Oxfordshire · TR19 inspections and grease testing
Thame TR19 inspection
We cover Thame for TR19 inspections, grease thickness testing, pre-clean surveys and post-clean verification. Fixed quotes, work around your opening hours and photo reports as standard.
- Insurers asking for TR19 evidence
- Kitchens whose menu or hours have changed
- Pre-clean surveys before a first TR19 clean
TR19 inspection in Thame, done properly
BESA’s minimum cleaning frequencies depend on how long the kitchen cooks each day: heavy use (12 to 16 hours a day) every 3 months, moderate use (6 to 12 hours) every 6 months and light use (2 to 6 hours) every 12 months. Those are minimums, and grease readings help set the real interval. We are often asked to deal with kitchen extract systems with no recent grease readings and systems that need surveying before cleaning, across insurer audits, pre-clean surveys and post-clean checks.
Many kitchens in a town like Thame were fitted into buildings built for something else, which can mean awkward duct routes, long flat runs and not enough access panels. Where the duct cannot be reached, new panels can be fitted, and anything left uncleaned is recorded on the report.
Nothing is signed off by word of mouth: a written report, dated and illustrated with pictures, plus a certificate through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal when the work is a TR19® Grease clean. It shows what was done and what, if anything, couldn’t be reached.
- Where
- Thame (OX9)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Paperwork
- Certificate and photo report
- Quote
- A fixed price before we start
- When we work
- Nights, weekends or holidays to suit you
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
What staff can safely do
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 grease that has passed the filters is out of reach. That part needs specialist access and equipment.
Your own staff can handle the daily basics: wiping canopies, washing grease filters and recording it in a log. What they cannot safely do is clean inside the ductwork, the fan or the risers, which is where we come in.
What else we do in Thame
What happens if it’s left?
A check after cleaning shows whether the work reached every part it should have, before the next clean is due. Dealt with now, it’s a planned visit around your hours rather than a callout when the site needs to be open.
You will not find a price list here, because each job is priced on what it involves. Call for a fixed quote, and we’ll talk you through it.
Why Thame businesses choose us
- A BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- Every job surveyed first
- One number for every site across the South East and London
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
Read what affects the cost and our accreditations.
Questions from Thame
Do you clean school canteen extracts around Thame out of term?
Yes. The holidays are the usual time for school work. With about 7 schools and colleges on the FSA’s register within roughly a mile and a half of Thame, it pays to plan holiday dates ahead. Tell us your holiday dates and we will book the visit for when the site is empty.
Which fire service covers Thame?
That’s Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. A recent cleaning certificate and a note of the next clean date show that grease in the extract is being managed.
Which accreditations do you hold?
We’re a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001 are in place too, and we carry full insurance.
What happens to the waste?
It leaves the site with us at the end of the visit. During the work, it’s contained so the area stays clean.
Do you carry out TR19 audits for insurers?
Yes. Many insurers ask for proof of TR19 cleaning and inspection, and an audit report gives you that, with recommendations where something needs doing.
What does a pre-clean survey involve?
We check the layout, the grease levels and the access, before anyone starts cleaning. Missing access panels are noted ahead of the clean.
What does TR19 mean?
BESA’s ventilation hygiene specification, with two parts that matter most here: TR19® Grease for kitchen extracts and TR19® Air for supply and extract systems. It isn’t legislation, but it’s the standard people check against.
How do you measure grease in a kitchen extract?
WFTT and DTT are the two methods for measuring grease thickness, in microns. Readings are taken at set points through the system.
Aftercare tips
Simple habits between visits make a real difference. Our advice:
- Keep the route to access panels clear
- Mention new equipment or longer hours at the next test
- Clean grease off the canopy between professional cleans
- Share inspection reports with your insurer or broker when asked
If any reading is 500 microns or more, the report flags it for immediate spot cleaning, and we can quote to do it.
Fit access panels where the survey finds sections can’t be reached, so grease isn’t left building in hidden parts.
How the visit works
Before we leave, we walk the area with whoever is on site. We point out anything that couldn’t be reached or needs a follow-up, and it goes on the report too. All told, 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. In Thame, the visit is planned around your opening hours, parking and access to the system.
- After the clean, we arrange a time to check the system.
- The same access points are opened up.
- Grease readings are taken again at set points.
- Photos are taken to show the condition after the clean.
- We report the findings and flag any areas that need more work.
Preparing for the visit
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
- Agree a time when the area can be out of use
- Tell us about site rules, permits or sign-in
Get a fixed quote
Getting a quote does not take long. 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.
Read more
What we’re called out for in Thame
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.
Common reasons sites call us include:
- Sections of duct that can’t be reached
- Cleaning intervals that may not suit the kitchen
- Surveys needed before quoting a full clean
- Systems cleaned on a calendar with no measurements
If you run catering at a healthcare site, such as a hospital like Thame Community Hospital about under half a mile south-east, the extract may need cleaning more often than a part-time kitchen.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether the work can be done while the site is closed
- Whether the figure could change on the day
- If they look at the system before pricing
- How they set the interval to the next visit
What affects the cost of TR19 inspection
Your quote is based on your site. We consider:
- The condition we find in the survey
- Site rules, permits and inductions
- Whether we need access equipment or extra panels
- The times the site is available
Whatever the type of site, the quote works the same way: the size of the job, access, condition and working hours. Call for a fixed quote and we’ll go through it with you.
Asking for a quote
When you call or email, it’s useful to have:
- Your last certificate, test record or report
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- The roof, plant room or outside wall the system runs to
- The site address and the type of premises
Photos are the quickest way to a quote: wide shots of the system, close-ups of anything that worries you and how we’d get to it. Tell us what kind of site it is and when it’s open, and many jobs can be priced from that alone.
When something else is needed
To be straight with you, some problems need a different fix:
- The responsible person’s own fire risk assessment
- Heavy deposits found on test, which still need cleaning
- Design faults in the extract system
If you’re not sure, just ring 0345 646 2711 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer.
What we work on in Thame
- Deposit thickness tests
- Access surveys
- Insurer audits
- Pre-clean surveys
- Post-clean checks
- Wet film thickness tests
What TR19 inspection looks like in Thame
Food Standards Agency records list about 18 restaurants, cafés and canteens and about 10 sandwich bars and takeaways within about 1.5 miles of central Thame. A WFTT or DTT reading tells each of those kitchens whether its grease is staying under the 200-micron mean. Thame sits within the area of Oxfordshire 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. Food hygiene inspections in Thame are the job of South Oxfordshire council’s environmental health team. The cleanliness of the kitchen and its equipment, extraction included, is part of what they check. A dated certificate in the maintenance file answers the question before it’s asked.
If you look after a school kitchen, at a school such as Barley Hill Primary School or anywhere near Thame, the holidays are the usual time for a TR19® clean. Where a hall near Church of St Mary, or anywhere in Thame, hosts lunch clubs or events, its extract gathers grease just as a café’s does.
Thame is about 8 miles south-west of Aylesbury, in Oxfordshire. If you need TR19 inspection in Thame, it’s easy to get a fixed quote: please give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form. Our area covers London and the South East, including Thame. Our Oxfordshire coverage runs to 443 places, and Thame is one of them. You can also see our page for Oxford, roughly 11 miles from Thame.
Our technicians cover all of the OX9 postcode area for TR19 inspection and the streets around it. If you need TR19 inspection at premises on Upper High Street, Butter Market and High Street or a nearby road, our technicians can take on the work. With the A329 and A418 close by, Thame is easy for our technicians to reach for TR19 inspection. Close by, we work in Moreton (1 mile south-west), Towersey (1 mile east), Kingsey (2 miles east), Long Crendon (2 miles north-west) and Haddenham (3 miles north-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Oxford (11 miles west), Didcot (15 miles south-west), Bicester (13 miles north-west), Abingdon-on-Thames (14 miles west), Henley-on-Thames (15 miles south) and Kidlington (14 miles west). As one of the bigger places in Oxfordshire, Thame has commercial sites of every size, and we cover all of them for TR19 inspection.
Near you in Thame
In Thame, that means kitchens and buildings near Lord Williams's School and Cross Keys Public House. The closest station to Thame is Haddenham & Thame Parkway station, roughly 2.1 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Thame Museum (0.5 miles north-west) and Thame Community Hospital (within half a mile south-east). The countryside around Thame includes Snakemoor.