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Tried a new camera setup for flue inspections and the difference is night and day | Chimney Sweeps - Vivisector

Tried a new camera setup for flue inspections and the difference is night and day

For years I used a basic inspection camera with a fixed LED ring light. It was fine, but in a lot of the older chimneys around here, the soot buildup just swallowed the light and the picture was always grainy. Last month, I finally invested in a newer model with a flexible gooseneck light you can position separately from the lens. The first job I used it on was a 1920s farmhouse with a badly offset flue. Being able to angle the light down the offset while keeping the camera lens pointed straight ahead let me see a massive crack in the clay liner that my old setup would have completely missed. The picture was so clear I could count the mortar joints. It cost about $350 more, but catching that one issue probably saved the homeowner a much bigger repair bill down the line. Has anyone else made a specific tool upgrade that instantly made your inspections way more reliable?

4 comments

4 Comments

young.thomas4mo ago

@harperp24 right, better lighting makes or breaks a flue inspection every time.

harperp245mo ago

It's a great example of how better tools just change the game. We see it everywhere now, from nicer kitchen knives to sharper phone cameras. The right gear doesn't just make a job easier, it lets you see the work in a whole new way.

singh.harper5mo ago

You could actually see the mortar joints? That's crazy detail from inside a flue. My old boss would have never sprung for a setup like that, always said if the basic light didn't show it, the problem wasn't there. Proves him wrong.

carr.abby5mo ago

Totally get that! Upgraded to a thermal camera for checking wall cavities last year. Spotting moisture issues went from a guessing game to a sure thing.