Hertfordshire · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 Inspection in London Colney
Our technicians work in London Colney on TR19 inspections and grease testing. Out-of-hours visits, a fixed quote and a written report with photos as standard.
- Uncertainty over how often to clean
- Surveys needed before quoting a full clean
- Extracts that may be over the 200 micron mean
Why deal with it now?
Skipping grease testing leaves the cleaning interval to guesswork. Any reading of 500 microns or more needs immediate spot cleaning under TR19® Grease, which you won’t know without measuring. A site near London Colney that has to close at short notice is hard to cover for.
What you pay depends on how big the system is, what state it’s in and how easy it is to reach. We give you a fixed price before any work starts, so you know where you stand.
What you get with us
- CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, with ISO 9001
- BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- A fixed price before any work starts
- We are fully insured
How we handle TR19 inspection in London Colney
Insurance policies often require evidence of TR19® cleaning and inspection. Without it, a claim can be refused or reduced. Our TR19 audits give sites in London Colney and across Hertfordshire a clear record of the system’s condition. The work covers insurer audits, access surveys and wet film thickness tests, and the jobs we see most are uncertainty over how often to clean and systems cleaned on a calendar with no measurements.
In a smaller place like London Colney, many kitchens sit in older buildings or later extensions, where the duct may cross a roof void or climb an outside wall. Long horizontal runs like that hold grease and need access panels to reach.
The report is your system’s health record: dated, with photos, and showing what was done. Grease extract cleans are also certificated to TR19® Grease through the BESCA VHE portal, ready for your insurer.
- Where
- London Colney (AL2, AL1)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Paperwork
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Quote
- Fixed quote, usually within a working day
- Working hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
What affects the cost of TR19 inspection
A fixed price needs a few facts first. We look at:
- Whether several sites go on one quote
- Travel, parking and unloading
- The scale of the work
- When the work can happen, such as evenings, overnight or weekends
When the work has to happen, how we reach it and how big the site is can all change the price. We take each of them into account and give you a fixed price before any work starts.
Asking for a quote
To speed up the quote, send us:
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- Problems your staff have spotted
- Your last certificate, test record or report
- When the site is open and when it’s quiet
For a fixed quote, call us on 0345 646 2711, or email photos with the site type, your trading hours and a short description of the system. A few photos and your last certificate or report help a lot. You will normally have a quote within one working day.
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
Managing agents often deal with us directly. Tell us the site, the work and the access arrangements, and we will send a fixed quote.
Whether it’s one building or many, the standard is the same: diagnosis, a fixed price, work booked around your hours and a written report with pictures.
Honest limits
In fairness, some problems need a different fix:
- The responsible person’s own fire risk assessment
- Ductwork that was designed or installed badly
- The grease itself, which needs a full or spot clean
If in doubt, call 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we will say what we think before booking.
What we work on in London Colney
- Wet film thickness tests
- Post-clean checks
- Access surveys
- Deposit thickness tests
- Pre-clean surveys
- Insurer audits
The process
We start by comparing what we find with the survey or your pictures. Anything unexpected is raised with you before we go further. From there, it takes anything from an hour for a small canopy and short duct to a good part of a day for a large site. Visits to a place like London Colney are planned ahead, so we arrive with what the survey says the job needs.
- We agree a time when the kitchen is closed or quiet.
- The system is checked from canopy to discharge.
- We take WFTT or DTT readings at set points along the system.
- We photograph the test points and record any sections we can’t reach.
- You get a report with readings, photos and recommendations.
Getting ready for the visit
- Let us know how we reach the system, including roofs, risers and plant rooms
- Make sure someone can let us in and lock up afterwards
- Mention any sign-in, permit or induction we need
Get a fixed quote
Quotes are quick. Send a few details and pictures, and we normally reply with a fixed quote within one working day. If we need to see the system first, we book a survey around your hours.
Related advice
Common problems we fix in London Colney
Records can go missing when a business changes hands or contractors. With no history, the current state of the extract is a guess.
Most sites get in touch after spotting something like this:
- Post-clean verification after another contractor’s clean
- Heavy grease suspected in the plenum or ducts
- Insurers asking for TR19 evidence
- Systems cleaned on a calendar with no measurements
Batchwood Hall, about 3.9 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses near London Colney; if you run event catering at a venue like that, cleans can be booked between functions.
Comparing quotes
- Proof of insurance
- How areas they can’t reach will be recorded
- Proof of accreditation you can verify
- Exactly which parts of the system are covered
London Colney kitchens: local notes
Food Standards Agency records list about 17 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 12 takeaways across London Colney and its immediate surroundings (about a mile and a half). A WFTT or DTT reading tells each of those kitchens whether its grease is staying under the 200-micron mean. Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service covers London Colney. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order. In London Colney, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from St Albans City council. A greasy canopy or dripping filters are the sort of thing an inspection can pick up. A TR19® certificate and photo report after each clean gives you a record to show an inspector.
If you run catering at a healthcare site, such as a hospital like Napsbury Hospital about 0.5 miles west, the extract may need cleaning more often than a part-time kitchen. School kitchens, at schools like Bowmansgreen Primary School for example, are normally cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost.
London Colney is about 2 miles south-east of St Albans, in Hertfordshire. We carry out TR19 inspection for commercial premises of every kind in London Colney and the rest of Hertfordshire. Across Hertfordshire, we cover 381 places, London Colney among them. We also work in London, about 18 miles from London Colney.
TR19 inspection in AL2 and AL1 follows the same survey, fixed quote and written report as everywhere else we cover. TR19 inspection is available to premises on High Street, London Road and Haseldine Road and nearby roads. We also cover Broad Colney (1 mile south), Tyttenhanger (1 mile north), Shenleybury (1 mile south), Sleapshyde (2 miles north-east) and Colney Heath (2 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Watford (6 miles south-west), Hemel Hempstead (7 miles west), Stevenage (14 miles north), Welwyn Garden City (7 miles north-east), Harpenden (7 miles north) and Hoddesdon (12 miles east).
Around London Colney
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to White Horse pub, Highfield Park and Samuel Ryder Academy. For rail, the closest station is Park Street station, about 1.9 miles west. Nearby you will also find Napsbury Hospital (0.5 miles west) and St Albans Musical Museum (2.6 miles north-west). Open spaces near London Colney include Verulamium Lake and Broad Colney Lakes.
What the work involves, part by part
Extract fan and discharge
The extract fan and its housing collect grease too. We check and test them as part of the inspection.
Schools, hospitals and care homes
Inspections are planned around mealtimes and holidays so meals are not affected.
London Colney questions
Can school kitchens in London Colney be cleaned in the holidays?
Yes. The holidays are the usual time for school work. Around London Colney, the Food Standards Agency lists about 9 schools and colleges with registered kitchens within a mile and a half or so. Send us your term dates when you give us a ring on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email, and we will fit the work in.
Which council inspects kitchens in London Colney?
In London Colney, 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.
What does TR19 mean?
It’s the industry benchmark for cleaning ventilation and kitchen extract systems, written by BESA. It sets out inspection, cleaning and record keeping, and it takes a risk-based approach.
Can you inspect our extract for our insurance company?
Yes. Our TR19 audits cover readings, photos, access and a recommended cleaning interval. It’s set out for your insurer or broker.
What do you do with what you remove?
It leaves the site with us when we go. While we work, it’s kept contained so the area stays clean.
Do you offer emergency callouts?
Yes, day and night, every day of the year. Our office is open from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with the emergency line covering every other hour.
Which accreditations do you hold?
Duct Doctor is a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001 are in place too, and we carry full insurance.
What does a pre-clean survey involve?
We check the layout, the grease levels and the access, before anyone starts cleaning. Missing access panels are noted ahead of the clean.