A job in Boulder last fall showed me why I never skip the camera check now.

I was cleaning a standard looking chimney on a ranch house. The homeowner said it had been done the year before. I almost just ran the brush, but I did a quick camera check anyway. The camera showed a huge crack in the flue liner about eight feet up, completely hidden from the bottom. The previous sweep must have missed it. I showed the owner, and we had to stop everything for a full liner replacement. That one inspection saved a potential house fire. Has anyone else caught a major hidden flaw that way?

3 comments

3 Comments

julia922mo ago

My last inspection in Denver found a bird's nest packed tight about ten feet up. The homeowner swore the damper was always closed, but the camera doesn't lie. It was a total blockage they never would have seen otherwise.

tessacarter1mo ago

Used to be one of those people who thought they could tell everything from just looking at the outside. Then a client swore up and down their chimney was clean, and the scope showed three feet of creosote right above the smoke chamber. Camera work is the only way to be sure, no contest.

cooper.viola2mo ago

Why do people trust their gut over a camera?