed
- Whether they recommend a next date
Kitchen extracts in Lexden
Food Standards Agency data counts about 182 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 35 takeaways within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Lexden. For any of them with a canopy, measuring grease is better than guessing when to clean. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service covers Lexden. Grease in a kitchen extract is a recognised fire risk, and the fire authority enforces the law on managing it in most commercial premises. In Lexden, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Colchester council. A greasy canopy or dripping filters are the sort of thing an inspection can pick up. Our report lists what was cleaned and when, which is useful to have ready.
For schools such as Philip Morant School and College, kitchen extract cleaning is usually booked for the holidays, when the canteen is closed. If you run a church or community hall kitchen, near Church of St Leonard or elsewhere in Lexden, its extract still collects grease from every lunch and event.
Lexden is about 1 mile west of Colchester, in Essex. Every kind of commercial site in Lexden, we can take on TR19 inspection. Visits can be booked for evenings, overnight or weekends so trading isn’t interrupted. Lexden is one of 644 places in Essex we cover for commercial clients. For sites nearby, see our Chelmsford page (19 miles or so).
Our technicians cover all of the CO3 and CO2 postcode area for TR19 inspection and the streets around it. That includes premises on Park Road, Heath Road and Capel Road and the roads around them. You’ll find Lexden on the A1124, which makes it straightforward for our technicians to reach for out-of-hours visits. If your site is just outside Lexden, we cover Camulodunum (1 mile east), Braiswick (1 mile north), Abbey Field (1 mile south-east), Colchester (1 mile east) and Beacon End (2 miles west). We also work in nearby towns such as Braintree (13 miles west), Clacton-on-Sea (13 miles south-east), Maldon (13 miles south-west), Witham (11 miles south-west), Halstead (11 miles west) and Heybridge (12 miles south-west).
Local landmarks in Lexden
In Lexden, that means kitchens and buildings near Lexden Park, Prettygate Infant School and The Sun Inn and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Colchester station, roughly 1.6 miles north-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Essex County Hospital (1 mile east) and Lion Walk (1.5 miles east). The countryside around Lexden includes Lexden Gathering Grounds.
Multi-site and managed buildings
When the building owner and the occupier are different, it’s worth checking the lease for who maintains the systems. We’re happy to deal with either side, and the report can go to both.
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 are happy to quote for all of it.
FAQs for Lexden
Do you work overnight in Lexden?
Yes, nights and weekends are routine for us. The work in Lexden can fit around your hours. Your opening times are the first thing we ask for.
Which environmental health team covers Lexden?
In Lexden, it’s Colchester 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.
Can you price the work without visiting?
Yes, for many jobs. Send a few wide photos plus close-ups of panels, filters or grilles, and a fixed quote typically follows within one working day. Some sites still need a visit, and we will say so.
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.
Can you set up regular visits?
Yes. Regular plans can run on 3, 6 or 12-monthly cycles, to suit the system and how it’s used.
How much notice do you need?
For planned work, earlier is better, particularly if your next visit is nearly due. For emergencies, we take calls 24/7.
How long does a TR19 inspection take?
Expect it to take around an hour or two per canopy and duct system. We fit it around when the kitchen is closed or quiet.
What do you need from me for a quote?
Some pictures and a quick description of the system, with the address and opening hours. If we need more, we’ll ask.
Why it’s worth doing now in Lexden
Post-clean verification shows whether the system was left the way the certificate says, before the next clean is due. Even a site near Lexden that’s only busy part of the week needs its system checked on a schedule.
Leaving it longer rarely makes the work cheaper. Build-up, wear and faults tend to get worse, not better, which can make the next visit longer. If you are not sure what’s needed, phone us on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email for straight advice and a fixed quote.
Why book with us
- Every job surveyed first
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
- Every visit written up, with photos
What your team can do, and what needs us
If your staff spot something between visits, like drips, unusual noise, smells or damaged filters, it’s best reported rather than tackled in-house. We will take a look and send you a fixed quote.
In-house cleaning and specialist cleaning do different jobs. A daily filter wipe and a weekly filter wash keep grease down at the front of the system, but grease that has passed the filters is out of reach. That part needs specialist access and equipment.
What affects the quote in Lexden
The survey tells us what the work involves. We look at:
- How many systems or sites are involved
- A single visit or a regular plan
- What state the system is in
- Travel, parking and unloading
Whatever the type of site, the quote works the same way: how much there is, how we reach it, what state it’s in and when we can work. Ask for a fixed quote and we’ll go through it with you.
What to send for a quote
When you call or email, it’s useful to have:
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- The paperwork from the last visit, if you have it
- Problems your staff have spotted
- Where the site is and what kind of site it is
Quoting starts with a diagnosis, either from photos and details you send or from a site visit. After that, you get a fixed price for the work so you know the cost before work begins.
Different parts, different methods
Vertical risers
Risers can be hard to get into. We record what can and can’t be reached.
Extract fan and discharge
A greasy fan works harder and wears faster. Readings show if it needs attention before the next clean.