So, let’s have a look at CCTV surveys and see why they are so useful.
When would you need a CCTV survey
There are many things that can excite the mind and leave you wondering exactly what is going on in your chimney;
- Did something unusual like a lump of brick fall down the chimney?
- Is smoke leaking into another flue?
- Are the mid-feathers of the flue secure enough for lining with Eldfast?
- Is there a blockage in the flue that will impede a liner installation?
Analysis without a CCTV survey
Well you can shine a torch up the chimney, but from 30 years of shining a number of different torches up a much bigger number of chimneys, the amount of information one can obtain from that is at best limited. The chimney is a dark and obscure place, not greatly accessible by the average person, and this is where the CCTV surveys come in.
Once the chimney has been thoroughly swept by a
certified chimney sweep to remove all the soot that may be shrouding the areas of interest the CCTV operator can send their camera up on a mission of discovery.
What will a CCTV survey show?
CCTV surveys will give you a brush’s eye view as it ascends and descends through the chimney. This is important. OK so fumes have been escaping into the bedroom chimney, and so the chimney needs lining. However if you just reline blindly, you may find that lining material is pouring down the bedroom chimney, because it wasn’t just a crack in the flue, it was a gaping hole in the feathers where a couple of bricks have fallen out. If only someone had taken a look before the job had started.
There are of course other tricks that CCTV surveys can help with. Can’t the sweep get the brush up the flue? Don’t break into the flue blindly, have a look up the chimney. The problem may need another approach, and it’s nice to know that before you go ripping holes in the walls. In short, look before you leap. It’s cheaper in the long run.
