East Sussex · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections and grease testing in Sweethaws, East Sussex
TR19 inspection across Sweethaws and nearby, booked around your opening hours and finished with a written report and pictures.
- Heavy grease suspected in the plenum or ducts
- Kitchens whose menu or hours have changed
- Extracts that have never been grease tested
TR19 inspection in Sweethaws, done properly
A grease test measures how thick the grease is inside a kitchen extract system. Readings are taken at set points using the Wet Film Thickness Test (WFTT) or the Deposit Thickness Test (DTT). The results show whether the system needs cleaning and how soon. If you’re dealing with systems cleaned on a calendar with no measurements and extracts that may be over the 200 micron mean, we can help.
Rural kitchens often have long, low duct runs through a roof space or along an outside wall, where grease settles in the flat sections. We agree access and timings in advance.
Duct Doctor has been trading since 2009, as a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001 are in place too, and we are fully insured.
- Place
- Sweethaws (TN6)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Paperwork
- Certificate plus before-and-after photos
- Quote
- A fixed price before work begins
- Hours
- Out of hours as standard, 24/7 emergency line
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
Part by part
Vertical risers
Risers in multi-storey buildings can pass through other areas, so access is planned in advance.
Schools, hospitals and care homes
Inspections are planned around mealtimes and holidays so meals are not affected.
Signs you need TR19 inspection in Sweethaws
Not every section of a kitchen extract is easy to get to, so those sections can be skipped time and again. An inspection of a system in Sweethaws shows where access panels are missing, so the gaps can be closed.
It’s time to book a visit if you see:
- Post-clean verification after another contractor’s clean
- Insurers asking for TR19 evidence
- Systems that need surveying before cleaning
- Extracts that have never been grease tested
For schools such as Beacon Academy, kitchen extract cleaning is usually booked for the holidays, when the canteen is closed.
What to look for in a quote
- How they set the interval to the next visit
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
- Whether a survey comes first
- Whether they’re fully insured
Also near Sweethaws
More services for Sweethaws
Kitchen extracts in Sweethaws
The FSA’s data shows about 3 hotels, B&Bs and guest houses registered within 1.5 miles or so of the middle of Sweethaws. Wherever they cook, the canopy, duct and fan collect grease just as a restaurant’s do. The fire and rescue service for Sweethaws is East Sussex 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. In Sweethaws, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Wealden council. A greasy canopy or dripping filters are the sort of thing an inspection can pick up. A dated certificate in the maintenance file answers the question before it’s asked.
A hospital like Crowborough War Memorial Hospital, about 1.3 miles north-east, is the kind of site where a kitchen may cook for patients, staff and visitors all day.
Sweethaws is about 2 miles south-west of Crowborough, in East Sussex. We carry out TR19 inspection for commercial premises of every kind in Sweethaws and the rest of East Sussex. Across East Sussex, we cover 289 places, and Sweethaws is one of them. There’s also a page for Brighton, about 18 miles away.
Here we cover the TN6 postcode area for TR19 inspection. If your site is just outside Sweethaws, we cover High Hurstwood (1 mile south), Crowborough (2 miles north-east), Fairwarp (2 miles south-west), Jarvis Brook (2 miles north-east) and Marden's Hill (2 miles north). Within a short drive, we also cover Lewes (12 miles south-west), Hailsham (13 miles south-east), Uckfield (5 miles south), South Malling (12 miles south-west), Heathfield (7 miles south-east) and Southover (13 miles south-west).
Around Sweethaws
Typical jobs here are in premises near The Crow & Gate inn. The closest station to Sweethaws is Crowborough station, about 2.2 miles east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Tickerage Castle (4.6 miles south) and Crowborough War Memorial Hospital (1.3 miles north-east). For a walk, there’s Crowborough Country Park.
Staff cleaning versus specialist work
Away from the kitchen, the in-house job is mainly checking: clear grilles, a log of filter changes and reporting anything odd. Cleaning inside ducts and units is specialist work.
Staff cleaning and specialist work aren’t the same thing. A daily filter wipe and a weekly filter wash keep grease down at the front of the system, but they do not reach the grease that builds up further in. That part needs specialist access and equipment.
Honest limits
Not every problem is solved by TR19 inspection, and we’ll tell you before work begins. It won’t put right:
- Hidden runs that need access panels first
- Ductwork that was designed or installed badly
- The grease itself, which needs a full or spot clean
Not sure which it is? You can call 0345 646 2711 or send us an email and we’ll tell you honestly.
What the work covers
- Pre-clean surveys
- Deposit thickness tests
- Access surveys
- Post-clean checks
- Wet film thickness tests
- Insurer audits
Aftercare tips
Simple habits between visits make a real difference. Our advice:
- Flag oily drips near the extract
- Do not box in or cover duct access panels
- Store grease readings where your insurer can see them
- Clean or swap grease filters as often as the kitchen needs
For an insurer audit, send them the report as it is, including readings, photos and any inaccessible sections.
Clean, correctly fitted filters stop more grease reaching the duct. Missing or damaged filters let grease straight into the plenum.
What affects the cost of TR19 inspection
There’s no set price list, because no two systems are the same. The quote depends on:
- The number of sites or systems
- Travel, parking and unloading
- Site rules, permits and inductions
- The size of the system
What you pay depends on how big the system is, the condition it’s in and how easy it is to reach. You get a fixed price before we start, so you know where you stand.
What to send for a quote
When you call or email, these details help:
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- A few general shots of the system
- Your opening hours and when the area is out of use
- The paperwork from the last visit, if you have it
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, the quote is fixed before any work is booked.
How the visit works
There are three stages on the day: getting the area ready, doing the work and signing it off. Getting ready means protecting surfaces and switching off what needs to be off, and the sign-off is a written report with pictures. Most of the time goes on the work itself, and that takes around an hour or two per canopy and duct system. Somewhere like Sweethaws, lanes, gates and parking are worth mentioning in advance.
- Post-clean verification is booked once the clean is done.
- 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
- Tell us the best time to work, such as after service or at a weekend
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
- Mention any locked doors, roof access or ceiling voids
Ask for a quote
Quotes are quick. Send a few details and pictures, and we usually 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 questions in Sweethaws
Can a school canteen extract in Sweethaws be done out of term time?
Yes. Half-terms and the summer break are the natural time for school work. The FSA’s register shows about 2 schools and colleges with food registrations within roughly a mile and a half of Sweethaws. Booking early in the term gives the best choice of holiday dates.
Can you work in Sweethaws outside opening hours?
Yes, out-of-hours work is a big part of what we do. That way a site in Sweethaws doesn’t have to lose a day’s trading. When you call 0345 646 2711, or email photos, mention when the site is quiet.
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.
How much notice should we give?
That depends on the slot you want and the size of the job. Tell us your preferred dates when you ask for a quote, and for anything urgent, ring our 24/7 emergency line.
Where does the waste go?
Anything we remove is contained as we work and taken away with us, from grease and debris to used cleaning water. None of it is left on site.
What is grease thickness testing?
It’s a measurement of how much grease is coating the inside of the extract, by WFTT or DTT. The results are given in microns.
What does TR19 mean?
BESA’s ventilation hygiene specification in two main parts: TR19® Grease for kitchen extract systems and TR19® Air for general ventilation. It is not legislation, but it’s the standard people check against.
What do you do to protect the area?
By covering it before any work starts. The work is kept contained and clean down when we finish.