Chimney Interior Inspection by Dieters Hagen
CHIM-SCAN® VIDEO CAMERA
An accurate and valuable service for homeowners, insurance adjusters, and fire inspectors.
Homeowners rely on video inspection of their chimneys for safety and efficiency.
No homeowner should assume his chimney is safe for use without a thorough examination, both exterior and interior. Rain, flue gases, and freezing moisture cause erosion and deterioration in chimneys. Breaks in the chimney liner – even small ones – can be a unsafe condition by allowing combustion gases and condensation into the home.
While viewing the monitor screen from the hearth, homeowners see the condition of their fireplace and chimney. The scan operator can point out vital information for proper efficiency or unsafe conditions. In gas appliance chimneys, early detection of condensates can help prevent additional home repair.
Every homeowner needs accurate information about his or her chimney’s condition.
In the past, the examination of the chimney interior involved either an ineffective flashlight and mirror or the expensive disassembly of part of the chimney to see problem areas. Now with the Chim-Scan® video inspection service, it is easy to obtain an accurate evaluation of your chimney’s interior.
Your chimney inspector will be able to show you these unsafe chimney conditions, if they exist:
- Improper new construction
- Chimney fire damage
- Improper prefab chimney connections
- Deterioration from gas appliance connections
- Cracks, even hairline cracks, in flue liners
- Broken or missing tile liners and mortar joints
- Deterioration from smoke shelf or damper
- “Quick-fixed” thimble holes
- Hidden breachings
- Nest, limbs and other blockages
Insurance adjusters and fire inspectors depend on video inspections for accurate information.
The increased use of fireplaces and wood heat has resulted in an increase in chimney fires. When conducting a damage investigation related to a chimney fire, a video inspection service can give the reliable information you need. An examination soon after the fire can determine the cause of damage: whitened mortar joints, blaze marks, missing mortar, cracks and discoloration in liners and buckling of steel liners are indications of chimney fire damage.
Your inspection may provide several report formats: A written report on a chimney evaluation form, photographs taken from the inspection monitor, or even a video cassette recording of the inspection.
If any damages are found, your inspector may also be able to give you a repair estimate.
A video inspection of a chimney interior offers both the Fire Investigator and the Insurance Adjuster these important benefits:
- You get detailed information, obtained only inches away from the chimney walls.
- You get complete documentation in a variety of formats.
- You save time on claim processing by getting reliable information easily.
- An estimate for repair may also be offered by the chimney inspector.
A chimney interior video inspection offers homeowners and fire inspectors accurate information.
Accurate information is important for making decisions about a chimney.
If you are a homeowner having your chimney cleaned or having your heating system updated, ask for a video inspection. Seeing a photograph of your chimney interior will give you added peace of mind and a general knowledge of your chimney system. So ask for it by name, “I want a Chim-Scan® done on my chimney!”. If you are a fire inspector or insurance adjustor, your evaluations should be based on accurate video information. Take the guesswork out of chimney evaluation by hiring a chimney professional who has the Chim-Scan ®video inspection system.