Summary Forms We brainstormed one day and came up with the need for a new type of form. We call this form a Summary Form. These forms are available in the same installation types listed above. These forms are unique because we further break the installation into sections, as featured below. Within these sections is a color-coded area key to check whether it’s in Operational Ready Condition, Operational Deficient Condition, or Hazardous Condition. Documenting your findings this way makes sense. For instance, the flue liners “C” may be damaged. Based on this finding, condemning the whole chimney and telling the customer it is hazardous is incorrect. Maybe areas D-H are in Operational-Ready Condition. Maybe areas A & B are in Operational Deficient Condition – meaning the crown is cracked, needs some repairs, and the chimney from the roof up (B) needs tuckpointing. It’s great to get good news with the not-so-good news.  There are 8 installation types of Summary Forms. These forms break down the installation by transitions. They are designed as an easy-to-understand form for the customers. Included is Conditions featuring: Operational Ready, Operational Deficient, and Hazardous Conditions. There are two pages for drawings that correspond to the notes page with letters. For more information, please click the image above.  Our Summary Forms are designed for your customer. It breaks out the conditions of each section, where you can check off the condition to the left of the description. Another beautiful part of this form is the explanations included for the three conditions. If used correctly, these forms will convey to the homeowner the findings of your inspection in an easy-to-understand format. In addition to explaining the conditions, they include a cover page where your information and receipt can be placed. Start when business is good, so you are ready when the slow times start! Suppose you put the principles of inspection unity into practice now. When the slow times come, your business will thrive with forward-scheduling items like tuckpointing (Operational Deficient) that can wait for repairs. Your team will perform their inspections using the NFPA 211 Inspection Items, and they will all be on the same page. Your technicians will evaluate the entire chimney per the forms (and Industry Standard of Care), finding defects and verifying conditions. They can communicate the areas of their chimney that are in Operational-Ready Condition. Some may need fixing but not immediately (Operational-Deficient), and some may need repair before further use (Hazardous Condition). You stop trying to sell the job when the job can sell itself without using scare tactics of condemning an entire chimney. If you can continue to do what you’re doing, you will quickly put yourselves and the industry out of business. Standardizing inspection requirements across the board puts everyone on a level playing field. Everyone should already be checking everything outlined in NFPA 211. Some companies do and are very diligent about it. Unity and standardization are the keys to moving your business and this industry forward. Thanks for listening. Tom  These images show an inspection using the Summary Forms. Each image follows the transition point of the chimney which corresponds to the transition location with letters. It's easy to match up the letter on the copy to the letter on the image. #chimney inspection, #fireplace inspection, Prefabricated fireplace, #chimney damage, #flue damage, #flue inspection, #inspection form, #inspection report, #NFPA 211, #National Fire Protection Association, #Chimney Sweeps, #Chimney Industry, #Chimney Standard of Care, #Inspection items, #operational ready, #operational deficient, #hazardous, #chimney transitions, #solid fuel chimney, #liquid fuel chimney
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Individuals other than sweeps can do chimney inspections. Other trades are already doing chimney inspections, and Home Inspectors do chimney inspections as part of an entire home inspection. More and more people are learning about NFPA 211 and the inspection items. Most are interested in performing the best inspection possible, and many are already following NFPA 211. Each member of a company or team should retrieve the correct and consistent information. How often are there inconsistencies within your organization? Are all of your technicians catching everything? Or are they stopping at the first crack or sign of a chimney fire, writing an estimate, and leaving without a full inspection? As an industry, we must step up to the plate. We must perform a full inspection, checking everything, including the little things. We need to explore, discover, and follow all of the inspection criteria set forth in NFPA 211, Chapters 14, 15, and the Annex. After all, every chimney is a little different, although the defects are usually the same. If you are not using NFPA 211 as your guideline for inspections, then please take it out of your proposals & estimates. This way, if something goes bad, at least you didn’t incriminate yourself. The Flue & Hearth Notes™ Summary Forms give you the opportunity to create an easy-to-understand inspection report for your customers. You can add images that correspond with the areas of the installation. There are also definitions for three conditions: Operational Ready, Operational Deficient, and Hazardous. Each section has a "traffic light" so you can mark that section appropriately. These forms are available for 8 inspection types" Masonry Fireplace & Chimney, Masonry Fireplace with an Insert, Masonry Fireplace with a Hearth Stove, Masonry Thimble Chimney Venting a Solid Fuel Appliance, Masonry Thimble Chimney Chimney Venting a Liquid Fuel(s) Appliance(s), Prefabricated Fireplace & Chimney, Prefabricated Chimney Venting a Solid Fuel Appliance and Prefabricated Chimney Venting a Liquid Fuel(s) Appliance(s). Click on the image for more information. #chimney inspection, #chimney industry, #NFPA 211, #National Fire Protection Association, #Hazardous chimney, #Operational Chimney, #masonry chimney inspection, #fireplace inspection, #prefabricated chimney, #inspection forms, #Inspect solid fuel appliance, #inspect liquid fuel appliance, #Inspect chimney, #chimney sweep, #home inspector, #Chimney inspector,
#chimney scan, #chimney inspection, #chimney sweep, #chimney camera, #fireplace, #fireplace inspection, #chim-scan, #Chim-Scan Factory Trained Technician, #Chimney Safety Institute of America, #CSIA, #NCSG, #National Chimney Sweep Guild, #20/20, #CNN, #This Old House
#chimney scanning, #chimney inspection, #chimney inspector, #chimney camera, #fireplace inspection, #masonry chimney inspection, #prefabricated chimney inspection, #chimney inspection report, #chimney defects, #flue defects
 #chimney inspection, #Chim-scan factory training, #chimney inspection camera, #chimney scanning & inspection guide, #masonry fireplace, #prefabricated fireplace, #masonry chimney with thimble, #prefabricated chimney, #IRC, #NFPA 311, #Chim-Scan chimney camera Copyright 2025 Estoban Corporation
 Santa may not come back to your house if your chimney is dirty! Since Santa loves clean flues, having your chimney(s), fireplaces, and appliances inspected and cleaned at least annually is crucial. Santa might skip your house next year if he tears the seat of his suit on protruding mortar, or perhaps he gets stuck on a blockage. This happened once, and it took all the reindeer to pull him out!
Santa knows the best way to inspect a chimney is with our Chim-Scan® Camera Systems – he bought one over 40 years ago because an elf used a flashlight and missed a raccoon living in the flue. Mrs. Clause had to sew him a new suit, and Santa was a little worse for wear. In all seriousness, it’s essential to have your chimneys, fireplace, and heating appliance inspected annually and cleaned if needed (Santa says clean it!).  Purchase a Chimney Scanning & Inspection Guide or the Interior Chimney Scanning Guide now through January 31st, 2025, and take advantage of our special sale price! Normally $200 each, you can purchase either book for $87.00 plus $15.50 shipping for a total of $102.50. That's almost half! Act now!
Do you want to know more about our books? They are the only books published in the industry about chimney inspections and chimney scanning. They prepare you for what to expect. Each book includes over 400 images! The images are categorized by cause (The Four Pathways of Chimney Defects) We include 5 modules tailored for installation type:
These books help you systemize your inspections through transition points. Each book covers the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 211 Levels of Inspection, Access Points, and Inspection items. You will learn how to verify a chimney. A guide to operating chimney scanning equipment and much more! For more information, click here. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. The smell of roasting turkey, the appetizers and desserts laid out on the counter. Mashed potatoes and gravy simmering on the stove. Candles are glowing on the table, ready for everyone to be seated. Then something happens. Perhaps a burner was left on the stove with an empty pan. Or something near the burner ignites, like a towel or potholder. Thanksgiving is the leading day of the year for home fires caused by cooking equipment (National Fire Protection Association). To keep everyone safe, you must be extra diligent and on the watch for rambunctious kids and sometimes other relatives. Here are some safety tips: • Watch for trip hazards, such as rugs, purses, newspapers to slip on, and other materials in the way. • Never leave the kitchen unattended when cooking. A child could pull a pan off the stove or spill something instantly. Or put their hands on a hot glass cooktop. • Keep flammables away from the stove. It’s hot from cooking. Oils, towels, and other combustibles on the surface could ignite. • Keep knives, extension cords, and lighters put up and out of the way of children. • Be careful with candles. Consider using LED Lighting. • If you don’t have one, get a kitchen fire extinguisher. • Ensure smoke alarms are working. • Don’t leave a fireplace or heating appliance unattended, including pets! (A dog once pushed an air mattress into the fireplace and caught the home on fire). Keeping everyone safe during the holidays is always a challenge. Being prepared is just part of it. Having your “safety team,” which is trustworthy family members to keep on the lookout or tag team corralling the youngsters (like having projects to hold their interest), frees you to look out for the culinary delights of your guests. Happy Thanksgiving!  Have your fireplace and chimney(s) inspected and cleaned with a chimney camera which shows the results on a monitor like our Chim-Scan System in the picture. It's easy to follow along and to have clear, sharp images and videos for later viewing. Happy Holidays from your Friends at Estoban Thanksgiving is coming right up, and Christmas and a New Year are approaching. Tasty meals, cookies, homemade candies, and crackling logs will be in the fireplace as the flames dance and the dog soaks up the heat. Many people may enter and exit your home during this festive time. Here are some pointers for your fireplace. • Get your fireplace and chimney(s) inspected and cleaned before the holidays. Often, an appointment must be made in September to have it cleaned in time. • Have your chimney cleaned and scanned with a chimney camera. • Always open the fireplace damper before starting any fire (wood, gas wood lighter, or gas logs). • Let everyone know that only the adults are to stoke the fire. • If a gas log lighter is used to ignite the wood, ensure only an adult lights it and uses it. Be sure to shut it down as the wood takes off. • No paper plates, pizza boxes, gift wraps, or other materials should be thrown in the fire, which could cause damage to the flue. • Never throw anything into the fireplace. It can damage it. Watch it in the movies and know they must clean the glass up and pay for repairs. • The ashes should never be disposed of in a paper bag or box. There should be a double-bottom ash bucket for this purpose. • Ensure that the fireplace grate is in good condition. A poor grate could break and cause logs to roll out of the firebox. • Pets must be watched when the fireplace is burning. Dogs can push things into a fireplace (like an air mattress or a toy). • Children can quickly get hurt around a fireplace. It is no place for an inquisitive child. They can get burnt, fall against the opening, or hurt in other ways. • If you have a gas log set, ensure the logs are in the correct place after a gathering. Someone may have moved some of the logs, which can cause problems with the set when burning. • Ensure no combustible materials, such as wood, baskets, papers, etc., are within 3 feet of the fireplace opening. Sparks can travel, and the heat from the fireplace could cause something to ignite. Enjoy the time spent with family and friends, making memories. The key to enjoying your fireplace is to respect the fire. Essentially, you are having a fire in your home, and it needs to stay confined. That goes for the smoke and products of combustion. So grab a cup of cocoa and your favorite blanket, and make room for that dog. Snuggle up and soak up the heat.  |
AuthorTom Urban has worked in the Chimney and Hearth industry for 45 years. He's been an inventor and manufacturer for 40+ of those years. Archives
March 2025
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