Hertfordshire · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections and grease testing in Redbourn, Hertfordshire
We cover Redbourn for TR19 inspections, grease thickness testing, pre-clean surveys and post-clean verification. Out-of-hours visits, a fixed quote and a written report with photos as standard.
- Kitchens whose menu or hours have changed
- Kitchen extract systems with no recent grease readings
- Missing access panels found on survey
About our TR19 inspection in Redbourn
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. Typical jobs include insurers asking for TR19 evidence and post-clean verification after another contractor’s clean, across access surveys, post-clean checks and deposit thickness tests.
Size does not change the work: a kitchen in a place like Redbourn gets the whole system cleaned, canopy to discharge. We plan the visit around your hours, with the journey sorted in advance.
Accreditations are easy to claim and worth checking. Ours are BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, plus CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and we are fully insured.
- Location
- Redbourn (AL3)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Records
- Certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- A fixed quote up front
- Hours
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
When it’s something else
It’s worth knowing the limits before booking:
- Heavy deposits found on test, which still need cleaning
- Hidden runs that need access panels first
- Installation problems, which fall under design guidance such as DW172
If you’re not sure, just give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we will give you a straight answer before you book.
What the work covers
- Pre-clean surveys
- Insurer audits
- Access surveys
- Wet film thickness tests
- Post-clean checks
- Deposit thickness tests
Looking after it afterwards
Here’s the after-treatment advice, in brief:
- Keep to the recommended interval
- Report grease dripping from the canopy
- Keep access panels clear and unpainted
- Keep TR19 certificates, readings and reports together
The report recommends when the system should next be cleaned and tested, based on the readings and how the kitchen is used.
Revisit the cleaning interval whenever the menu or hours change. Fresh readings show whether it needs to change.
Part by part
Canopy and plenum
The plenum behind the filters can carry a lot of grease. Readings and pictures are taken in the plenum on every inspection.
Vertical risers
Vertical risers take the extract up through the floors. Grease can drain down and pool at the bottom, so the base is a key test point.
What we do, step by step
When we arrive, we check the system against the survey or the pictures you sent. Anything unexpected is raised with you before we go further. After that, the work takes anything from an hour for a small canopy and short duct to a good part of a day for a large site. Because the survey comes first, a visit to Redbourn can normally be finished without a second trip.
- After the clean, we arrange a time to check the system.
- The same access points are opened up.
- We repeat the WFTT or DTT readings.
- We photograph each area to record how it was left.
- The results are reported, with anything missed flagged.
How to prepare
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
- Tell us about site rules, permits or sign-in
- Move anything stored near the system
How to get a quote
Quotes are quick. Send a few details and photos, and we normally reply with a fixed quote within one working day. Where a survey is needed, we arrange a time that suits the site.
Related advice
Places near Redbourn
Other services in Redbourn
When to call us in Redbourn
Menus, opening hours and cooking styles change over time, and more frying or longer hours mean more grease. The old cleaning schedule may not match the kitchen any more.
Any of these means the system needs a check-up:
- Cleaning intervals that may not suit the kitchen
- Heavy grease suspected in the plenum or ducts
- Surveys needed before quoting a full clean
- Kitchens taken over with no cleaning records
Historic houses near Redbourn, such as Childwickbury Manor about 2.6 miles south-east, are a reminder that older buildings with event kitchens can have long, awkward duct routes.
Comparing quotes
- Whether the figure could change on the day
- Whether a survey comes first
- When the next visit should be, and why
- What records you will receive afterwards
What staff can safely do
Good housekeeping makes our visits easier, not unnecessary. Regular in-house cleaning slows the build-up, but the parts you cannot see still need a specialist at the right interval.
For ventilation and air handling systems, in-house care is mostly about checks: clear grilles, a log of filter changes and reporting anything odd. Cleaning inside ducts and units is specialist work.
Redbourn kitchens: local notes
Food Standards Agency records include about 4 pubs and bars in and around Redbourn, up to about a mile and a half out. Wherever they cook, the canopy, duct and fan collect grease just as a restaurant’s do. Redbourn is covered by Hertfordshire 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 Redbourn, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from St Albans City council. They look at how clean the premises and equipment are, and the kitchen extract is part of that. Our report lists what was cleaned and when, which is useful to have ready.
If you run catering at a healthcare site, such as a hospital like St Albans City Hospital about 3.6 miles south-east, the extract may need cleaning more often than a part-time kitchen. Volunteers running a hall kitchen near Mount Zion Evangelical Church, or anywhere in Redbourn, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it.
Redbourn is about 2 miles south-west of Harpenden, in Hertfordshire. For TR19 inspection in and around Redbourn, it’s easy to get a fixed quote: please call 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form. Our area covers London and the South East, including Redbourn. Redbourn is one of 381 places in Hertfordshire where we work for TR19 inspection. There’s also a page for Milton Keynes, about 23 miles away.
Our technicians cover all of the AL3 postcode area for TR19 inspection and the roads nearby. TR19 inspection is available to premises on High Street, The Square and Lords Meadow and nearby roads. We also cover the places around Redbourn: Holtsmere End (2 miles south-west), Highfield (3 miles south-west), Westwick Row (4 miles south), Leverstock Green (4 miles south) and Adeyfield (4 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Watford (9 miles south), Hemel Hempstead (4 miles south-west), Stevenage (12 miles north-east), St Albans (4 miles south-east), Welwyn Garden City (9 miles east) and Hitchin (12 miles north-east).
Near you in Redbourn
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to The Bell And Shears Public House, Roundwood Park School and Rothamsted Park, among other places. The nearest railway station is Harpenden station, about 2.3 miles north-east. Nearby you’ll also find Redbourn Museum (within half a mile south-east) and St Albans City Hospital (3.6 miles south-east). Open spaces near Redbourn include Grebe House Wildlife Garden and Verulamium Lake.
Common questions in Redbourn
Do you work at weekends in Redbourn?
Yes, we can come after you close and finish before you open. The work in Redbourn can fit around your hours. Just give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email with your opening times and we will plan around them.
Which fire service covers Redbourn?
Redbourn is in the area of Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. TR19® isn’t law, but it’s the benchmark many fire officers and insurers look to when they ask how often the extract is cleaned.
Can you verify a clean after it’s been done?
After a clean, we take new readings and photos to show how the system was left. It works whoever carried out the clean.
How often should a kitchen extract be inspected?
We suggest a next test date in every report, taking the readings and the kitchen’s hours into account. A risk assessment based on measured grease should set the interval.
How much does TR19 inspection cost?
We do not publish prices, because the cost depends on the job: the size of the system, its condition, access and when we can work. We fix the price before work begins.
Can you look after several sites?
Yes. One number covers all your sites across London and the South East, with visits on a regular schedule.
Do we have to follow TR19 by law?
No, not in itself. The Fire Safety Order 2005 still requires the responsible person to manage fire risk, which in a kitchen includes grease in the extract. Many insurers also expect TR19 cleaning.
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. Our report sets your readings against both.
Managing agents and facilities teams in Redbourn
For anyone managing more than one site, we can schedule visits across all of them on one quote. Every building has its own written report, so each one has its own record.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must assess and reduce fire risk, and that can be the employer, the owner, a landlord, a facilities manager or a managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.