Kent · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections in Tickham
TR19 inspection for Tickham, from a team that has been trading since 2009. Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus a 24/7 emergency line.
- Heavy grease suspected in the plenum or ducts
- Surveys needed before quoting a full clean
- Checking the result of a recent clean
TR19 inspection for kitchens and businesses in Tickham
Post-clean verification is a check carried out once the cleaning is done, with fresh grease readings, pictures and a look at the areas that were cleaned. It gives you evidence of how the system was actually left. We’re often asked to deal with insurers asking for TR19 evidence and post-clean verification after another contractor’s clean, across pre-clean surveys, wet film thickness tests and deposit thickness tests.
In a village or hamlet like Tickham, the kitchens that need extract cleaning are typically a pub, a school, a care home or a hall kitchen, wherever there is one. Each still has a canopy and duct that collect grease, whatever the size of the place.
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.
- Where
- Tickham (ME9)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Records
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, typically within a working day
- Hours
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
When to call us in Tickham
TR19® is the benchmark that insurers, fire officers and EHOs refer to. It isn’t legislation; the legal duty comes from the Fire Safety Order 2005, under which the responsible person must reduce fire risk, and grease in the extract is part of that risk.
Keep an eye out for any of the following:
- Kitchen extract systems with no recent grease readings
- Checking the result of a recent clean
- Insurers asking for TR19 evidence
- Ductwork where grease may be over the TR19 limits
Volunteers running a hall kitchen near Church of St Mary, or anywhere in Tickham, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it.
Questions to ask before you book
- If they look at the system before pricing
- Whether VAT is included
- What paperwork you get at the end
- Exactly which parts of the system are covered
What else we do in Tickham
Kitchen extracts in Tickham
Look up Tickham on the FSA’s food hygiene register and you will find about 3 cafés, restaurants and staff canteens within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Tickham. A WFTT or DTT reading tells each of those kitchens whether its grease is staying under the 200-micron mean. Tickham sits within the area of Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Fire and rescue authorities enforce the Fire Safety Order in most non-domestic premises, and in a kitchen that fire risk includes the grease in the extract. In Tickham, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Swale council. An officer looking round a kitchen will see the canopy, and grease there is hard to miss. Before-and-after photos from each clean are a simple way to show the extract is in hand.
Historic houses near Tickham, such as Belmont House and Gardens about 3.2 miles south-east, are a reminder that older buildings with event kitchens can have long, awkward duct routes. School kitchens, at schools like Lynsted and Norton Primary School for example, are normally cleaned in the holidays so no lunches are lost.
Tickham is about 3 miles west of Faversham, in Kent. Sites in Tickham get the same service as everywhere we cover: diagnosis first, a fixed price, out-of-hours working where necessary and a written report with photos. Our Kent coverage runs to 922 places, Tickham among them. You can also see our page for Maidstone, about 13 miles away.
Work in ME9 is surveyed, quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. TR19 inspection is available to premises on Nouds Lane and Tickham Lane and the roads around them. Neighbouring places we cover for TR19 inspection include Lewson Street (1 mile north-east), Loyterton (1 mile south-west), Norton Ash (1 mile north-east), Teynham (1 mile north) and Deerton Street (1 mile north-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Maidstone (13 miles west), Ashford (12 miles south), Canterbury (12 miles east), Sittingbourne (4 miles north-west), Whitstable (10 miles east) and Faversham (3 miles east).
Around Tickham
In Tickham, that means kitchens and buildings near The Plough Inn, among other places. The closest station to Tickham is Teynham station, roughly 1.4 miles north of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Sittingbourne Heritage Museum (3.4 miles north-west) and Newnham Castle (1.9 miles south).
Staff cleaning versus specialist work
When your team notices a problem between visits, such as dripping grease, a noisy fan, a smell or a filter that will not come clean, it’s best reported rather than tackled in-house. We can diagnose it and quote.
Your own staff can handle the daily basics: wiping down canopy surfaces, cleaning filters and keeping a simple log. What they cannot safely do is clean inside the ductwork, the fan or the risers, which is where we come in.
How the visit works
At the end of the visit, someone from your team can look over the work with us. 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 around an hour or two per canopy and duct system. If you can send pictures, we can arrive in Tickham knowing what to expect.
- The visit is arranged for when the kitchen isn’t busy.
- Every part of the system is examined, end to end.
- 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.
How to prepare
- Allow time for equipment near the work to be turned off and cool down
- Move anything stored near the system
- Arrange a key holder or contact on site
Ask for a quote
For TR19 inspection in Tickham, call 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line. Let us know the site type and the opening hours, plus pictures or the previous report if they’re to hand. A fixed quote usually follows within one working day.
Related advice
Part by part
Horizontal duct runs
If a run has no access panel, we note it so panels can be added.
Extract fan and discharge
A greasy fan works harder and wears faster. Readings show if it needs attention before the next clean.
Leave it or put it right?
Post-clean verification shows whether the system was left the way the certificate says, while there’s still time to put anything right. Somewhere as small as Tickham, losing a kitchen or building to a fault is felt by everyone who uses it.
Putting the work off seldom saves money. Problems in a system tend to grow, which can make the next visit longer. If you’re not sure what’s needed, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email and we will give you an honest view and a fixed quote.
Why choose Duct Doctor in Tickham
- Survey first, then a fixed quote
- In business since 2009
- Each visit written up, with photos
- We’re fully insured
Take a look at our cost guide and how to check a contractor.
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
Where a tenant occupies the premises but the landlord owns the building, it’s worth checking the lease for who maintains the systems. We are happy to deal with either side and send the paperwork to whoever needs it.
If you look after several sites, we can schedule visits across all of them on one quote. Each site gets its own report and pictures, so records stay tidy.
Questions from Tickham
Do you work overnight in Tickham?
Yes, out-of-hours work is a big part of what we do. Your customers, staff or residents in Tickham needn’t be disturbed. Tell us your opening hours when you ask for a quote.
Who is the fire and rescue service for Tickham?
Fire safety enforcement in Tickham is handled by Kent Fire and Rescue Service. If a fire safety officer visits a commercial kitchen, they may ask about the fire risk assessment and how the extract is kept clean.
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.
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, and grease in the extract is part of that. Many insurance policies also require TR19 adherence.
How much does TR19 inspection cost?
We don’t publish prices, because the cost depends on the job: the size of the system, its condition, access and when we can work. You get a fixed price before work begins.
How long does grease testing take?
An inspection takes around an hour or two per canopy and duct system. Large or multiple systems take longer, and you can give us a ring on 0345 646 2711, or send details by email to book it in.
When should we have our next grease test?
Each report recommends when to test and clean next, based on the readings and how the kitchen is used. The interval should come from a competent person’s risk assessment backed by grease measurement.
Which kinds of sites do you work on?
Commercial premises of every kind: kitchens, offices, schools, healthcare, retail, leisure and food production. We fit the work around how the site operates.
What TR19 inspection can’t fix
Not every problem is solved by TR19 inspection, and we will tell you before work begins. It will not put right:
- Design faults in the extract system
- The responsible person’s own fire risk assessment
- Mechanical faults in the extract
Not sure which it is? You can call 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we’ll tell you honestly.
Parts of the system we cover
- Insurer audits
- Wet film thickness tests
- Deposit thickness tests
- Post-clean checks
- Access surveys
- Pre-clean surveys