28/08/2026
WHEN THE CHEAPER QUOTE ISN'T A CHEAPER CLEAN
A wine bar and restaurant got in touch about kitchen extract cleaning - no record of it ever being cleaned.
The canopy and fan could be cleaned as-is. But three sections of ductwork had NO access doors fitted - no way to reach the internal surfaces:
🔧 Canopy to riser
🔧 Riser to fan
🔧 Fan to discharge
To clean properly needed access doors (our work), builder's hatches through plasterboard (client's builder), and a safe working platform for the fan-to-discharge section.
We quoted for shifts, doors, platform. They went elsewhere - "other quote more cheap and less complicated."
HERE'S WHAT WE LEARNED
The other contractors who quoted are ALSO BESCA VHR registered. Same badge.
VHR registration confirms competency. It does NOT tell you whether their quote includes the remedials - access doors, builder's work, and platform needed to reach and clean internal ductwork surfaces. Two VHR members can quote the same job differently. We don't know what the others quoted; they may have included the same remedials. The badge alone doesn't say which.
BESA TR19 Grease is the widely recognised industry standard for kitchen extract cleaning. It requires cleaning ALL internal surfaces - not just the canopy and fan. No access doors = no way to reach the internal ductwork. The remedials are the job.
THE QUESTION TO ASK ANY CONTRACTOR
"How will you clean the internal ductwork that currently has no access doors?"
If the answer doesn't include fitting them, the scope doesn't cover those surfaces - credentials or not.
Under the RRO 2005 and food hygiene law, building operators must keep kitchen extract systems safe. TR19 Grease is how that's demonstrated in practice.
MyDuctwork Ltd - BESA members, BESCA VHR registered, covering London and the South East. Photographic evidence and wet film tests every job.
📞 01323 921201 | 📧 [email protected] | 🌐 www.myductwork.co.uk
