A significant number of house fires begin when creosote—a carbonaceous chemical considered a probable carcinogenic—builds up within the crevices of your chimney. Many contemporary homeowners enjoy the aura and ambiance of a wood-burning fireplace, making them susceptible to creosote buildup in their chimney’s flues and dampers. If the proper precautions aren’t taken, the buildup can lead to dangerous chimney fires.
But how often should you clean your chimney? While there’s no hard rule on how often you should clean your chimney, it’s recommended that homeowners have their chimneys inspected and cleaned in the spring of each year. There are professional chimney cleaning services available, but they can be pricey and might have limited availability in your area. Inspecting and cleaning your chimney yourself can be a substantial undertaking considering the tight space, but it is perfectly doable with the right tools. Consider one tool that can help you inspect and clean your chimney safely, quickly, and efficiently: the Ferret Sweeps inspection camera.
What is the Ferret Sweeps Inspection Camera?
The Ferret Sweeps is a durable, innovative general-purpose high-quality inspection camera that can reach and see where you can’t. It is designed with chimney sweeping in mind, allowing you to see exactly the state of your chimney and if it’s due for a cleaning. It can also be used to inspect during and after chimney cleaning to ensure all creosote is removed. The Ferret inspection camera, designed by global multi award winning Ferret Tools, is clearly a groundbreaking product.
The Ferret Sweeps works by connecting to your smartphone via Wi-Fi, sending a live stream for real-time viewing of what the camera sees. The masonry around chimneys is often too thick to penetrate with a Wi-Fi signal, but the Ferret sweeps has you covered with an included repeater to ensure keeping connected is a breeze.
You’ll enjoy safer, easier, and quicker chimney assessments with the Ferret Sweeps in your arsenal. It allows you to stay out of those cramped spaces while you send the tool in and effortlessly maneuver through the chimney flue for quality inspections.
What is Creosote & Why Should You Care About It?
Creosote is a substance that builds up over time when smoke (being unburnt fuel) isn’t entirely expelled from the chimney. This can be a result of small fires, only using starter logs, using soft/sappy woods, or even a weak draft. Still, creosote buildup is a normal part of operating a wood-burning fireplace, so proper precautions to protect against it should be taken any time a wood-burning fireplace is used.
If left unchecked, creosote can present a serious danger for your home. Since it is highly flammable, it can easily be ignited and result in chimney fires. These fires can become extremely hot, much hotter than the chimney is designed to withstand, and this can then result in a house fire as those flames breach the chimney and spread. Luckily, this is easy to avoid with routine chimney cleaning that you can do yourself.
How the Ferret Tool Helps You Inspect Your Chimney
Typically, the tools required to inspect a chimney would include things like extension ladder, flashlight, mirror, camera or a smart device:
Thankfully, the Ferret Sweeps exists, which allows you to eliminate most of the extra equipment you’d typically need. Since the Ferret includes adjustable bright white LEDs and digital zoom and can be attached to a threaded rigid stick (like the Ferret Stick), all you’ll need is your Ferret inspection camera and smartphone to get the job done. With this innovative camera at your disposal, you can safely sit outside your chimney to inspect the firebrick for defects or cracks, the flues for creosote buildup, and the general condition of the chimney structure.
The Benefits of the Ferret Sweeps Camera for Chimney Inspections
● Inspect your chimney cap & crown cap from the safety of the ground
● Inspect your chimney brickwork from the safety of the ground
● Inspect your chimney flashing from the safety of the ground
● Inspect your chimney flue from inside your home
● Inspect all chimney internals from inside your home
● Closely inspect the entirety of your chimney
The Ferret Inspection Camera—A Must-Have for Chimney Inspections
Beyond its digital zoom and always-up viewing function, the Ferret Tool provides versatility in a small package with additional features like:
● Built-in Wi-Fi hotspot
● IP67 rated
● Wireless range of up to 50’ (15m)
● 60–90 mins operating time
● 1-hour fast charge to 95%
● IP67 dustproof & waterproof
Not only does the Ferret inspection camera help with thorough inspections of your chimney, but it can also help with other projects like cable-pulling, vehicle inspections, roof inspections, crawl space inspections, and more. So, do yourself a favor and add the lightweight, easy-to-use Ferret inspection camera to your arsenal for quicker, safer, and easier chimney inspections today!
