Chimney camera inspection

Why a camera flue inspection?
When people have a new stove or fireplace (with or without an insert) installed, they often have no idea about the condition of the flues. Is the chimney clean enough inside? Is the flue nice and straight or are there bends in it? And is the flue the same width everywhere? Are there no leaks allowing rain in or smoke out? Is the construction of the chimney itself stable or are there any cracks or loose stones? We can easily answer most of these questions with a visual video inspection of the flue.

Inspecting and measuring your chimney
So a flue inspection involves more than just determining whether the flue is clean enough to safely burn the stove. When we inspect the chimney, we immediately take several measurements. This way, we make it clear whether there are certain constrictions in it, or a bend with what we call ‘stepped drag’. That is, the duct deviates laterally, sometimes leading to some rough-looking masonry on the inside. Our investigation leads within a week or two to a written report that can usually be summarised on one or two A4s, with the structure and condition of the flue, and a subsequent recommendation.

The nice thing about a flue inspection with a camera is that the owner of the property, our customer, can watch the inside of his or her flue on the screen. If the chimney is crooked, with steps, you can easily see if there are soot accumulations there, and possibly decide to pay extra attention to them when sweeping the chimney.

Chimney renovation or modification
Should a chimney not meet the criteria to be used safely, it does not mean that the customer has to give up on his stove dream. Partners of the schoorteenveger.nl also have this expertise and years of experience to schoorstenen to renovate or new to build, widen an existing chimney flue or fit the chimney flue with a double-walled twisted and insulated liner.

De schoorsteenveger.nl works with various fireplace suppliers, eventually the owner of the property hires us. We always give this client objective advice on installing the right stove. The stove may not be too big and exceed the capacity of the chimney, but neither may it be so small as to create insufficient ‘draught’. We do see with small stoves that the upper part of the chimney is clean, as flue gases cool down too much along the way and get stuck halfway down. Which, incidentally, also creates risks, such as insufficient carbon monoxide removal and creosote accumulation, which encourages chimney fires. Our partners have enough experience to properly advise the customer on the ideal stove or fire capacity after a chimney inspection. We then have close contact with the fireplace specialist who had recommended us to the customer, any follow-up appointments will be coordinated with you and the fireplace supplier so that the right chimney sweep.co.uk partner can complete the work.