Ask any chimney technician how they were injured, and words like tired, late in the day, hot, and in a hurry will be some of the words that will creep into the conversation. 
Accidents occur. It could be something you’ve done or skipped multiple times, but it catches you off guard this time. Always care for yourself first!
Before starting a chimney scanning job, put on your PPE equipment, especially an appropriate respirator. Soot and fly ash have no place inside your lungs. Soot can stain and smear. Please do not touch it! Vacuum it off without touching it with the hose end (hover).
Regarding your camera system, all of our Chim-Scan® units are designed to handle the soot and cinders – you are not! We recommend wiping it after use to remove the soot from the cable and camera (use separate cloths). Other unit safety tips are:
• Ensure it is seated securely on the hearth or drop cloth.
• If you use it on the roof, ensure it is secured so it won’t slide off. For information on scanning from the roof, click here to see a whole series of videos. 
• Talk to your insurance agent so your Chim-Scan® Unit is insured in case of theft or damage. Not all policies cover a unit in transit or use at your customer’s home. Get Inland Marine coverage for this.
Oil soot contains sulfur; when it mixes with moisture, it becomes sulfuric acid. Inhaling it where it is exposed to moisture in your sinuses and lungs could harm your lungs and burn your sinuses if left unprotected. If you do not use a respirator, oil soot in your sinuses will be an experience you will not forget. Coal appliances also have sulfur in the soot, but are not as concentrated as oil, and can still burn your sinuses. 
 Clothing covers help keep you clean for the next job. You may choose Tyvek suits or other coveralls. Disposable nitrile gloves are handy, especially if you must move fireplace toolsets or touch an appliance that might leave residue on your hands before putting on your heavy work gloves. If you need to go to the roof, always reference OSHA Guidelines for fall protection equipment, hard hats, or helmets when accessing the roof and in other situations where protection equipment is required.
Care for yourself first. There’s not another you, and in that moment, you are choosing to put yourself first or accept the consequences if you harm yourself because of a shortcut. Don’t do it! That one-minute time saver may cost you your life!

​Are all of your employees on the same page? Is there a discrepancy in terms or procedures? Does your office staff understand what your chimney technicians are trying to tell them? Does it take a long time to train new employees? These problems can be solved with the Chim-Scan® Factory Training (CSFT) class.

This class/book follows a video scanning and inspection process. Each of the five modules takes the technician from one transition point to the next. It provides an up-close view within the structure.  There is also a 17-page glossary with terms and images. The book includes over 400 photos that explain what you will see in the flue. 

How can your team be aligned if your technicians don’t agree on terms or the procedure? Is this causing confusion with your office staff? If each employee who trains a new technician uses their own terms and unique processes, this confuses the technicians and office support staff! Having streamlined training is essential to having a staff that works together. 
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Do your technicians understand what is happening in the flue? A cracked chimney does not always mean a chimney fire has occurred. A crack may indicate one of these causes: overfiring, chimney fire, or a seismic event. This book focuses in depth on the symptoms to look for other than cracks. There is other evidence to gather, images to capture, and analysis of how this may affect the structure. 

Highlights for the CSFT book and training:
• What is an Ideal Chimney? How does it stand up to IRC and NFPA 211?
• When do I use IRC, NFPA 211, or the appliance manufacturer’s installation instructions?
• Understanding the Levels of Inspection and Chimney Scanning
• Cracks in the flue, Thermal Stress, and Thermal Shock
• Best viewing angles for scanning – the best angle to use by defect for the best images
• The Four Pathways to Deterioration, with examples and images
• Best Access Points for scanning
• What you might find in a chimney (animals, types of soot, etc.).
• Equipment check
• Scanning patterns

Once technicians become familiar with the content in the book, they can take the Chim-Scan® Factory Trained Technician Test to achieve this designation. They will earn a certificate and a patch. A copy of the logo is also available for their use now. This will put them light years ahead of their competition and make them a source of knowledge for homeowners.

Masonry Clay Flue Tile Defects
Masonry clay flue tiles meet a harsh environment inside the chimney. Corrosive condensation, moisture, chimney fires, and other conditions may damage a flue tile. In certain circumstances, a clay flue tile can last for decades, provided they are maintained and the homeowner operates the appliance or burns responsibly.

Latent Defects are defects found within the system from improper and sometimes creative use of material that stray from building codes or the manufacturer's installation instructions. This deviation from the codes or installation instructions creates various issues within an installation.

Wear and Tear is the natural aging process where material breaks down over time. Wear and tear can also include how an appliance is operated. If it is too hot, it decreases the life of the appliance, chimney, and connector pipe. If the temperatures are too low, it can create a tar-like creosote and increase the likelihood of a Sudden Occurrence (or condensation with gas/oil). Another factor is maintenance or lack of maintenance. Wear and tear can sometimes overlap with other categories.

Moisture and Condensation damage occur when water enters the chimney interior due to a missing cap, leaking crown, cracks in the brick structure, freeze-thaw breaks in the bed or head joints, and a poor choice of brick, causing excess water absorption. Another source of water in a chimney can come from condensation. This condensation occurs when the flue gas temperature falls below the dew point. Because of the water percentage in natural gas and liquid propane, the flue gases may condense in masonry chimneys, especially those located along the home's exterior.
The next fuel to condense is wood. When the warm gases reach the masonry flue liners, they, too, cool off. The moisture is included with the other byproducts of wood burning – black creosote, watery or tarlike soot.
The last fuel, oil, will also condense on the masonry walls. Due to the higher efficiencies that oil appliances can now operate, they too will condense and, with their acidic nature, can destroy masonry clay flue tiles.

A Sudden Occurrence is a sudden event that causes damage. It can be a chimney fire, a sudden weather-related incident(s) such as a tornado, strong wind, or a seismic event. It has to be out of the ordinary of daily operations.
A Sudden Occurrence, the last Pathway, includes damage seen from a direct and sudden event. Indirect manners can apply to areas where mine subsidence has occurred (where mining was performed). Of the Pathways, this last defect(s) will usually become an insurable loss. The other three defect categories – Latent Defect, Wear & Tear, and Moisture are generally not insurable losses since insurance contracts (policies) do not include them.