Testing, servicing, repair and installation — by the engineers who write the report

One team covers the whole life of your fume cupboards: proving they contain, keeping them running, fixing them when they stop, and replacing them when the numbers no longer stack up.

Service 01

Fume cupboard testing & thorough examination

Your statutory examination, done properly and documented so it survives an audit. We test to BS EN 14175 Part 4 on-site methodology and report against the performance your risk assessments assume.

Measured on every visit

What you receive

A per-unit report with readings, photographs and a clear pass or fail
Remedial actions ranked: safety-critical, recommended, monitor
Labels applied to each unit showing test date and next due date
An asset register you can hand straight to estates or an inspector

Service 02

Planned servicing & maintenance

Testing tells you where you stand. Servicing is what keeps the result passing. We build a maintenance schedule around your academic year, clinical rota or production calendar, and hold the dates for you.

Air movement

Extract fan condition, belt and bearing checks, inverter settings, duct integrity and terminal discharge inspection.

Filtration

Carbon and HEPA filter status, saturation monitoring, pre-filter replacement and documented filter change history.

Cabinet & controls

Sash balance and cords, glazing, lighting, liner condition, services, monitor calibration and alarm testing.

Maintenance contracts, without the lock-in

Contracts are annual, priced per unit, and cancellable at renewal. They include your statutory examination, one planned service visit, priority breakdown response and a reminder six weeks before your next test falls due — so a lapsed certificate never surprises you.

Service 03

Repair, upgrade or replace

A fume cupboard that fails its test does not automatically need replacing. We price the repair and the replacement side by side, and tell you which one we would choose.

Common failures and the usual outcome

Symptom	Likely cause	Our usual route	Downtime
Low or uneven face velocity	Fan wear, duct leakage, blocked filter, incorrect inverter setting	Diagnose and correct on site	0–1 day
Alarm sounding constantly	Failed sensor or drifted set point	Recalibrate or replace monitor	Same day
Sash falls or sticks	Broken cord, worn pulley, bent guide	Mechanism repair	Same day
Cracked or attacked liner	Chemical damage, age, impact	Repair panel, or replace unit if structural	1–5 days
Noise and vibration	Bearings, unbalanced impeller, loose ductwork	Fan overhaul or replacement	1–3 days
Repeated failures on an old unit	End of serviceable life	Costed replacement proposal	Planned

Service 04

Supply, installation & commissioning

New cupboards specified against your actual chemistry and room, installed with the ductwork done properly, and commissioned with the test results in your hand before we leave site.

Specify

Chemicals, volumes, bench height, sash type, services and room airflow reviewed before any product is quoted.

Design

Extract route, fan selection and duct sizing to DW/172 practice, with make-up air considered rather than assumed.

Install

Delivery, positioning, mechanical and electrical connection, coordinated with your other trades and site rules.

Commission

Full performance test, monitor set-up, user walkthrough with technicians, and documentation for the O&M file.

Questions we get asked

Fume cupboard testing, answered plainly

How often does a fume cupboard need testing in the UK?

COSHH Regulation 9 requires local exhaust ventilation — which includes fume cupboards and fume hoods — to be thoroughly examined and tested at intervals of no more than 14 months. In practice most laboratories run an annual cycle so the visit lands in the same holiday or shutdown window each year, leaving a two-month buffer if a date has to move.

What actually gets measured during a test?

Face velocity across a measured grid at working sash height, airflow visualisation with smoke to reveal roll-back and dead zones, monitor and alarm set points, extract fan performance, and the physical condition of the liner, sash mechanism, glazing and services.

Every reading appears in your report with the target it was measured against, so a pass is evidenced rather than asserted.

Do you test ductless and recirculating fume cupboards?

Yes. Filtration units are examined as LEV: inflow velocity, filter condition and saturation monitoring, and — critically — whether the fitted carbon or HEPA filter is still correct for the chemistry being used. Filter suitability is the most common thing we find has drifted as research or teaching content changes.

Can you work outside term time or clinical hours?

Yes, and we prefer to. School and college testing is usually done in holidays, university work in reading weeks or vacations, and hospital and industrial work outside clinical or production hours. Weekend and evening attendance is agreed when we quote, not charged as a surprise later.

What happens if a cupboard fails?

We tell you on the day, label the unit clearly so it is not used, and give you the remedial options with prices before we leave site. Where the fix is a fan setting, sensor, cord or filter, we usually resolve it on the same visit.

Do you cover the whole of the UK?

Yes. We are based in Formby, Liverpool and work across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Multi-site clients get a single schedule and one report format for every location, which makes group-level reporting much simpler.

Ready to get your examinations back on schedule?

One call, one quote, one team for testing, servicing, repairs and replacements.