Takeaways are almost always heavy use under TR19 Grease. A fish and chip shop with a fryer range on from lunchtime to late, a kebab house with a doner spit and a charcoal grill, a Chinese takeaway with woks at full heat through the evening, or a pizza shop with a deck oven and a fryer for sides will all cook for twelve hours or more a day, which puts the extract on the three-month interval, the shortest of the three bands (moderate use is six months, light use twelve). The premises are usually small, the duct is short and often discharges at the rear, and there is frequently a flat above, which is why takeaway duct fires feature so often in fire and rescue incident logs.
Why the risk is concentrated
A short duct run is not a safer duct run. Grease vapour from a fryer bank condenses within the first few metres, so a takeaway's entire duct can be coated in a thick deposit while a longer restaurant run would have spread the same grease more thinly. The fan is close to the cooking line and works hard. Add a flat upstairs, a timber-framed rear extension and a discharge that terminates near a neighbour's window, and a flare-up in the duct becomes a building fire quickly. Fire safety inspectors know this pattern well, and so do insurers, which is why policy conditions on takeaway cover are often stricter than for restaurants and a loss adjuster will check the cleaning dates first.
Charcoal, tandoors and solid fuel
Charcoal grills, tandoor ovens and wood-fired pizza ovens add a second problem to the grease. Solid fuel throws embers, sparks and fine ash into the airstream, and ash mixed with grease forms a deposit that is harder to remove and easier to ignite. TR19 Grease flags solid-fuel cooking as a special case: the extract serving a solid-fuel appliance should ideally be separate from the rest of the system, and some insurers impose extra conditions such as spark arrestors or shorter intervals. Tell us if you cook over solid fuel so the contractor we assign quotes for it properly.
| Takeaway type | Main grease source | Points to raise when enquiring |
|---|---|---|
| Fish and chips | Fryer range, often gas, on all day | Age of the duct; position of the fan |
| Kebab and grill house | Doner spit, charcoal or gas grill | Solid fuel; extract shared with a shawarma unit |
| Chinese and Thai | Wok range at high heat | Wok extract loads the fan fast; duct may pass the flat above |
| Pizza | Deck or wood-fired oven, fryer for sides | Wood-fired ovens count as solid fuel |
| Fried chicken | Pressure fryers and open fryers | Heaviest fryer load of any format |
Inspections, ratings and landlords
Environmental health officers visit takeaways often, and they look up at the canopy and filters. A dirty extract will not by itself decide a food hygiene rating, but it counts against cleanliness and management, and an officer who sees a greased canopy will ask when the duct was last done. Landlords with flats above the shop are increasingly asking for a TR19 certificate as a lease condition, and a fire safety inspector can require one. The EHO inspections guide explains what they look for.
Timing, cost and what you receive
Most takeaway cleans are done after close or in the morning before the fryers go on, and a single-canopy system is usually finished in one visit. A takeaway clean strips the canopy, plenum and filters, the duct through to the outlet, and the fan and discharge, with grease depth measured at the start and the end. A small single-canopy takeaway typically costs between £300 and £600 per clean, depending on the state of the system, the fan position and whether access panels need fitting; the cost guide has more. Because the interval is quarterly, a schedule with reminders and a fixed per-visit price is the practical option. Every contractor we arrange is BESA-qualified, CHAS-accredited and fully insured, and issues the TR19 certificate with before-and-after photographs when the clean is done. Send us your address and what you cook through the quote form and we will arrange a local specialist.
Related services: Kitchen Extract Cleaning · Canopy Cleaning · Ductwork Cleaning · Extractor Fan Cleaning
Frequently asked questions
Three months seems very often. Is it really necessary?
For a kitchen that cooks for twelve hours or more a day, yes, because that is the heavy-use interval in TR19 Grease and the one insurers write into their conditions. The grease readings at each clean will confirm it; a system that comes out well below the 200 µm trigger at three months might be argued down to six, but most fryer-led takeaways are not in that position.
My charcoal grill has its own extract. Does that need cleaning separately?
Yes, and it is cleaned with the rest of the system on the same visit, but the contractor needs to know it is there. Solid-fuel extract carries ash and soot as well as grease, is harder to clean and may have a spark arrestor that needs checking. Some insurers set a shorter interval for the solid-fuel run, so tell us when you enquire.
The flat above is rented out. Do I have to tell the tenants?
If the duct runs through their ceiling void or up the outside wall past their windows, the contractor may need access, and it is courteous to warn them about noise from the fan clean. You do not need their permission for work inside your own premises. Where a section of duct is inside their flat and access is refused, the report will record it and you should raise it with your landlord.
Will the shop smell of chemicals when we open?
No. The degreasers used are food-safe and rinsed off, and the kitchen is left dry with the filters refitted. A clean finished at three in the morning leaves no trace by lunchtime beyond a canopy that looks new. The contractor will ask you to run the fan for a short period before cooking starts to clear any residual moisture from the duct.