Chimney Camera Inspection: a look along the full length of the flue
A Chimney Camera Inspection sends a small video camera up or down the flue on a flexible rod, so the lining can be seen from end to end rather than the first few feet a flashlight reaches. Cracked tiles, open mortar joints, heavy deposits and nests show up on screen and are kept as stills. The team at our Union Street office in New Bedford runs these scans in the city as well as in Dartmouth, Acushnet and Fairhaven.
What the camera tends to find in flues around here
The age of the housing and the way it is heated decide most of what turns up on screen. Three patterns come up often on the South Coast.
Bare brick where tile was never laid
Over half of New Bedford’s housing units date from 1939 or earlier, by census estimates. Many of those chimneys went up before clay liners were usual, and the camera shows brick and mortar where you might expect a smooth tile.
Interior chimneys over raised basements
The state historical surveys note that New Bedford’s cottages and the houses at Fairhaven’s town center mostly have interior chimneys and raised basements. Those flues pass through living space for their whole height, so a gap inside matters to the rooms around it.
Years of oil-burner exhaust
In Acushnet more than four in ten occupied homes (42.5%) still burn fuel oil or kerosene, and in Dartmouth nearly a third (30.2%), according to the ACS. Oil flues collect soot and scale that flakes off and settles at the base, and the camera shows how much of the tile underneath is still whole.
Housing ages, heating fuels and storm history come from the sourced notes on our community pages: New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Acushnet.
How a camera scan is done
Getting a clear picture depends on preparing the flue first. A lens pushed through thick soot records nothing but black.
Look at the flue before the camera goes in
We check the opening at the base and the top and decide whether deposits are light enough to scan through or whether the flue needs sweeping first.
Feed the camera the full length
The camera head travels on a flexible rod from the cleanout, the appliance connection or the top, whichever gives the clearest route through the flue.
Slow down at anything worth a second look
Joints, offsets, cracks, the point where a connector enters, and the top of the smoke chamber get a slow pass and a still image.
Save the footage
Images of each finding are saved so you can see them, keep them, or pass them to an installer or an insurer if you need to.
Talk it through
You hear what each image shows and what the choices are, which can range from leaving it alone to repairing tiles or fitting a new liner.
A camera shows the inner surface of the flue. It cannot see into the solid masonry or the framing outside the stack.
If a tight bend, a collapsed tile or a blockage stops the camera, the spot where it stops is still useful, and we say plainly how far we got.
Reasons people ask for a camera scan
Most scans answer a single question. These are the usual ones.
- Pieces of tile in the cleanoutCurved fragments of clay at the base of a flue mean a tile somewhere above has cracked or broken apart.
- A fire that sounded wrongRoaring or loud popping during a fire can mean creosote ignited in the flue, and that heat may have split tiles lengthwise.
- A new boiler, stove or insert on orderThe size, shape and bends of the flue decide what liner, if any, a new appliance will need, and the scan measures them.
- Damp at the bottom of the flueWetness or rust at the bottom can come from many places higher up, and the camera helps narrow them down.
- Smoke showing up in the wrong roomSmoke or odor in a room or flue next to the one in use can point to a breach between flues inside the stack.
- Buying a houseA scan done as part of a Level 2 puts the condition of each flue on record before you take ownership.
A camera scan on its own, or a full Level 2?
A stand-alone scan suits a specific question about one flue. If the reason is a sale, a chimney fire or a change of fuel or appliance, NFPA 211 points to a Level 2, which includes the camera work and more.
Ask for camera inspection when
- You found tile fragments at the base of a flue
- A liner or new heating appliance is being planned
- You want the condition of a flue documented
- Something specific seems wrong inside one flue
Ask about a different page when
- A sale, chimney fire or fuel change: Level 2 Chimney Inspection
- The ordinary annual look: Chimney Inspection
- Cracked tiles already confirmed: Chimney Liner Repair
What changes the length of a scan
The camera itself is quick to set up. These are the things that make one visit longer than another.
- Number of flues
- Each flue gets its own run, so a stack with a boiler flue, a water-heater flue and a fireplace flue means three scans.
- Deposits to clear first
- If soot or creosote is thick enough to hide the lining, the flue is swept before the camera goes in, which adds to the visit.
- Bends and offsets
- A flue that jogs sideways takes more care to steer through, and some offsets can only be seen properly from one end.
- Which end we work from
- Some flues are best reached from the roof, others from a cleanout door or a connector, and roof access on a tall house takes setup.
- What you need on record
- If the images are for a closing, an insurer or another contractor, mention it when you book so the right shots are saved.
No price list on this site, on purpose. Two chimneys that sound the same over the phone rarely are. Once someone from the New Bedford office has looked at yours, you get the scope in writing and decide from there.
What people ask about chimney camera scans
Can I watch the screen while you scan?
Yes. Where the camera runs from inside the house you are welcome to watch alongside us, and seeing a cracked tile on screen explains it better than any description. When the scan is done from the roof, we go through the saved stills and clips with you afterward.
Will a camera find where my chimney leaks?
It can show where water has been inside the flue, such as staining, wet patches or mineral deposits. It usually cannot show where water gets in from outside, which tends to be the crown, the flashing or the brick. The scan is one piece of tracing a leak, not the whole job.
Is a scan part of every annual inspection?
No. A routine yearly inspection looks at what can be readily seen and does not include a camera run. A scan is part of every Level 2 inspection, and it is also booked on its own when there is a particular question about the inside of a flue.
Can you scan the flue my oil boiler uses?
Yes, and heating flues are worth checking because they work through the whole winter. The boiler usually has to be off and cooled down while the camera is in the flue, so the office arranges a time with you in advance.
What happens if the camera cannot get through?
A sharp offset, a fallen tile or a nest can stop the camera head. Where it stops tells us something in its own right, and we explain whether working from the other end might help and what the sensible next step would be.
Booking, hours and general chimney questions are on the main FAQ; how a visit runs is on what to expect.
Often looked at alongside
- Level 2 Chimney InspectionThe closer inspection for a sale, a chimney fire or storm, or a change of heating appliance, fuel or liner.
- Chimney Liner RepairCamera-led repair of open mortar joints and limited cracking in existing clay tile flues.
- Chimney Liner InstallationRunning a stainless liner down an existing flue, sized for the boiler, water heater, stove or insert it serves.
- Chimney Leak RepairTracing water to the crown, cap, flashing, brick or flue where it enters, then repairing that source.
Background reading
- 7 minOil Heat and the Chimney: Why Oil Flues Need Regular AttentionOil soot and moisture wear flues from the inside. What to watch for, and what changes when the oil boiler is replaced.
- 7 minChimneys on Old Capes and Federal Houses Around New BedfordCenter chimneys, end chimneys, lime mortar and no liners: how to look after the oldest chimneys on the South Coast.
- MapThe four places we coverNew Bedford · Dartmouth · Fairhaven · Acushnet, all from one office downtown.