​Hello, I’m See-More-Chimneys. I’ve spent over 40 years at Estoban helping test the Chim-Scan® chimney inspection cameras. I’ve seen what the cameras have been through on the front lines and heard the stories. A chimney camera has to be strong, tough, and capable of intense physical activity. Our Chim-Scan® cameras have been designed for commercial use. That means standing up to interior chimney abuse daily in the EXTREME job of scanning chimneys. 

The Chimney Environment
Chimney interiors are long, dark, and mysterious. They often harbor insects and animals. The residue from the products of combustion, such as soot, tarlike creosote (cameras hate this), shiny glazed creosote, acidic residue, and moisture. This requires a chimney camera designed to withstand extreme conditions. It must also withstand navigating rough surfaces, broken tiles, damper frames, and thimbles. A chimney camera has to be strong, tough, and capable of withstanding extreme conditions while delivering high-resolution images, which Chim-Scan® does. 
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Repairable
Our cameras have 40+ years of experience built into navigating chimney interiors. If there were an Extreme Olympic Sport for scanning chimneys, our cameras would wear the gold medal. We are not disposable electronics. Our equipment is mission-critical, made with high-reliability electrical components that ensure daily use and uninterrupted service. Occasionally, something may happen to a camera, such as wear and tear, extreme interior conditions, or accidental operator damage. Since we make these cameras and units right in Iowa, you can return it to us. We built it. If you break it, we can fix it. If it’s older than 15 years, our options for replacement parts may be limited.
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Upgrades
Because we are innovators constantly looking for ways to improve our products and make chimney scanning easier for you, we create a lot of updates. We offer an upgrade service available on units up to 15 years old. For instance, if you have a Combo Camera, we can shorten it and make it a J3D. If you want the 0-90° tilt mechanism added, that’s doable. Just ask if you want to add the power tool battery pack so you can use a battery from DeWalt®, Milwaukee®, Bosch®, Rigid®, Makita® or Kobalt®. 
There are still some really old functioning cameras out there. If it can’t be upgraded, ask us about a trade or keep your old camera and/or unit as a backup. One of our customers proudly displays their old Chim-Scan® Unit in their office. 
In conclusion
Since we started as chimney sweeps, we understand the business. Innovation is our continuous goal. We consistently manufacture new products or add features with the latest technology available. Sometimes, we wait a little until the issues are worked out of certain components and until they have a proven track record. Last year, we celebrated our 40th anniversary. That’s 40 years of making rugged, reliable, commercial-quality chimney inspection cameras—Chim-Scan—the EXTREME camera. Built for possibilities.
#chimney, #chimney inspection, #chimney camera, #Chim-Scan, #video chimney

I’ve been involved in the chimney industry since the late ‘70s when my wife and I started our chimney sweeping business. Anyone who was a sweep during this time enjoyed a business that boomed during the fall and winter, then fell off in the spring and summer. How times have changed. In these early days, there were no criteria for chimney inspections. Chimney sweeps swept the chimney, maybe noted some issues to the homeowner about the soot level,and left. Litigation and insurance companies started to change the industry and were the basis for developing the industry’s Standard of Care. 
Taking the NFPA 211 Annex and placing it into installation type.
One day, at the turn of the century, as I sat on my deck relaxing, my mind wandered back to the year 1998 when a bunch of guys and I drafted the Levels of Inspections, Degrees of Access, and the list of inspection items in Chapters 14 & 15 and in the NFPA 211 Annex. As I thought about how it would be incorporated into a chimney technician’s inspection, I realized it would be difficult for the technician to try to hit all the inspection items from memory. Additionally, some items would apply to one type of installation, but not all. Today, 25 years later, some chimney technicians are still missing inspection items from NFPA 211. It’s almost as if our industry Standard of Care slipped through our fingers. Is it because there are too many items for a technician to inspect? No, we've become lazy and pick and choose what we want. This led me to begin my 10,000 hours of creating what became the Flue and Hearth Notes™ inspection forms. 
Different Installation Types.
Forty years ago, before NFPA 211’s Inspection criteria, an inspection form was created with a fireplace and a handful of inspection items to check. It was in triplicate form, and chimney sweeps used it for all types of installations. It was used for all chimneys. However, a fireplace inspection differs dramatically from a chimney serving a gas water heater and an oil boiler venting into one flue. Unfortunately, some chimney sweeps and technicians still use these forms.  Twenty years ago, I envisioned building a comprehensive inspection form Based on NFPA 211 but for specific applications such as a Masonry Fireplace, a Prefabricated Fireplace, a Masonry Thimble Chimney Serving an Appliance(s), and a Prefabricated Chimney Serving an Appliance(s).  Although these installations all have chimneys, each chimney vents a different type of heating unit or fireplace. In addition, the fuels can differ: LP gas, natural gas, oil, coal, wood, and pellets.
No installations are the same, but you will see the same types of defects.
Every installation is unique, but the types of defects are the same across the board. For instance, defects can range from vertical and horizontal cracks, protruding mortar joints, stacked liners, and misaligned liners to missing chimney liners.
Start creating a Unity track: Defining what’s important.
One of my all-time favorite stories is one Tom Grandy shared about a trip to the dentist. As with any dental visit, almost everyone gets the lecture about how to floss twice a day, and we are given the same demonstration of how to floss each time we brush. One day, after a lecture on flossing, Tom shared what we all feel, and the dentists regularly hear. “I hate to floss!” I suppose that day, the dentist had heard it for the umpteenth time, and he was ready. He responded, “OK, just do the teeth you want to keep!” This has similarities to our industry. A technician can’t just pick and choose what they want to search for (the insurable cracked flue liner). All inspection items must be investigated (NFPA 211, Chapters 14, 15, and the Annex). I felt pulling all this together would create unity on chimney inspections in our industry since it didn’t seem to be happening.
The start of the Flue and Hearth Notes™ (10,000 hours) of form building and why and how they are built.
I began with the vision of a unified form. I grouped inspection items with installation types. I further included an area for defects related to specific areas, such as a chimney liner. I grouped inspection items per area where they were found in the chimney or fireplace. I included information on appliances. I had professionally created drawings and pulled everything into multiple inspection report forms. Recently, I added more forms to the offering and broke them down by fuels. We now have eight form types: Masonry Fireplace, Masonry Fireplace with a Hearth Stove, Masonry Fireplace with an Insert, Masonry Thimble Chimney Serving a Solid Fuel Appliance, Masonry Thimble Chimney Serving a Liquid Fuel Appliance(s), Prefabricated Chimney Serving a Solid Fuel Appliance, Prefabricated Chimney Serving a Liquid Fuel(s) Appliance, and Prefabricated Fireplace and Chimney. We have Level I and Level II forms for each installation type. That’s 16 forms in total. But then, we went a step further.

​I recently read that people spend much of their spare time on smartphones and the internet. Hey, with so much information and entertainment, why pick up a book or learn a new hobby when you can watch someone else in an app? The desire to discover, learn more, understand, and be the best is diminishing. Instead of scanning the entire flue, searching every crack and joint, the inspection often stops at the vertical crack in the flue tile. It’s like a “good enough” mentality. When it comes to chimneys, if defects are missed, is this ever “good enough”? It seems that we, as an industry, are failing the American Public.
Insufficient or poor-quality information
I’ve been sent reports from homeowners all over the US. They are concerned, and from these reports I’ve seen, they have a right to be. Some of these reports have been from industry “leaders.”
In these reports, confusion is woven into many of the inspection reports I’ve received. Some contain a multitude of pages (up to 20+). Some have paragraphs on some pages, and several pages later, the corresponding image sits surrounded by other images. Connecting the paragraphs with the photos is impossible in the homeowner's eyes. In addition, I’ve picked up on some defects from the pictures not mentioned in the report and incorrect information in the report.
Some sweeps still use the old single fireplace with checkboxes from almost four decades ago. The customer wonders what a fireplace form has to do with their oil boiler and gas water heater. Then there’s NFPA 211 Chapters 14 and 15, along with the inspection items, which aren’t listed on these old forms. 
 Some reports contain technical jargon and scary words like condemned, house fire, death, etc. The customers don’t understand what’s going on. They feel pushed and aren’t sure where to turn to get their questions answered. Sometimes, a competitor straightens them out. Other times, they find us online and send us copies of their reports. This is a credibility wrecker within this industry. 
Customers won’t buy something they don’t understand.
Customers who don’t understand why they need a repair may get a second opinion because the report is weighted in technical jargon and scare tactics. It’s essential that the customer understands the defect first and then is presented with a solution written in an easy-to-understand manner. That’s called solution selling. Present the defect so the customer understands the problem. THEN, present the solution, which usually sells itself. Customers feel better because they “get it,” they are making an informed decision, and aren’t pressured by threats such as “Your house will burn down.”
No unity of inspections
In 1998, a group of chimney specialists created Chapters 14 and 15, including the Levels of Inspection and the inspection items in the NFPA 211 Annex. The goal was to eliminate confusion about chimney inspections and streamline the industry. This created the chimney industry Standard of Care. Unfortunately, not all chimney inspection technicians use this information, even today, 25+ years later. 
Imagine if each airline pilot's prep before a flight with 250 people wasn’t standardized with an industry-standard preflight checklist. Some might take shortcuts. Others will take a long time to check everything. But no one would be on the same page. This lack of coordination historically resulted in accidents. When there is no consistency, problems arise. This is happening in our industry.
The future of our industry depends on unity, particularly chimney inspections. This was the goal in 1998, which was the thorn in everyone’s side).
If our industry continues to ignore the Levels of Inspection and not follow the requirements set forth in NFPA 211 Chapters 14 & 15 and items in the Annex, it will not end well. Usually, this happens with litigation. It is already happening. It’s called failure to report. That’s also in NFPA 211. NFPA 211 Chapters 14 & 15 are now case law. The precedence is set. If you are not following the Inspection of Existing Chimneys (chapter 14) and hitting these items, it’s just a matter of time. It may lead homeowners to get rid of their fireplaces.

​With Tips from See-More Chimneys
The turkey smells amazing. Your mouth is watering over the delectable cookies, candies, and pies neatly arranged on the counter. The presents are under the tree, festively wrapped with bright bows and colorful wrappings. The fireplace is burning brightly, sending a soft glow into the room. It occasionally snaps and pops as it sends heat into the room.  With this beautiful scene, keeping the fireplace burning brightly is essential.
Create a Kid and Pet Buffer Zone (and for some adults)
Create an area around the fireplace where children or pets aren’t able to fall against or get near the fireplace opening. A child focused on a stocking is quick as lightning and can outmaneuver most adults; Burns or falls against the outer hearth can lead to tears and fears. Also, keep in mind there is always one relative who wants to play with the fireplace. Set your boundaries gently. Fireplace screens or “fireplace gate and fence systems” are great. 
Open the Damper
Always ensure the fireplace damper is fully open before starting a fireplace fire. A closed damper can cause smoke to back up into your home, sending everyone right out the front door into the 
Protection From Flying Sparks
The snap and pop are part of the fireplace charm. When this happens, sparks can fly. A sturdy screen covering the fireplace front is necessary to keep sparks from flying as far as three feet or more into the room. 
cold. 
Kindling or Firestarters?
Start your logs easier by using kindling, a few pieces of wadded-up newspaper, a commercial firestarter, or a gas-fired ignitor for starting wood logs. Never use any gasoline or chemicals not designed for use in a fireplace! Aim for cozy, not crispy!
Hanging the Stockings With Care
Keep all stockings, baskets, firewood, or other decorations a minimum of 36” away from the fireplace opening, as recommended by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Yes, any combustible item can ignite if it is too close to the opening.
Ash Disposal
Only dispose of cool ashes and use a metal ash bucket with a tight-fitting lid. Unfortunately, people often underestimate the ability of hot ashes dumped into a container to cause a fire. Combustibles such as leaves, debris, and landscaping can ignite a blow around when an ember ignites. Garages, homes, landscaping, or other structures can catch fire. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that cool ashes should be placed a minimum of 10’ away from the home. Cold ashes around the base of rose bushes are good for them.
Firewood
When starting a fire, you may be tempted to ball up some wrapping paper in the firebox and woosh ‘fire,’ but as cool as this is, you’re damaging the chimney.
Burning paper and cardboard can cause massive temperature changes inside the chimney. These rapid temperature changes can cause terra cotta liners to break and metal liners to warp. So, spare yourself; use approved kindling, firestarters, and seasoned firewood.
Now, finding seasoned wood is hard unless you have a stack of wood outside your home. You can burn unseasoned wood, but you’ll want to ensure your chimney is checked the following spring. Softwoods cut in the spring can dry during the spring and summer and are usually seasoned in six months. Hardwoods cut during the same time may take a year to season. 
Fireplaces are a “must” for celebrating holidays. The warmth of the fireplace, the bright golden light, and the sounds of snapping and popping have created a perfect background for making beautiful memories. From the manufacturer of Chim-Scan® Inspection Systems, we wish you the best holidays ever!