Medway · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections in Lower Higham
Need TR19 inspection in Lower Higham? We diagnose first, fix the price and book the work around your hours, then sign off with a report and pictures.
- Insurance renewals needing proof of TR19 cleaning
- Surveys needed before quoting a full clean
- Missing access panels found on survey
TR19 inspection for kitchens and businesses in Lower Higham
Not every kitchen fits neatly into a calendar. In a busy kitchen, grease can build faster than the minimum intervals allow for, which is why measurement matters. Our readings give your risk assessment real numbers to work from. We’re often asked to deal with parts of the system left out of past cleans and confirming a clean reached the whole system, on pre-clean surveys, deposit thickness tests and post-clean checks.
In a small place like Lower Higham, kitchens are often in older or extended buildings, with long single-storey duct runs, and those horizontal sections are where grease settles. Access, parking and timings are agreed before the day.
Good records are part of the job. Each visit is written up with pictures, covering the work done, any areas we couldn’t access and a recommended next date. File it in your maintenance log so it’s to hand when an insurer or inspector asks.
- Where
- Lower Higham (ME3)
- Wider area
- Medway
- Paperwork
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Quote
- A fixed quote up front
- Hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
What we are called out for in Lower Higham
You cannot judge grease thickness by eye. A system can look clean at the filters and be heavily coated further in, which is why readings matter.
Look out for any of the following:
- Kitchen extract systems with no recent grease readings
- Heavy grease suspected in the plenum or ducts
- Pre-clean surveys before a first TR19 clean
- Checking the result of a recent clean
A hospital like French Hospital, about 3.3 miles south-east, is the kind of site where a kitchen may cook for patients, staff and visitors all day.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether the whole system is included, or only the parts that are easy to reach
- Whether the quote shows VAT
- What paperwork you get at the end
- Proof of insurance
Places near Lower Higham
More services for Lower Higham
Looking after it afterwards
Good habits slow the build-up between visits. Our tips:
- Keep TR19 certificates, readings and reports together
- Flag changes in how much frying the kitchen does
- Share inspection reports with your insurer or broker when asked
- Never cook with filters missing
After the inspection, we send a report showing each reading, its location and pictures. File it alongside your TR19 certificates.
Keep certificates, reports and readings in one place so the history is easy to show.
Honest limits
An honest diagnosis matters more to us than a booking, so here’s what this work cannot put right:
- Hidden runs that need access panels first
- Fan breakdowns, which need a repair visit
- The legal duty, which stays with the responsible person
If you’re not sure, just ring 0345 646 2711 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer before booking.
What the work covers
- Deposit thickness tests
- Pre-clean surveys
- Post-clean checks
- Insurer audits
- Access surveys
- Wet film thickness tests
How the job changes from site to site
Schools, hospitals and care homes
Inspections are planned around mealtimes and holidays to avoid disruption.
Vertical risers
In buildings with several floors, the riser may pass through other tenants’ space, so access is planned in advance.
Why act early in Lower Higham
Sites in Lower Higham that have never measured grease cannot tell whether their cleaning interval suits the kitchen. Testing gives you the evidence to set it properly. In a place like Lower Higham, ductwork and fans are easy to forget until something goes wrong.
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.
Why choose Duct Doctor in Lower Higham
- Fixed quotes from a survey or pictures
- Trading since 2009
- Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus 24/7 emergency callout
- Full insurance on every job
Take a look at our cost guide or our accreditations and certificates.
How the visit works
A visit follows the same order every time: protect the area, isolate whatever needs isolating, do the work, clear away and leave you the report. The visit itself takes a morning or less for one kitchen, more where there are several systems. Somewhere like Lower Higham, lanes, gates and parking are worth mentioning in advance.
- We agree a time when the kitchen is closed or quiet.
- We look over the canopy, plenum, ducts, fan and 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.
- The findings go into a report with readings, pictures and a recommended next clean.
Before we arrive
- Make sure someone can let us in and lock up afterwards
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
- Clear the space around the work
How to get a quote
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 start, ring 0345 646 2711 or email us.
Advice
Lower Higham kitchens: local notes
The coast is only about 3 miles from Lower Higham. Near the sea, the fan and discharge at the top of a kitchen extract corrode faster than they would inland. There are about 6 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 3 takeaways and sandwich shops within 1.5 miles or so of the middle of Lower Higham, 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. Fire safety in Lower Higham falls to Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Grease in a kitchen extract is a recognised fire risk, and the fire authority enforces the law on managing it in most commercial premises.
For kitchens close to Higham station, where the day often starts early and ends late, the extract can be cleaned overnight. A hall kitchen that only cooks for events, whether near St Mary's Church or elsewhere in Lower Higham, still needs its extract cleaned, just less often.
Lower Higham is about 3 miles north-west of Rochester, in Medway. Wherever you are in the ME3 postcode area, we can take on TR19 inspection. Lower Higham is one of 68 towns, villages and districts in Medway we cover for commercial clients. We also work in Maidstone, about 12 miles from Lower Higham.
Postcode districts we cover here for TR19 inspection: ME3. We cover sites on Canal Road, Chalk Road and Chequers Street and the roads around them. Nearby, we also carry out TR19 inspection in Church Street (1 mile north), Higham (1 mile south), Mockbeggar (1 mile east), Gadshill (1 mile south) and Cliffe Woods (2 miles east). We also work in nearby towns such as Gillingham (6 miles south-east), Chatham (6 miles south-east), Rochester (3 miles south-east), Rainham (8 miles south-east), Strood (3 miles south) and Luton (5 miles south-east).
Near you in Lower Higham
Around Lower Higham, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near Strood Academy, Broomhill Park and The Chequers pub, among other places. There’s a railway station in Lower Higham itself: Higham station. Nearby you’ll also find French Hospital (3.3 miles south-east) and Upnor Castle (3.1 miles south-east). Open spaces near Lower Higham include Gad's Hill and Rede Common.
Lower Higham questions
Do you cover smaller places like Lower Higham?
Yes, Lower Higham is part of our area, however small the site. Photos of the system and directions to the site help us plan the visit.
Who carries out food hygiene inspections in Lower Higham?
The local authority for Lower Higham is Gravesham council, and its environmental health team does the inspecting. It helps to keep the extract cleaning records with your food safety paperwork, so they’re ready if asked for.
How do you protect the area?
By covering it before any work starts. We keep the work contained and leave the area clean.
What do the grease readings need to be?
Under TR19® Grease, the mean thickness should not exceed 200 microns between cleans. 500 microns or more at any point calls for immediate spot cleaning.
Is a quote from pictures possible?
Typically, yes. Send wide shots, close-ups of any access panels and anything that worries you, and a fixed quote typically follows within one working day. If pictures aren’t enough, we will survey first.
Do you offer emergency callouts?
Yes. For anything urgent, such as a fan failure or damage after a fire, ring the 24/7 line and we’ll talk you through the next steps.
What is TR19?
A BESA specification, with two parts that matter most here: TR19® Grease for kitchen extracts and TR19® Air for supply and extract systems. It isn’t law, but it’s the benchmark.
Do we have to follow TR19 by law?
No. TR19® is BESA’s specification and the industry benchmark, not legislation. The legal duty comes from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which requires the responsible person to reduce fire risk, and insurers, fire officers and EHOs look to TR19® as the benchmark.
Fixed quotes for TR19 inspection in Lower Higham
Sites vary more than people expect. What affects the quote:
- The size of the system
- What state the system is in
- Where the site is and how we reach it
- The number of sites or systems
What you pay reflects the actual work. That’s why we survey first, from pictures or on site, and the price is agreed before any work starts.
What to send for a quote
When you contact us, these details help:
- The times we could work without disrupting the site
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- Where the plant sits or the system leaves the building, such as a roof or outside wall
- Any previous report or certificate
To get a fixed quote, call 0345 646 2711, or email photos and tell us the type of site, your opening hours and roughly what the system looks like. Photos and the last report, if you have one, make the quote quicker. We typically come back within one working day.