EC Cleaners Network · From Requirement to Evidence
There is no single cleaning interval that is correct for every commercial kitchen.
TR19® Grease provides useful benchmark frequencies, but the appropriate regime should reflect operating hours, cooking methods, grease production, actual system condition, previous evidence, fire-risk findings and relevant insurer requirements.
Need help arranging your next kitchen extract clean?
Start with the postcode, your usual cooking hours and the last known cleaning date. A previous report or insurer request can help if available, but you can enquire without it. The independent specialist assesses the system and confirms the proposed work and quotation.
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TR19 Grease cleaning-frequency benchmarks
BESA currently describes the following minimum benchmark frequencies for kitchen extract systems:
Heavy use
12–16 hours per day
Benchmark: approximately every 3 months.
Moderate use
6–12 hours per day
Benchmark: approximately every 6 months.
Light use
2–6 hours per day
Benchmark: approximately every 12 months.
These are starting benchmarks, not a universal answer. BESA also states that more frequent cleaning may be needed depending on factors including the type of cooking, system condition, insurance requirements and fire-risk assessment.
Important: operating hours alone do not describe grease loading. Two kitchens open for the same number of hours can produce very different contamination depending on equipment, menu and cooking processes.
The interval should relate to the real system
Cleaning frequency is meaningful only when the system being maintained is understood. The visible canopy is one part of a route that can include plenums, ductwork, risers, fans and discharge sections.
Historic EC Cleaners project imagery is used to illustrate the type of operating or extraction environment being discussed; it is not presented as a technical finding about the current property making an enquiry.
What can make a kitchen need more frequent cleaning?
- High-grease cooking. Frying, chargrilling and other grease-producing processes may contaminate the system faster than lighter cooking.
- Long operating hours. A system serving a busy kitchen for extended periods can accumulate deposits faster than a lightly used system.
- Previous condition. Earlier reports, photographs and deposit measurements can show whether the existing interval is allowing excessive accumulation.
- Fire-risk findings. A fire-risk assessment or competent fire-safety recommendation may identify the extract system as a risk requiring action.
- Insurance requirements. Policy conditions, insurer surveys or risk-engineering recommendations can create a specific maintenance expectation.
- Access limitations. If sections have repeatedly been inaccessible, the recorded clean may not represent the full route.
TR19 frequency is guidance – the legal duty is broader
It is useful to separate an industry benchmark from a legal duty. TR19® Grease is an industry specification; it is not itself an Act of Parliament or a universal statutory timetable.
For premises in England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of fire risk and to take appropriate general fire precautions. The Order does not state that every commercial kitchen must be cleaned on one identical 3, 6 or 12-month timetable. Fire-safety legislation differs in Scotland and Northern Ireland, so jurisdiction-specific duties should also be considered where relevant.
London Fire Brigade separately advises restaurants and takeaways to have extraction ducting cleaned regularly because grease build-up can increase the risk of ducting fires.
How should the next cleaning date actually be decided?
The next date should not be copied mechanically from an old certificate without considering what the record actually shows.
- Confirm the operating profile. Record typical hours and the cooking processes served by the system.
- Review the previous scope. Identify which canopies, plenums, duct sections, risers and fans were included.
- Check exclusions and inaccessible areas. A clean date is not evidence that every part of the route was accessible.
- Review condition evidence. Photographs, deposit measurements and observations can help show how quickly contamination has accumulated.
- Check external requirements. Review insurer correspondence, fire-risk actions and property-management requirements.
- Record the rationale. The maintenance programme should make sense when the next facilities manager, insurer, auditor or contractor reviews it.
If the system is due, what should the requirement contain?
A useful contractor enquiry identifies the property, the extract system, the reason the work is due, relevant operating constraints and the evidence expected after completion. It should not be reduced to “clean the hood” if the actual requirement concerns the wider extract route.
Which situation describes you?
Start with the problem that brought you here. Each route leads into the relevant EC service, guidance and evidence pages without requiring you to diagnose the technical solution yourself.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a commercial kitchen extract system be cleaned?
There is no single interval that is correct for every kitchen. BESA describes TR19 Grease benchmark frequencies of around 3 months for heavy use, 6 months for moderate use and 12 months for light use, with more frequent cleaning potentially required according to cooking type, system condition, fire risk, insurance requirements and other evidence.
Does TR19 mean every kitchen must be cleaned every 3, 6 or 12 months?
No. Those periods are benchmark frequencies rather than a substitute for considering the actual kitchen, cooking load, system condition, previous findings and relevant risk or insurance requirements.
Is TR19 cleaning frequency a legal requirement?
TR19 Grease is an industry specification rather than a statute. Fire-safety duties arise from the applicable legislation and risk assessment. In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to assess fire risk and take appropriate precautions; it does not prescribe one universal kitchen-extract cleaning interval.
Can an insurer require more frequent kitchen extract cleaning?
Potentially. Insurance conditions, risk-engineering recommendations or previous findings may affect the maintenance regime, so the policy and any insurer correspondence should be checked rather than assuming a generic interval.
What if part of the ductwork was inaccessible during the last clean?
The inaccessible section should remain visible in the records and next requirement. Cleaning frequency does not resolve an access problem; the system may need additional access or other enabling work determined by a competent specialist.
What evidence should I keep after cleaning?
Keep the contractor report, certificate where provided, photographs or other evidence, system scope, exclusions, inaccessible areas, remedial recommendations and the basis for the next inspection or cleaning date.
Is your kitchen extract system due for attention?
Tell us the postcode, last known cleaning date and any deadline. If you have a report or requested cleaning schedule, include it. EC can coordinate the enquiry with an independent specialist, who confirms the assessment needed and proposed work.
You do not need to diagnose the technical solution before contacting EC. Preserving the original problem and the evidence already available is often the best place to start.
TR19® Grease and TR19® Air are BESA specifications. References are descriptive and no BESA endorsement of or affiliation with EC Cleaners Network is claimed.