​Hi! I’m SeeMore-Chimneys, and I want to introduce you to the most extraordinary chimney camera out there! It’s called the Chim-Scan® J3D Camera and is the champion of the extreme sport of chimney scanning!

My friend, the J3D, is a product of evolution. It started with the Combo Camera, which has a side camera with all of the Lighthouse™ features and a top camera. First, a flexible white rod and, later, a flexible spring connected the top camera to the Lighthouse. This was the best camera yet, with multiple options. Because we are innovators working to improve our products and ease the process of chimney scanning, we continued to hone the Combo Camera, and the J3D Camera was born.

It is built heavy-duty, like a tank! We understand that it has to withstand bumps, scratches, and drops, all in an environment with creosote, debris, and scary critters - all kinds of dangerous areas! 

Today, when combined with our Units, our high-resolution J3D has two cameras. The side camera rotates continuously without having to hold a button. There is a speed control dial that allows you to adjust the rotation speed. When creating a video, the rotation can stop to capture an image. 

The lens tilts from 0 to 90 degrees for viewing misaligned tiles and hard-to-see defects. It has two rows of 9 dimmable bright LED lights: one row above and another row below the side camera, totaling 18 dimmable lights for that camera. The high-resolution top camera has 12 bright LED Lights surrounding the camera in a circle. These lights are also dimmable. The top camera looks straight up (or down) the flue, which is excellent for checking for blockages, Chimney Swift Nests, or critters in the flue. 

Orange and white whisker stabilizers are included with the camera. They are easy to adjust and replace as needed. We also include your choice of chimney rod adapter. If you have an older Unit, we may need to upgrade it to include these capabilities in the controller. We can upgrade most older cameras, or you can ask us about a trade-in for your old Unit or camera.
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The J3D camera is 6" shorter than the Combo Camera, and this compact powerhouse has two high-resolution cameras that provide optimal chimney scanning. We have integrated 3-D printing into the J3D, removing some weight to make it lighter. But it’s still a rugged, industrial-quality camera ready to participate in the extreme sport of inspecting chimneys day after day. You won’t find a competitive match anywhere unless it’s another J3D Camera. Scroll below. The J3D will work with our Series 100 and 211 controller/monitor. If you have an older unit, please contact us to ensure it can run all of the J3D features. It may need an upgrade.
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#Chimney, Chim-Scan, chimney camera, chimney flue, #industrial quality camera

​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. 

​©2024 Estoban Corporation LLC. 

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.