Finally gave that camera inspection thing a real shot

I always thought those little chimney cameras were just a fancy way to charge more (you know, like a gimmick). But my boss got one for our truck about six months ago and made us use it on every job. Last week in a house in Burlington, we found a cracked flue tile the old mirror and light method would have totally missed. It was a real eye-opener. Has anyone else had a tool they didn't trust at first turn out to be a game changer?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_martin17d ago

Burlington's old houses always have hidden cracks anyway.

lopez.quinn17d ago

Ugh, @blair_martin is right but that's the whole point. A hidden crack in a flue is a hidden carbon monoxide problem waiting to happen. The old way of finding out was when people or pets got sick. New tools find it before that. Calling it "not a real issue" until it hurts someone is wild to me.

west.miles17d ago

Okay but hold on, is a single cracked flue tile that big of a deal? Those old liners have been through a lot and a small crack might not even be letting gases through. Feels like sometimes these tools just find problems to justify their own cost. Not saying it's useless, but maybe the old ways would have caught it eventually when it actually became a real issue.