Hertfordshire · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections in St Albans
We cover St Albans for TR19 inspections and grease testing. Out-of-hours visits, a fixed quote and a written report with pictures as standard.
- Insurance renewals needing proof of TR19 cleaning
- Kitchens taken over with no cleaning records
- Kitchen extract systems with no recent grease readings
What affects the quote in St Albans
There’s no set price list, because sites vary so much. What we look at:
- Access, including roofs, risers and ceiling voids
- The condition we find in the survey
- The number of sites or systems
- Working hours and out-of-hours timing
No two sites are the same, so each one gets its own fixed quote. The size of the job, how we reach it, its condition and the working hours all play a part.
Asking for a quote
When you call or email, it’s useful to have:
- Any access panels or hatches you can see
- Photos showing the whole system and its surroundings
- The postcode and the type of business
- Any previous report or certificate
Want a quote for TR19 inspection? Please give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email and tell us about the site. We will talk you through the work and send you a fixed quote before you commit to anything.
TR19 inspection in St Albans, done properly
BESA’s minimum cleaning frequencies depend on how long the kitchen cooks each day: 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. Those are minimums, and grease readings help set the real interval. If you’re dealing with parts of the system left out of past cleans and kitchens taken over with no cleaning records, we can put it right, from access surveys, wet film thickness tests and post-clean checks onwards.
In St Albans, extract cleaning fits around service: late at night, early in the morning or on a closed day. Bigger sites can be done kitchen by kitchen, so cooking carries on elsewhere.
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
- St Albans (AL1, AL3, AL4)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Records
- Certificate plus before-and-after photos
- Price
- A fixed quote up front
- Working hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
TR19 inspection in St Albans: the local picture
The FSA’s data shows about 61 pubs, bars and clubs and about 4 hotels, B&Bs and guest houses registered in St Albans and the streets around it, up to about 1.5 miles out. Wherever they cook, the canopy, duct and fan collect grease just as a restaurant’s do. In St Albans, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from St Albans City council. Extraction counts as kitchen equipment, so its condition can come up on the day. A dated certificate in the maintenance file answers the question before it’s asked. St Albans is covered by Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Its fire safety officers can audit commercial kitchens, and grease in the extract is part of a kitchen’s fire risk.
A hall kitchen that only cooks for events, whether near Church of St. Peter or elsewhere in St Albans, still needs its extract cleaned, just less often. If you look after a school kitchen, at a school such as Loreto College or anywhere near St Albans, the holidays are the usual time for a TR19® clean.
St Albans is about 20 miles north-west of London, in Hertfordshire. St Albans gets the same approach as every site we work on: diagnosis first, a fixed price, out-of-hours working where necessary and a written report with photos. 381 places in Hertfordshire are on our list, from busy centres to quieter spots. You can also see our page for London, roughly 20 miles from St Albans.
Every address in AL1, AL3 and AL4 is covered for TR19 inspection, from busy streets to back roads. You will find streets such as Gabriel Square, Jubilee Square and Old London Road, all of which we cover for TR19 inspection. Main roads around St Albans include the A414 and B651, which makes travel easy for TR19 inspection. We also cover Bernards Heath (1 mile north), Sopwell (1 mile south), St Stephens (1 mile south-west), Marshalswick (1 mile north-east) and Park Street (2 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Watford (7 miles south-west), Hemel Hempstead (6 miles west), Stevenage (13 miles north-east), Welwyn Garden City (7 miles north-east), Harpenden (5 miles north) and Hitchin (14 miles north). As one of the bigger places in Hertfordshire, St Albans has a wide mix of commercial premises, all within our area for TR19 inspection.
Near you in St Albans
Typical jobs here are in premises near Alban City School, The Horn pub and Verulam School and the streets around them. St Albans has its own railway station: St Albans station. Well-known places in the area include St Albans Musical Museum (0.5 miles north-east) and The Maltings (within half a mile west). The countryside around St Albans includes The Wick Local Nature Reserve and Verulamium Lake.
Common problems we fix in St Albans
Looking at a canopy tells you little about what’s in the duct. A system can look clean at the filters and be heavily coated further in, which is why readings matter.
If you notice any of these, it’s worth a diagnosis:
- Checking the result of a recent clean
- Pre-clean surveys before a first TR19 clean
- Sections of duct that cannot be reached
- Ductwork where grease may be over the TR19 limits
Commuter trade near St Albans station can mean long cooking hours, and long hours put a kitchen into BESA’s more frequent cleaning bands.
What to look for in a quote
- What paperwork you get at the end
- Whether the figure could change on the day
- Which accreditations they hold, and whether you can check them
- Whether the whole system is included, or only the parts that are easy to reach
Nearby places to St Albans
Other services in St Albans
How the job changes from site to site
Extract fan and discharge
Grease builds up on the fan blades and inside the housing. They’re included in the readings and photos.
Horizontal duct runs
Grease settles on the floor of horizontal ducts as the air cools. We test at points along the run through access panels.
Honest limits
In fairness, there are a few things this work will not fix:
- Ductwork that was designed or installed badly
- A faulty or failing extract fan
- The responsible person’s own fire risk assessment
Not sure which it is? You can phone us on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email and we will tell you honestly before you book.
Where we work
- Access surveys
- Wet film thickness tests
- Deposit thickness tests
- Insurer audits
- Pre-clean surveys
- Post-clean checks
Common questions in St Albans
Do you clean school canteen extracts around St Albans out of term?
Yes, out-of-term visits are normal for schools. Around St Albans, the Food Standards Agency lists about 19 schools and colleges with registered kitchens within a mile and a half or so. Send us your term dates when you phone us on 0345 646 2711, or email photos, and we will fit the work in.
Can you work in St Albans outside opening hours?
Yes, we can come after you close and finish before you open. Your customers, staff or residents in St Albans needn’t be disturbed. Just ring 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form with your opening times and we will plan around them.
What do the grease readings need to be?
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.
What’s TR19?
A BESA specification, with two parts that matter most here: TR19® Grease for kitchen extract systems and TR19® Air for general ventilation. It is not law, but it’s the benchmark.
How often should grease be tested?
We suggest a next test date in every report, taking the readings and the kitchen’s hours into account. The interval should come from a competent person’s risk assessment backed by grease measurement.
Can you quote from photos?
Typically, yes. Send wide shots, close-ups of any access panels and anything that worries you, and we normally come back within one working day. If pictures aren’t enough, we’ll survey first.
Can you verify a clean after it’s been done?
A post-clean check records grease readings and pictures after the work, whoever did the clean.
What is grease thickness testing?
Readings are taken using the Wet Film Thickness Test or the Deposit Thickness Test, and set against the TR19® Grease figures.
What we do, step by step
At the end of the visit, someone from your team can look over the work with us. Anything we couldn’t reach or that needs attention is pointed out there and then, and it goes on the report too. The visit takes a morning or less for one kitchen, more where there are several systems. Managed buildings in a place the size of St Albans often have sign-in, permits-to-work and key holders, and the visit is planned around them.
- First we book a time that won’t disrupt cooking.
- The system is checked from canopy to discharge.
- Grease thickness is measured at set points by WFTT or DTT.
- Photos are taken at each point, and access gaps noted.
- We send a report setting out the readings, photos and next steps.
Getting ready for the visit
- Move anything stored near the system
- Agree a time when the area can be out of use
- Arrange a key holder or contact on site
Getting a quote
Some systems can be priced from photos; others need a survey. Larger sites, and anything hidden behind walls, ceilings or floors, are normally surveyed first. Either way, you get a fixed price before any work starts.
Read more
Looking after it afterwards
So the system stays in good health:
- Book the next test on the date in the report
- Have the latest report ready for insurance renewals
- Look out for grease drips round the canopy edge
- Store grease readings where your insurer can see them
Any access problems we found are listed with a suggested fix. Fitting them before the next clean means the whole system gets done.
Keep filters clean and in place. Missing or damaged filters let grease straight into the plenum.
What happens if it’s left?
Post-clean verification shows whether the system was left the way the certificate says, while there’s still time to put anything right. We can set up 3, 6 or 12-monthly visits so nothing on a site in St Albans gets missed.
The price reflects the work, not guesswork. That’s why we survey first, from pictures or on site, and why the quote is fixed before any work starts.
Why us?
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
- We’re fully insured
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
- A fixed price before any work starts
See what affects the cost and our accreditations and certificates.