Gemini AMPM Ltd and its ventilation division Clean Ducts are official members of BESA, the body that wrote the standards ventilation hygiene is measured against. Membership means our work is benchmarked to the highest recognised standard in the industry.
For you, that membership works as a simple filter. Anyone can claim to clean ductwork. A BESA member firm is held to the standards the association itself wrote, so when you compare contractors, membership tells you the work will be carried out and documented against a published benchmark rather than against a company’s own opinion of a job well done.
What is BESA?
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) is a UK trade body established in 1904, previously known as the Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association (HVCA). It supports and represents members active in the design, installation, commissioning, maintenance, control and management of engineering systems and services in buildings.
BESA created and defined the TR19 standards, which have become the recognised benchmark for ventilation, ductwork and kitchen extract system cleaning. In practice, BESA sets the best practice for ventilation systems and kitchen extract cleaning, and holds member firms to consistently high-quality work.
That history matters. BESA has been setting the rules for building engineering services for well over a century, and its remit covers the whole life of a system, from the day it is designed and installed to the way it is maintained, controlled and managed years later. A standard written by the body that oversees every stage of that life carries more weight than guidance produced by any single contractor, which is why TR19 is treated as the industry’s reference point rather than one document among many.
Why TR19 matters
BESA TR19 covers ventilation hygiene, and TR19 Grease covers kitchen extract systems. TR19 is widely recognised within the building and engineering services sector as the UK insurance industry standard to which all ductwork should be cleaned.
The standards set out when, and to what standard, grease extract systems should be cleaned. That gives restaurants, business owners and duct cleaning companies a clear cleaning frequency based on the type of cooking and the hours of kitchen use.
The value of the standard is that it removes guesswork. Rather than a contractor deciding how thorough a clean should be, TR19 defines the level of cleanliness a system must reach, and TR19 Grease defines how often a kitchen extract system must be cleaned to stay within it. The busier the kitchen and the heavier the style of cooking, the faster grease builds up inside the extract ductwork, so the required cleaning interval shortens to match. A lightly used kitchen and a high-volume kitchen are not held to the same schedule, and the standard spells out where your operation sits.
Fire safety and grease removal
Cleaning ventilation ductwork and kitchen extract systems to the TR19 standard removes hazardous, flammable grease from the ductwork, making your building safer in the event of a kitchen fire.
Dust is flammable too. Removing it from ventilation ductwork and air handling units takes away a further source of fuel. If grease or dust is allowed to accumulate, it simply feeds any fire, which can then travel easily through the ductwork running the length of a building.
This is the risk TR19 exists to control. A kitchen extract system pulls grease-laden air out of the cooking area every hour the kitchen operates, and a share of that grease settles on the inside of the ductwork where you cannot see it. Because the ductwork runs through the building, a fire that takes hold inside it does not stay in the kitchen. It can travel along the duct route and spread far beyond the room where it started, which is exactly why the standard treats accumulated grease and dust as a hazard to the whole building rather than a housekeeping issue.
Insurance and certification
Insurers are fully aware of this risk. Cover is increasingly provided only to businesses that hold a certificate of duct cleanliness confirming their ductwork has been cleaned to the TR19 standard. Keeping that certificate current protects both your building and your cover.
The certificate of duct cleanliness records that your ductwork has been cleaned to the TR19 standard, which is precisely what your insurer wants to see. Treat it the way you treat any other compliance document: know where it is, know when the last clean took place, and book the next clean before the interval set by the standard runs out. If a claim follows a kitchen fire and you cannot show a current certificate, you have given your insurer an easy reason to question your cover.
Common questions about BESA and TR19
What is TR19?
TR19 is the standard BESA wrote for ventilation hygiene. It defines the level of cleanliness ductwork must reach and is recognised as the UK insurance industry standard to which ductwork should be cleaned. TR19 Grease is the companion standard covering kitchen extract systems.
How often does kitchen extract ductwork need cleaning?
TR19 Grease sets the frequency according to the type of cooking you do and the hours your kitchen runs. The more heavily the kitchen is used, the shorter the interval between cleans. A survey of your system will confirm the schedule that applies to your operation.
Why does my insurer ask for a TR19 certificate?
Because grease and dust inside ductwork are flammable, and a duct fire can travel through the building. Insurers increasingly make cover conditional on a certificate of duct cleanliness confirming the system has been cleaned to the TR19 standard.
Does BESA membership change who turns up on site?
Yes. Every Clean Ducts ventilation and grease hygiene operative trains at an approved BESA training centre, so the standard named on your certificate matches the standard of the person doing the work.
Trained to BESA standards
Gemini AMPM Ltd and our ventilation division Clean Ducts are proud to be official members of BESA. Every one of our ventilation and grease hygiene operatives has trained at an approved BESA training centre, so we continue to deliver work to the highest levels of competence, health and safety.
Membership is not a badge we display; it is a standard we staff for. Training at an approved BESA centre means every operative understands what TR19 requires before they arrive on your site, and it means the health and safety standards your building depends on are met by people trained to them, not just briefed on them.
If you want to confirm your ductwork and kitchen extract systems meet the TR19 standard, request a survey and we will assess the condition of your system.