​When scanning chimney interiors with a Chim-Scan® interior chimney inspection camera, you need to know the ideal installation practices according to the building codes. What you will see in the field is probably different from the descriptions and illustrations in your code book. There are differences!
When you scan a chimney, what you are looking at must be verifiable. The chimney and installation either match the ideal chimney in the code book or doesn’t. Your opinion in the documentation can be referenced by the guidelines set forth: local building codes, inspection guidelines outlined in NFPA 211 (2024), Chapters 14 (Maintenance) and Chapter 15 (Inspection of Existing Chimneys), the Annex (Explanatory Material), and the INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE (IRC), especially chapters 10, 13, 14, 18, and 24, which are of great benefit.
The International Residential Code (IRC) focuses on the site-built construction of masonry products and the installation of prefabricated products such as chimney liners or chimney and fireplace systems. IRC does not include specifications for inspecting existing installations unless they are new or were built during a previously published IRC Book.
Chimney inspection procedures and Inspection Items are outlined in the NFPA 211 Standard, Chapters 14, 15, and the Annex. These criteria cover when to do the inspection and the Scope of the Levels of Inspection (next page). It also includes items to inspect, listed as examples in the Annex.
It is essential to be familiar with the IRC, to reference what materials to use, how to install them, and the conditions to which chimneys, fireplaces, and vents are to be built. The NFPA 211 Standard tells you when and to what depth the levels of inspection are and the circumstances to use them. Understanding this is the place to verify correct construction is the starting point of scanning.
This is an excerpt taken from the book Chimney Scanning & Inspection Guide, Phase 1, for the Chim-Scan Factory Trained Technician.

​The chimney is a long and dark mystery that has been a part of human culture through the centuries. Because our ancestors frequently used their chimneys for heating and cooking. They were at the chimney's mercy when they became clogged. An unfortunate goose or a small child was used to attempt to dislodge blockages and sweep away the soot and grime. For centuries, humans' best efforts have led to the question, "Can I see from bottom to top?" and “Does it look OK?” Based on a poor visual view, they assumed all was good! Only in recent history can we see inside the chimney to determine whether there are defects and why the system may not be venting correctly.
Tom and Esther Urban started sweeping chimneys in 1979 after spending time in the Peace Corps. They founded their business in Pennsylvania and enjoyed interacting with customers. What bothered them was that they couldn’t see into the chimneys very well. The concept of an interior chimney camera was born.
At that time, there were no chimney cameras. Trying to lower a regular camera was not only a bad idea, but when Tom attended a security conference in New York City, the vendors asked, “You want to do WHAT with a camera?” They thought he was nuts.
Today, Tom, Esther, and their Daughter Shelley run a chimney camera manufacturing business. They design, construct, and assemble new cameras, controllers/monitors, and repairs, in addition to wearing many other hats. Their staff is well-taught, can tackle complex wiring boards and repairs, and runs diagnostic procedures on damaged units needing repair. The chimney camera equipment is manufactured just outside Fairfield, Iowa, a small town in Southeast Iowa. Their chimney cameras have been used for four decades to pinpoint defects, take images, and capture videos, making America’s homes safer.
These cameras are reliable, easy to use, repairable, and manufactured from heavy-duty commercial parts. They are designed for day-to-day use for scanning chimneys. Other uses include air duct scanning, crawl spaces, confined spaces, search and rescue, and are even installed on farm equipment. Along with the equipment, Tom provides technical support training on chimney scanning, diagnostics, and documentation. He taught for the National Chimney Sweep Guild at conventions, the Chimney Safety Institute of America, several state chimney sweep guilds, and home inspectors. He was a guest on 20/20, This Old House, CNN, and others. He served as an NCSG director, as the head of the Tech Committee, and on the CSIA Board of Directors. He received some of the industry/s highest awards, such as the President’s Award from the National Chimney Sweep Guild, the Education Award from the Chimney Safety Institute of America, and more. 

​The Chim-Scan© J3D™ chimney inspection camera provides the ultimate view for scanning the interior of chimneys. It includes two built-in cameras. The top camera provides a zero-degree (straight up/down) view for that first scan up the flue to quickly check the chimney condition. The bottom camera has a 90-degree side view, and you can tilt the camera head up to 45 degrees up or down to view at an angle. These angles are great for taking close-up images of defects.
Stabilization and Protection
To ensure the images and videos are captured without blurriness, the camera includes two stabilizers for spacing & stabilization. These stabilizers are built into the top camera, and at the base, so it is ready for scanning. The orange and white whisker stabilizers are interchangeable, giving you flexibility. The orange whiskers are flexible, and the white whiskers are stiffer. Each Lighthouse and J3D camera includes a set of adjustable stabilizers built into the camera to keep it stable within the chimney. This stabilization prevents wobbling, avoiding incomplete and erratic camera movement.
Lens Rotation & Capturing Images During a Scan
The lower camera head camera can rotate continuously clockwise or counterclockwise without holding a button. If you spot a defect while recording a video, flip the "Lighthouse" Switch to the Hold (center) position to still the camera rotation to capture a specific image. The video will continue recording during this time. If you want to capture a specific image while recording a video, you can do this without pausing the recording.
Clarity of Image
The Chim-Scan® Cameras have a high-resolution camera with a fixed focal range. Stabilizers are included with the camera to provide stability without adjusting the focal range for clear images. Sometimes, J3D wheels and brackets are used for negotiating challenging turns in place of stabilizers.
Illumination
The Chim-Scan® Cameras include specially designed LED Lights built in with lighting adjustment controls at the control box. LED lights provide bright illumination to light up the dark flue corners—these specialty-designed LED lights prevent hot spots.
 Position of Lens
You do not have to continuously hold a button to adjust the speed and rotation of the Lighthouse Tilt or J3D cameras. You can position these cameras to scan from 0° up to 45° degrees up or 45° down. This tilt feature makes adjusting the camera as easy as the flip of a switch or turn of a knob. With the Lighthouse™ Tilt Combo or J3D Camera, you can flip a switch to change the view from the flue side to view the chimney straight up or down.
Vertical View
The J3D Chimney Camera provides a vertical view (5" to 10"), depending on the liner's size. This range of vertical views depends on the flue size.  
Angled View
Your camera needs to be able to view up to a 45-degree angle. Having a tilt lens enables you to see the following situations clearer: Misaligned liners, beyond gaps in the mortar joints or missing tiles, unique angles for flaking liners, cracking, and moisture damage.
Compatible for scanning through thimbles and dampers
The J3D Chimney Camera is designed to scan masonry and prefab chimney flue interiors. This 9" long camera can fit through thimbles and fireplace dampers for masonry and prefabricated construction. It is 6" shorter than the older Combo Cameras. The top camera is not removable.
Wheels are included for maneuvering challenging offsets, thimbles, and dampers.
Each J3D Camera includes a wheel bracket and two sets of two J3D Wheels. These wheels – two on the front and two on the back assist in scanning through challenging thimbles and offsets. Ensure the wheels are on the camera's top (or front) side when traveling through the thimble. As the camera moves vertically into the thimble, the top or front wheels start the turn, allowing the camera to roll, and the rear (lower wheels) follow, rolling the camera through the transition. The top camera is not removable. Use the Utility Camera and Wired Gooseneck to access hard-to-reach areas like chases, ash pits, smoke shelves, etc. Compatible with 211 or 100 Controller Units.
 The Tilt and Rotate Switches are on the controller (see below). These switches control the following camera functions while scanning:

• Rotational Speed Control
• Rotation Directional Control (left/right)
• Switching between Combo/Enviro and Other Cameras (switch between straight-up view and side, 45-degree views).
• Tilt Switch (tilts lens up to 45 degrees and Up/Hold/Down – Hold for pictures).  

In addition to these options, there are other monitor functions such as:

• SD Controller (if chosen)
• Unit Power and Light Variation Knob
• Unit Power LED Light
• AC/DC Toggle Switch
• 2-Amp Fuse for Power (replaceable)
• DC Battery Fuse for 2-AMP (replaceable for Battery Pack)
• Camera fuse 1-AMP (replaceable)
• SD Bypass Switch (if SD won't work in below-freezing conditions)
• Microphone On/Off Switch with LED Mic Record Light

Correct camera functions and monitor/recorder are essential in taking informative pictures for chimney inspections. The right camera provides clear, bright images in varying angles with the option of videotaping the inspection process while taking snapshots. Rotating and adjusting the tilt mechanisms don't slow you down during the inspection process; capturing the images and videos you need leads to a successful inspection report. 

Tom and Esther Urban founded a chimney-sweeping business in 1978 after they served in the Peace Corps. When they got out, it was during the oil crisis. Homeowners were installing woodstoves in old chimneys or installing them with new chimneys. Creosote rapidly built up, and chimney fires started to erupt all over the country. It was a great time to start a chimney-sweeping business, and that’s just what they did. Tom partnered with an insurance adjuster on some of his calls. It always bothered Tom and Esther that they could never obtain a clear view of what was in the flue. At this time, no chimney cameras were available to scan the flue. Tom saw the need for one and researched what it would take to build one. The search would take him to Cornell University, Ithaca, in New York State.
Tom and Esther traveled on Sunday afternoons to Cornell University to search the library’s optics section of the Thomas Registers. There were about twenty 3-inch-thick books listing almost every manufacturer in the U.S. and what they manufactured. They spent many hours copying information about everything they could foresee needing for Tom’s design. Tom then attended a security convention in New York City. After a year of research and work, he took his first camera to the 1984 National Chimney Sweep Guild Convention in Washington, DC, and the first chimney camera – the Chim-Scan®- was born. It was pronounced a “Showstopper” by CNN News Channel. However, it took years before America’s Sweeps adopted and used this critical tool.
Today, forty years later, in 2024, it’s hard to fathom a time when there was no available technology. Imagine what it would be like if the internet disappeared today. That’s what Tom Urban faced when he started researching parts to create a camera capable of being lowered into the chimney and taking a picture from several feet away.  
Eventually, sweeps started to catch on to the need for scanning chimneys. When they needed to prove there was damage to a chimney and could back it up with pictures, the insurance adjuster was more likely to approve a chimney fire claim. Over the years, many companies have sold “chimney cameras,” some of which are decent quality, some modified baby monitors, and some are lightweight consumer-grade camera systems from China or another location. But 40 years later, Chim-Scan® Cameras are still churned out from their manufacturing facility in Iowa, right in the Heartland. Unlike some other chimney camera companies, Chim-Scan® Cameras can still be repaired unless they are too old, and the parts are no longer available. Someday, when Tom and Esther decide to retire or spend time chiseling away at their bucket list, their daughter Shelley is poised to step up as President to run the Estoban Corporation, manufacturer of Chim-Scan® Cameras, the true original commercial-grade chimney sweeping camera. 

When a chimney has damage, the best way to record this damage is with the J3D Chim-Scan® Internal Evaluation System. It is a game changer. It can view straight up or down, sides, and even at angles, which helps determine more about the defects such as misalignment of masonry tiles, rusting, and embrittlement in a prefabricated chimney and in the case of a sudden occurrence such as a chimney fire.
Some chimney cameras may have a limited view. Some chimney cameras may have non-rotating heads or rotating heads with limitations, stabilizers, image and video limitations, one lighting setting, recorders, and a host of other accessories to provide the means to scan the chimney's interior. You may ask, "Why do your cameras have so many options?" – such as speed adjustment and the ability to swivel the chimney camera head to any angle. The answer is to optimize each photo opportunity so you can focus on the details of the defects. Clear photos eliminate doubt when you show the homeowner. Options also decrease the time spent scanning and ensure you have the images needed. Time is money!
Angles of Imagery
One of the most important parts of interior chimney scanning is understanding the optimal angle to capture an image or video. To understand the optimal angles we refer to, it is best first to understand how we refer to them. For reference, when the chimney camera is traveling straight up (or down) the chimney with the lens facing forward (up), we call this a straight-up/down view. A tilted view is when the lens is angled up to 45° up or down. A 90° view would be a side wall view (horizontal). Please reference the chart at the right for a visual explanation.
Each chimney tells a story, and it is up to you to define and share the documentation in a manner the homeowner can understand. The chimney camera position or angle is essential in familiarizing yourself with the new perspective. A 90-degree side view angle produces sharp close-up details of specific areas within the chimney. If scanning from the bottom, such as the hearth or firebox, pushing the chimney camera up using a Lighthouse Tilt or J3D Camera head, you can flip a switch to look straight up or flip again to rotate the heads and orient it to view the sidewalls.
Examples of some of the best images gathered with a 90-degree view are:

• Open/defective mortar joints between two liners
• Missing masonry flue tile pieces or openings in the liner
• Flaking and cracking of the tile
• Poor adhesion from resurfacing products
• Hidden breeching
• Scorch marks on liners
• Seam separation in prefab pipe and/or deterioration
• Disconnected joints or components
• Pinholes in the pipe.

Examples of some of the best images gathered with a 45-degree view are:

• Misaligned masonry flue tiles
• Protruding mortar joints
• Cracking of clay tile liner
• Unlined chimneys

• Pipe damaged by a sudden occurrence - storm, chimney fire, seismic activity.

• Pipe with a manufacturer's defect
• Pipe with rusting & embrittlement.

Examples of the best images gathered with a straight up/down view are:

• Protruding mortar joints
• Animal intrusion
• Moisture damage
• Disconnected or improper joints
• Prefab pipe warping
• Prefab pipe out of round
• Sudden occurrence – storm, chimney fire, seismic activity

A straight up-or-down shot or a side shot is rarely enough to make determinations about defects. A 45° tilted lens can often detect what is behind a hole in a flue tile or mortar joint. A tilt lens helps with pictures of damage or defects in prefabricated chimneys. Having a camera with multi-angle abilities is key to producing the best inspection documentation.

​In 1983, Tom and Esther Urban had a successful chimney-sweeping business in Pennsylvania (founded in 1979). It was a great time to be a chimney sweep. As a result of the oil embargo, people couldn’t afford to heat their homes. Oil surged from $2 per barrel to $11. The price of gas soared by 40%. Gas and oil were also in short supply. Home heating prices went through the roof as homeowners struggled to purchase and install wood stoves. Factories shut down. The economy was at a low point.
With the rapidly growing demand for wood heat, manufacturers sprung up overnight with people welding and selling stoves in their garages. With the lack of design, the poorly designed stoves generated a lot of creosote, leading to a surge in chimney and home fires from poorly installed units. Most of the codes we see today weren’t written yet.
As Tom and Esther continued to clean chimneys, they worried about what they couldn’t see in the flue. Using a flashlight allowed them to see some problems, but they became convinced they needed to see the inside of the flue close up. This was when Tom conceived manufacturing a chimney camera, especially for scanning chimneys. Little did he know he would embark on a journey that strayed far from his degree in Dairy Science and resulted in becoming a chimney camera designer, manufacturer, and well-recognized expert in the field of chimneys and hearth installations.
It took Tom nine months to create and finalize his black-and-white camera system. It was the size of a footlocker and had wheels to assist in taking it in and out of the customer's home. When he first scanned a chimney he swept the previous year, he entered an entirely different world. It was simply amazing.
The property was a large farmhouse in the country. As Tom pulled up, he noticed it was pretty tall. He met the homeowner, who was a retired Navy Veteran. He had spent 23 years doing tours and was ready to kick back and enjoy his farm in northeast Pennsylvania. He had heard about Tom’s chimney camera and wanted his chimney scanned. This was the last job of the day in January. Tom had just completed three jobs with slammers, and he was cold, exhausted, and just wanted to get home.
He had looked down at the flue with a flashlight and saw the top two flue liners with vertical cracks. The others looked OK. There were 14 liners, so the flue was 28 feet tall, which meant extra time and work to scan this chimney. Since he had just seen damage at the top, he didn’t feel like dragging out the “footlocker,” the 50-pound unit, and bringing it into the house. The homeowner persisted, and this is what Tom found.
The camera showed a thimble hole covered with sheet rock. The man would have burnt his house down if he hadn't caught that. This ignited Tom’s passion for putting a chimney camera in the hands of every sweep and the need to scan every chimney, even when it visually passed muster.
Tom started scanning every chimney; he built a wealth of knowledge from scanning flues and gathering information. He also spent time with an insurance adjuster. He became privy to the homeowner interviews, documentation, and the chimney fire damage it caused. He also learned how an insurance adjuster works by traveling with him to investigate chimney fire claims. The insurance adjuster and his bosses were impressed by Tom and his invention.
As Tom continued to scan chimneys, he became like a fine tracker who picks up nuances of what has gone before, learning to read the signs in the flue. Tom became the expert. He shared his experiences as a teacher at the Chimney Safety Institute of America and the National Chimney Sweep Guild. Still, there were doubters, thinking the customer would never pay for the service and that scanning chimneys wasn’t needed.
Once sweeps started to get sued over missing defects in chimneys they labeled “safe,” they began to take an interest in scanning. What also helped is insurance adjusters were more likely to approve the installation of a stainless steel chimney liner if they saw documented proof of a hazardous condition inside the flue caused by a sudden occurrence, like a chimney fire. By then, they were aware that chimney cameras existed.
In the meantime, a national distributor took an interest in Tom and his camera, and he was offered the position of Director of Technical Advisory Services. Tom worked there for a few years, but business was picking up as Chim-Scan® Cameras took off.  Tom became more involved in industry boards such as the CSIA and the NCSG and offered his time as a teacher.
In 1997, Tom was the Technical Chair for the National Chimney Sweep Guild and was on the Task Force with five others: Ashley Eldridge, Dave Johnston, Jack Pixley, Jim Brewer, and Pete Luter. This group created the levels of Inspection known today as Chapter 15 of the National Fire Protection Association and the Annex. Until then, there were no guidelines in the NFPA 211 for chimney inspections. There was only a reference to an annual inspection and cleaning if necessary.
Tom went on to create training for the Inspection & Documentation class for the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). He has taught this class, Chimney Physics, and has taught at the CSIA National Training Academy at the Chimney Safety Institute.
Today, chimney scanning has gained acceptance with insurance adjustors and within the trades. It’s almost unheard of not scanning a chimney. Scanning finds defects; if you inspect, you’d better not miss anything. Also, how can you prove to an insurance adjuster the degree of damage that a chimney fire caused? Scanning a chimney is also required when performing a Level 2 Inspection as outlined in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 211 Standard, Chapter 15, and the Annex.
Tom was in a special feature on ABC’s 20/20 on carbon monoxide issues. Tom was in the hit TV Show “This Old House,” demonstrating a chimney inspection with the Chim-Scan Inspection System®. He has been interviewed on CNN and featured in many magazines and newspapers nationwide. Tom has been a National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG) member for 40 years. Tom served as an NCSG Director, as head of the Technical Committee, and has served on the board. He was part of the NCSG Safety Team, which swept and video-scanned the chimneys at the White House in 1989. He has written articles for Blue Collar Magazine, Sweeping Magazine, and SNEWS, among other industry magazines.
Tom has received some of the industry’s highest awards, such as The President’s Award from the National Chimney Sweep Guild, the Education Award from the Chimney Safety Institute of America, and many more.
Today, Tom leads the innovation teams for Flue & Hearth Notes™ and the Chim-Scan® Inspection System businesses. He continues to construct and design cameras and is dedicated to increasing the knowledge of the chimney, hearth, and chimney inspection industries with Flue & Hearth Notes™ and teaching.
Tom has written two books – The Chimney Scanning & Inspection Guide and Interior Chimney Scanning. He continues to create educational presentations and even an inspection process using the Flue & Hearth Notes™ Checklist (Short Form), The Long Form, and the Summary Form. Urban Inspection Language™ is a model language integrated into reports and documentation. This copy has been legally reviewed.
The first man in the world to invent a chimney camera and scan a chimney laid the basis for a nationally accepted practice. Word has gotten around about the documented inspections with photos, and homeowners are disappointed if they can’t see images of the chimney interior. [The “Short Form” checklist was indoctrinated into Case Law in California.] What will Tom think of next?
The pictures show Tom with his students, simulating a chimney fire to show how flue tiles crack. The photo on the right shows a cracked flue tile. This was done at our Fairfield, Iowa location.