Essex · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections in West Mersea
TR19 inspections, grease thickness testing, pre-clean surveys and post-clean verification for businesses, landlords and public buildings in West Mersea. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and fully insured.
- Parts of the system left out of past cleans
- Extracts that may be over the 200 micron mean
- Sites with gaps in their extract records
TR19 inspection in West Mersea, done properly
A fixed schedule doesn’t always match how a kitchen really cooks. In a busy kitchen, grease can build faster than the minimum intervals allow for, which is why measurement matters. Our readings give your risk assessment real numbers to work from. If you’re dealing with kitchen extract systems with no recent grease readings and checking the result of a recent clean, we can help.
Kitchens around a place like West Mersea are often in older buildings or single-storey extensions, where the duct may cross a roof void or climb an outside wall. Flat runs collect grease and need proper access to clean.
Duct Doctor has been trading since 2009, and 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.
- Place
- West Mersea (CO5)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Paperwork
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, normally within a working day
- Hours
- When your site is closed, plus a 24/7 line
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
Aftercare tips
A little care between visits keeps the system in better shape. Our advice:
- Keep access panels clear and unpainted
- Mention new equipment or longer hours at the next test
- Keep canopy edges and gutters wiped down
- Keep TR19 certificates, readings and reports together
Keep the verification report next to the certificate it relates to. The pair gives a clear record of the clean and the check.
Test grease regularly instead of relying on the calendar. It shows if build-up is speeding up.
What affects the quote in West Mersea
The diagnosis comes before the price. The main factors are:
- The condition of the system
- One-off work versus a regular cycle
- How big the system is
- Whether several sites go on one quote
What you pay reflects the actual work. That is why every job is surveyed first, and the price is agreed before any work starts.
Helping us quote
To speed up the quote, please include:
- Photos showing the whole system and its surroundings
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- The roof, plant room or outside wall the system runs to
- The times we could work without disrupting the site
There’s no standard price list, because no two systems are the same. We look at your system first, from photos or on a visit, and then send you a fixed quote. To get going, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line.
Managing agents and facilities teams in West Mersea
Multi-site operators often want one contractor and one number. We cover South East England and London, so visits at different addresses can be planned together and kept to a regular schedule.
The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty to manage fire risk on the responsible person, which may be the employer, owner, landlord, FM or managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
Places near West Mersea
Other services in West Mersea
Common problems we fix in West Mersea
Looking at a canopy tells you little about what’s in the duct. Clean filters can hide a heavy layer behind them, which is why readings matter.
These are the problems we see most often:
- Systems that need surveying before cleaning
- Kitchen extract systems with no recent grease readings
- Extracts that may be over the 200 micron mean
- An insurer’s request for a TR19 audit
Bursars and site managers at schools such as Mersea Island School tend to book extract cleaning for when the kitchen is empty.
Comparing quotes
- Whether they’re fully insured
- Exactly which parts of the system are covered
- When the next visit should be, and why
- What paperwork you get at the end
Grease, kitchens and West Mersea
Sea air reaches West Mersea, which sits within about 2 miles of the coast. Salt air speeds up corrosion of roof-level fans, discharge cowls and their fixings. The FSA’s food hygiene register shows about 17 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 4 takeaways across West Mersea and its immediate surroundings (about a mile and a half). For any of them with a canopy, measuring grease is better than guessing when to clean. Fire safety in West Mersea falls to Essex County 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.
Volunteers running a hall kitchen near Church of St Peter and St Paul, or anywhere in West Mersea, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it.
West Mersea is about 8 miles south of Colchester, in Essex. From the centre of West Mersea to the outskirts, TR19 inspection is available to all kinds of commercial premises, from a single unit to a large public building. West Mersea is one of 644 places in Essex we cover for TR19 inspection. You can also see our page for Chelmsford, roughly 19 miles from West Mersea.
Every address in CO5 is within our area for TR19 inspection, from the main roads to the quietest streets. That includes premises on High Street North, High Street and Church Road and the roads around them. You’ll find West Mersea on the B1025, which makes it straightforward for our technicians to reach for out-of-hours visits. We also cover the places around West Mersea: Barrow Hill (1 mile north-east), East Mersea (3 miles east), Peldon (3 miles north-west), Little Wigborough (3 miles north-west) and Great Wigborough (3 miles north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Colchester (8 miles north), Clacton-on-Sea (10 miles east), Maldon (11 miles west), Witham (12 miles west), Camulodunum (8 miles north) and Heybridge (10 miles west).
Around West Mersea
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around White Hart pub. The countryside around West Mersea includes Ray Island.
What happens on the day
Your staff don’t need to do much on the day. Someone lets us in at the agreed time and shows us where everything is, and we take it from there. Before we leave, the area is tidied and the paperwork follows. Getting to the system matters more than parking in a place like West Mersea, so let us know how to reach it.
- We go through any past certificates and reports.
- The layout is traced from the canopy to the discharge.
- We note where access panels are and where more are needed.
- Grease readings are taken and pictures recorded.
- You get a report and a fixed quote for the clean.
Preparing for the visit
- Clear loose items from the work area
- Let us know when the site is closed or quiet
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
How to get a quote
Need a price for TR19 inspection? Please give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or email us and tell us about the site. We will explain what we’d do and send a fixed quote before you commit to anything.
Advice
What a clean won’t put right
An honest diagnosis matters more to us than a booking, so here’s what TR19 inspection will not do:
- Ductwork that was designed or installed badly
- The responsible person’s own fire risk assessment
- Heavy deposits found on test, which still need cleaning
If you’re not sure, just call 0345 646 2711, or send details by email and we will give you a straight answer before you book.
Parts of the system we cover
- Access surveys
- Pre-clean surveys
- Deposit thickness tests
- Wet film thickness tests
- Post-clean checks
- Insurer audits
Different parts, different methods
Canopy and plenum
Clean-looking filters do not mean a clean plenum. So we measure behind the filters, not just in front.
Extract fan and discharge
A greasy fan works harder and wears faster. The inspection shows whether it needs cleaning now.
West Mersea: your questions answered
Which environmental health team covers West Mersea?
That is Colchester council, whose environmental health officers carry out food hygiene inspections in West Mersea. How often a business is inspected depends on the risk rating the council gives it, so it’s worth staying ready all year.
Can you work in West Mersea outside opening hours?
Yes, out-of-hours work is a big part of what we do. The site is handed back ready to open. Let us know the hours you are closed and we will book within them.
When should we have our next grease test?
That varies with the kitchen’s daily use. BESA sets minimum cleaning intervals of 3, 6 or 12 months by daily use, and testing shows if your kitchen needs more.
What is post-clean verification?
After a clean, we take new readings and pictures to show how the system was left. It works whoever carried out the clean.
What is grease thickness testing?
WFTT and DTT are the two methods for measuring grease thickness, in microns. We take readings at set points from canopy to fan.
What about areas you cannot get to?
We record them on the report, with a note of where it is, and we tell you what would make it reachable, such as extra access panels in ductwork.
Do you offer maintenance contracts?
Yes. Scheduled maintenance plans are part of what we do, with visits at the interval your system needs. The report from each visit recommends the next date.
Why survey before a clean?
A survey finds out how the system is laid out, how dirty it is and what can be reached, so the clean goes to plan. Any access problems are flagged so they can be sorted first.