Was sure the chimney camera was a sales gimmick until I found a nest 4 feet down on a job in Dayton

Paul Taylor · 2026-10-08T04:35:05.049649+00:00

I've been sweeping for 14 years and always did it by feel and a mirror, so when a guy at the supply house tried to sell me a $220 inspection camera I laughed at him. I finally broke down and bought one in March because a customer in Dayton kept saying she heard scratching and I couldn't find anything with my light. First job with it, I ran the camera down and there it was, a bird nest wedged about 4 feet below the damper that no mirror would ever show me. I pulled out two plastic grocery bags of twigs and junk, and the look on her face when I showed her the screen was worth the money right there. Now I use it on every job before I even start brushing, and I've caught cracked flue tiles on three other houses since. Only thing is the cable gets dirty fast and the screen fogs up in cold weather, so I keep a rag handy. Anyone else run a camera on every job, or do you just break it out when something feels off?

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Was sure the chimney camera was a sales gimmick until I found a nest 4 feet down on a job in Dayton | Chimney Sweeps - Topic Shares