TR19 & standards
A single sheet saying 'cleaned to TR19' proves very little. Here's the detail a certificate needs to be worth holding.
The short answer
A compliant TR19 Grease certificate is backed by a full post-clean report: what was cleaned and how, before-and-after photographs from fixed points, grease-thickness readings pre and post, notes on any faults or inaccessible areas, the chemicals used, recommendations for next time - and a BESCA registration that puts it on BESA's national record.
The list a good report carries
The specification is specific about what a completion report should state: the ventilation systems that were cleaned, the cleaning methods used, and the verification results where testing was specified. It should include pre- and post-clean photographic records taken from the same points, any faults found that could affect future hygiene, any additional works carried out, and COSHH data on any chemicals or biocides used. It should finish with clear recommendations for future testing and cleaning.
On top of that sit the things that make it credible: confirmation the technician holds the BESA Grease Hygiene Technician qualification, whether the clean was full or partial, and the grease-thickness readings that show a cleaned surface down near or under 50 microns. Timing matters too - post-clean testing should be done immediately after the clean, so nothing re-contaminates the duct before the reading is taken.
The registration behind the paper
A certificate you print yourself is only your own word. Under TR19 Grease the clean is registered on BESA's BESCA Ventilation Hygiene Elite portal, which logs where and when the work was done and whether the system was fully or partially cleaned, and generates the certificate that supports the report. The record is uploaded to BESA's national Elite database.
That independent record is the part an insurer or fire authority can actually check. After a fire, a loss adjuster can request the details as proof that a compliant clean was carried out - and the outcome of a claim can hinge on whether that record exists and matches the system. A certificate with no registration behind it is a much weaker document, however official it looks.
The limit
The one thing a certificate cannot do is cover ground the clean never reached. Read the inaccessible-areas notes as closely as the headline: a document that records a partial clean is telling you the truth, but it is not proof of a compliant whole-system result. The value is in the detail - photos, readings, access notes and registration - not the phrase 'TR19' on the top line. If those parts are missing, treat the clean as unproven and ask why.
Questions
The systems cleaned, methods used, pre- and post-clean photos from fixed points, grease-thickness readings, faults found, additional works, COSHH data, recommendations, the technician's GHT status, whether the clean was full or partial, and a BESCA registration.
BESA's national record of TR19 Grease cleans. When a contractor registers a clean through the BESCA VHE portal, the details are uploaded there, where an insurer or authority can request them as proof.
No. Without readings, photos, access notes and a BESCA registration it proves very little. The detail is what makes it defensible to a fire risk assessor or insurer.
Immediately after cleaning, before anything can re-contaminate the duct. That way the readings genuinely reflect the state the contractor left the system in.
It should. A compliant report states whether the clean was full or partial and lists any inaccessible areas. That honesty is a feature - it tells you exactly what still needs doing.
Phoenix Duct Clean · by the numbers
Send it over. We'll tell you whether it holds up - and every clean we do comes with a full report and a BESCA-registered certificate.