Kent · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections in Otford
TR19 inspections, grease thickness testing, pre-clean surveys and post-clean verification for businesses, landlords and public buildings in Otford. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and fully insured.
- Sites with gaps in their extract records
- Ductwork where grease may be over the TR19 limits
- Parts of the system left out of past cleans
Different parts, different methods
Vertical risers
Vertical risers take the extract up through the floors. Grease can run down and collect at the base, so we check there.
Canopy and plenum
The plenum behind the filters can carry a lot of grease. We take readings there and photograph it on every inspection.
TR19 inspection for kitchens and businesses in Otford
Grease thickness testing tells you how much grease is sitting in the canopy, ducts and fan. Readings are taken at set points using the Wet Film Thickness Test (WFTT) or the Deposit Thickness Test (DTT). From the numbers, you can see whether cleaning is due. The work covers access surveys, insurer audits and pre-clean surveys, and common reasons people get in touch are heavy grease suspected in the plenum or ducts and sections of duct that can’t be reached.
Around a smaller place like Otford, kitchen extracts tend to belong to pubs, cafés, takeaways and school or care home kitchens. A kitchen that cooks fewer hours still builds up grease, so cleaning is planned around how much it cooks and what the readings show.
Duct Doctor has been trading since 2009, and we are a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. We also hold CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we are fully insured.
- Place
- Otford (TN14)
- Region
- Kent
- Reporting
- Certificate and photo report
- Quote
- A fixed price before we start
- Hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
Signs you need TR19 inspection in Otford
As hot, greasy air travels up the duct, it cools and leaves a film behind. It often collects where nobody can see it: the plenum, bends and horizontal runs.
Look out for these warning signs:
- Heavy grease suspected in the plenum or ducts
- Kitchens taken over with no cleaning records
- Surveys needed before quoting a full clean
- Confirming a clean reached the whole system
For schools such as Otford Primary School, kitchen extract cleaning is typically booked for the holidays, when the canteen is closed.
Comparing quotes
- How VAT is shown on the quote
- Exactly which parts of the system are covered
- Whether the quote is based on a survey or photos
- What paperwork you get at the end
What a clean will not put right
We’d rather tell you now than book work that won’t help, so here are the limits:
- Design faults in the extract system
- A faulty or failing extract fan
- Sections with no access, until panels are fitted
If you’re not sure, just call 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and we will give you a straight answer before you book.
Where we work
- Pre-clean surveys
- Access surveys
- Insurer audits
- Deposit thickness tests
- Wet film thickness tests
- Post-clean checks
What happens if it’s left?
Don’t wait for an EHO visit or insurance renewal to find gaps in your extract records. An inspection now gives a site in Otford a current picture. Booking now means the visit to Otford is planned around you, not forced by a breakdown.
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 you will get one fixed quote.
Why Otford businesses choose us
- Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus 24/7 emergency callout
- Survey first, then a fixed quote
- Each visit written up, with photos
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
What TR19 inspection looks like in Otford
The Food Standards Agency lists about 8 bars, pubs and nightclubs as registered food businesses in Otford and the streets around it, up to about 1.5 miles out. Breakfasts, bar meals and functions all put grease into the extract wherever they’re cooked. Otford is covered by Kent Fire and Rescue Service. The Fire Safety Order puts the duty on whoever runs a kitchen to control its fire risk, and a greasy duct is fuel. In Otford, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Sevenoaks council. Extraction counts as kitchen equipment, so its condition can come up on the day. A TR19® certificate and photo report after each clean gives you a record to show an inspector.
Volunteers running a hall kitchen near Church of St Bartholomew, or anywhere in Otford, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it. Healthcare kitchens can’t easily close, so their extracts are cleaned overnight or between meal services; the nearest hospital to Otford is Sevenoaks Hospital, about 1.6 miles south.
Otford is about 2 miles north of Sevenoaks, in Kent. We provide TR19 inspection for businesses, landlords and public buildings in Otford and the rest of Kent. Our Kent coverage runs to 922 places, and Otford is one of them. You can also see our page for Maidstone, about 15 miles away.
TR19 inspection in TN14 is surveyed, quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. That includes premises on Station Road, High Street and Bubblestone Road and the roads around them. We also cover Twitton (1 mile west), Shoreham (2 miles north), Sepham Heath (2 miles north-west), Halstead (3 miles north-west) and Badgers Mount (3 miles north-west). Further out, we also cover Maidstone (15 miles east), Dartford (9 miles north), Royal Tunbridge Wells (13 miles south), Gravesend (12 miles north-east), Tonbridge (9 miles south-east) and Northfleet (11 miles north-east).
Around Otford
Around Otford, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near Knole Academy, The Woodman pub and Fackenden Down and the streets around them. Otford has its own railway station: Otford station. Nearby you will also find Kemsing Castle Bank (1.7 miles east) and Otford Heritage Centre (less than half a mile south-east). Green spaces nearby include Dryhill Nature Reserve.
What we do, step by step
When we arrive, we check the system against the survey or the pictures you sent. If anything is different, we talk it through with the person on site before carrying on. From there, it takes a morning or less for one kitchen, more where there are several systems. In a place like Otford, we fit the visit around your hours.
- After the clean, we arrange a time to check the system.
- We open the access points used on the clean.
- We repeat the WFTT or DTT readings.
- Photos are taken to show the condition after the clean.
- The results are reported, with anything missed flagged.
Before we arrive
- Clear loose items from the work area
- Let us know when the site is closed or quiet
- Tell us about site rules, permits or sign-in
How to get 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 us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line.
Related advice
Questions from Otford
Do you work at weekends in Otford?
Yes, we can come after you close and finish before you open. The site is handed back ready to open. Just phone us on 0345 646 2711, or email photos with your opening times and we will plan around them.
Which fire service covers Otford?
Kent Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service for Otford. If a fire safety officer visits a commercial kitchen, they may ask about the fire risk assessment and how the extract is kept clean.
How much time does an inspection need?
As a guide, it takes around an hour or two per canopy and duct system. The size of the system and the access make the difference.
Are you accredited?
CHAS, SafeContractor, ISO 9001 and BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. We have been trading since 2009 and we are fully insured.
What should I send you?
Where the site is, what it is and when it’s open, plus photos of the system and your last certificate or report if you have one.
At what point does grease need cleaning?
Two figures matter: a mean of no more than 200 microns between cleans, and 500 microns at any single point, which needs immediate spot cleaning. We show your readings against those figures.
Why survey before a clean?
We look at the system from canopy to discharge, take grease readings and check access. From it, we plan the clean and quote a fixed price.
When should we have our next grease test?
Enough to be sure grease stays within the TR19® Grease figures between cleans. If readings rise, the interval should shorten.
Keeping the system healthy
Think of this as the after-treatment advice, in brief:
- Send TR19 audit reports to your insurer on request
- Keep the route to access panels clear
- Look out for grease drips round the canopy edge
- Clean or swap grease filters as often as the kitchen needs
Any access problems we found are listed with a suggested fix. Fitting them before the next clean means the whole system gets done.
Clean, correctly fitted filters stop more grease reaching the duct. Missing or damaged filters let grease straight into the plenum.
What your team can do, and what needs us
In-house cleaning and specialist cleaning do different jobs. Wiping filters daily and washing them weekly keeps the visible parts in order, but grease that has passed the filters is out of reach. Reaching it takes a specialist with the right equipment.
For ventilation and air handling systems, in-house care is mostly about checks: clear grilles, a log of filter changes and reporting anything odd. The inside of ducts and units needs a specialist.