Keeping your chimney in good shape is essential for a safe and cozy home. But how do you really know what’s going on inside that dark flue? That’s where a chimney camera inspection comes in. In this post, we’ll explain what a chimney camera inspection is, why it’s important for maintenance and safety, and how Hodgsons Chimney Sweep uses advanced technology (like HD cameras and even drones) to give you peace of mind. We’ll also outline the inspection packages we offer and help you decide if you need a chimney camera inspection.

What Is a Chimney Camera Inspection?

A chimney camera inspection (sometimes called a CCTV chimney survey) is a process where a professional uses a special video camera to examine the inside of your chimney flue. Instead of just shining a flashlight up the chimney, we insert a high-definition camera on flexible rods (or on cables) that can travel through the flue. As the camera moves along, it sends a live video feed to a screen, allowing the chimney sweep to see every inch of the flue interior in real time.

This means we can get a close-up look at areas that are otherwise hard to see – from the fireplace throat all the way up to the chimney pot. The camera has its own bright lights, so it illuminates the sooty, dark passage inside your chimney. We often record the video or snap photos during the inspection, so we have visual evidence of the chimney’s condition. In short, a camera inspection lets us see the hidden parts of your chimney and spot any issues that might be lurking out of sight.

Why Is a Chimney Camera Inspection Important?

Chimney camera inspections are important for both maintenance and safety. Even if you have your chimney regularly swept, there could be underlying problems that a routine cleaning or a simple visual check would miss. A professional sweep will clean out soot and creosote, but we can’t always tell by brushing alone if, say, the lining has a crack or if an old bird’s nest is stuck on a bend. Using a camera is like giving your chimney a thorough “health scan” – it helps catch issues early and prevent hazards.

Some of the hidden problems a camera inspection can uncover include:

• Cracks or damage in the flue liner: Tiny hairline cracks in clay flue tiles or gaps in a stainless steel liner are hard to spot without a camera. Over time, these cracks can grow and allow heat or smoke to escape into the surrounding structure. This is dangerous because it can lead to fires in your walls or allow poisonous gases to leak into your home. With a camera, even minor liner damage becomes visible so you can repair it before it turns into a serious issue. In fact, an inspection camera can often reveal small cracks early – “before they develop into a safety issue or more expensive repairs”.
• Blockages or obstructions: Your chimney could be partially blocked and you might not know it. Soot and debris, broken masonry, or even a birds’ nest could be clogging the flue. A normal sweep will remove loose soot, but something like a compacted nest or a fallen brick can go unnoticed if it’s above a bend. A camera inspection lets us see any blockages clearly and locate exactly where they are. This is crucial for maintaining proper airflow (and preventing smoke or carbon monoxide from coming back into your home).
• Creosote buildup in hidden spots: Creosote is the tarry residue from burning wood, and it’s highly flammable. Sometimes creosote builds up unevenly – for example, thicker in upper sections of the flue or in smoke shelf areas where a brush might not fully scrub it away. Our camera can spot heavy creosote deposits or glazed creosote that need extra attention (or even a chemical treatment) to reduce the risk of a chimney fire.
• Failing or misaligned liners: If you have a metal flue liner, a camera can show if it’s warped, corroded, or coming apart at the joints. We’ve seen liners that have buckled or disconnected inside chimney walls – problems you’d never know from the outside. A disconnected or damaged liner is dangerous because it’s essentially an open door for heat and smoke to reach your home’s structure. With live video, we can check that the liner is continuous and intact from bottom to top.
• Animal nests or “critters”: Chimneys are cozy places for birds, squirrels, or other critters to hide. If an animal has built a nest or, in worst cases, died in the chimney, it can create a serious blockage (and an awful smell). A camera inspection quickly identifies any nesting materials or animals inside so they can be safely removed. (We often do this as part of a sweep when we suspect something – the camera confirms the presence and location of the nest.)
• Other structural issues: We also look for things like missing mortar between clay tiles, internal brickwork damage, or water damage inside the flue. These issues might hint at larger structural problems with the chimney that need fixing. Catching them early can save you from more costly repairs down the line.

In essence, a chimney camera inspection gives you a complete picture of your chimney’s condition. It’s important for safety – identifying fire hazards, leaks, or collapse risks – and for maintenance – keeping your chimney working efficiently so it vents smoke properly. Homeowners who have had persistent chimney draft problems or unpleasant odors often find that a camera inspection pinpoints the cause (like that hidden nest or unseen crack) so it can be resolved for good.

Do you need a camera inspection? If you haven’t had one before, or it’s been many years since anyone looked up your flue, the answer is probably yes – especially if:

• You’re moving into a new home (you’ll want to know the chimney is safe and sound).
• You’ve had a chimney fire or chimney lightning strike in the past (damage can be invisible without a camera).
• You notice performance issues, like smoke leakage, poor draft, or excessive creosote, that a normal sweep didn’t cure.
• Your chimney is old or hasn’t been inspected in a long time.
• You’re a landlord (many insurance and safety regulations require regular inspections with documentation).

In these cases, a camera inspection isn’t just a nice add-on – it’s essential. It can literally prevent disasters by finding issues that, left unknown, could put your family at risk.

Advanced Technology We Use for Chimney Inspections

At Hodgsons Chimney Sweep, we believe in using the best tools for the job. Chimney inspection technology has come a long way, and we’ve invested in advanced cameras to make our inspections as thorough and efficient as possible. Here are some of the high-tech gadgets our team uses to peer inside your chimney:

• RodStation 8 LED HD UltraBright Camera: This is a state-of-the-art chimney inspection camera that delivers clear HD video from inside the flue. It’s rod-mounted and equipped with 8 ultra-bright LED lights that illuminate every nook and cranny of your chimney. The RodStation camera gives us a full-color, well-lit view even in large or dark chimneys. We use it during many standard inspections – as we feed the camera up through your chimney, we can see live video on a monitor, ensuring no crack or blockage goes unnoticed. The camera’s wide-angle lens and high resolution mean we get detailed visuals of the flue walls (far superior to what a flashlight could show). Essentially, it’s our “workhorse” camera for everyday chimney surveys, allowing us to spot issues in real time and capture high-quality photos for our reports.

• Ferret WiFi Inspection Camera: For quick-look liner inspections and tight spots, we use the Ferret WiFi camera– a compact, wireless inspection camera. This little device is incredibly handy for a fast check of your chimney or stove pipe. We can attach the Ferret camera to extendable rods or simply lower it into the flue, and it streams 720p HD video to a smartphone or tablet via WiFi. Despite its small size (the camera head is about 1 inch wide), it has adjustable bright LED lights and even a digital zoom, so we can get a close-up view of any suspect area. The Ferret is perfect for situations where we need to quickly identify obstructions or damage without a full formal survey. For example, if we suspect a blockage high up in the chimney, the Ferret can give us a fast visual confirmation. It’s also great for checking flexible flue liners for cracks, gaps, or missing mortar joints in chimney tile liners. Because it’s wireless, we can easily maneuver it around awkward angles or into stove connecting flue pipes. Think of the Ferret as our quick diagnostic tool – it provides a live look inside so we know exactly what we’re dealing with (and yes, it’s even helped us locate the occasional trapped pigeon or squirrel!).

• Wohler VIZ 2000 Inspection System: When we need to perform the most comprehensive chimney inspections, we turn to our Wohler VIZ 2000 professional camera system. This is a high-end, German-engineered inspection camera that comes with a pan-and-tilt camera head and a dedicated video monitor/recorder. The Wohler system is amazing for doing full surveys because the camera head can tilt 180° and pan 360° inside the flue. In other words, we can look all around – even directly at the chimney walls or up into smoke shelf areas – not just straight ahead. It also has an integrated distance counter, so we know exactly how far up the chimney the camera is and can pinpoint the location of any damage with precision. The camera itself has high-output LED lighting and captures high-resolution video, which gets recorded to an SD card. We use the Wohler VIZ 2000 for detailed inspections (for instance, if you’ve requested a Full Chimney/Flue Inspection and Survey or if we’re investigating a known problem). It lets us perform a meticulous examination of your chimney’s interior and even measure where a crack or void is in relation to the chimney base. With this tool, we compile extremely detailed findings – if there’s a cracked flue tile three meters up, we’ll see it and document its exact position. The Wohler system represents “state-of-the-art” chimney inspection tech, and it ensures nothing inside your chimney escapes our notice.

Live Video and Detailed Reports: No matter which camera we use, the process is very interactive and transparent. We watch the live video feed in real time as we run the camera, and we’re happy to show you what we’re seeing. (In fact, many homeowners find it fascinating – often it’s the first time they’ve ever seen the inside of their chimney!) We’ll point out any issues on the screen and explain what you’re looking at. Along the way, our technicians capture clear images and video clips of any problems or notable features. After the inspection, we put together a detailed report for you. This report will include descriptions of what we found, recommendations for any fixes or maintenance, and those photos/video stills as visual proof. You’ll have a record of your chimney’s condition, which is great for your own peace of mind – and also handy if you need to share information with a contractor or, say, if you’re a landlord needing to prove an inspection was done. We believe in being thorough, so you can expect a professional, documented result from every camera inspection we carry out.

Our Chimney Inspection Packages and Options

Every chimney and situation is a little different, so we offer a range of inspection packages to suit your needs. Whether you just want a routine check-up or a comprehensive survey with documentation, we’ve got an option for you:

• Chimney/Flue CCTV Inspection (Inclusive of Sweep): This is our popular combo service, ideal for annual maintenance. We will sweep your chimney to remove soot and debris and perform a camera inspection afterward to ensure everything is clear and in good shape inside. It’s a convenient all-in-one package – your chimney gets cleaned and you get the peace of mind of a video inspection. We typically recommend this service if you haven’t used your fireplace or stove regularly; it keeps your mind a peace, and allows for us to check any important issues prior to using your appliance.  (Pricing starts at £195 for a single chimney; packages are available for multiple chimneys in the same visit.)
• Full Chimney/Flue Inspection and Survey: If you need a deeper dive into your chimney’s condition, our full inspection and survey is the way to go. This service is a comprehensive camera examination without sweeping (or sometimes done after a sweeping), focusing on detailed assessment and reporting. We use our most advanced equipment (often the pan-and-tilt camera) to survey the entire flue. You’ll receive a thorough report outlining any and all issues, complete with images. This is the package to choose if you’re experiencing chimney problems that need diagnosis, if you’ve had a chimney fire, or if you’re buying/selling a home and need an expert chimney report. It’s also commonly used for insurance or safety certification purposes. (Pricing starts around £300, varying based on the number of flues inspected.)
• Landlord Safety Inspection: For landlords and property managers, we offer a specialized inspection service to help you meet safety regulations. A landlord safety inspection includes a proper chimney sweeping, a camera inspection to check the flue’s integrity, and all the necessary documentation for your records or for tenant assurance. If you rent out a property with a working fireplace or wood-burning stove, you’re typically required (or strongly advised) to have the chimney inspected annually. Our service makes this easy by providing a one-stop sweep + camera check and a formal report stating that the chimney was inspected and is safe to use (or noting if any repairs are needed). This keeps you compliant with any insurance or legal requirements and, most importantly, keeps your tenants safe. (This service can be tailored to multiple properties or chimneys as needed, with pricing scaled per number of chimneys.)
• Chimney Drone Inspection: Not all chimney issues are on the inside! To complement our internal CCTV inspections, we also offer a drone inspection service for the exterior of your chimney. Using a camera-equipped drone, we can inspect hard-to-reach areas like the chimney stack, chimney crown, flashing, and flue terminals from above. This is extremely useful if you have a tall roof or if accessing the chimney by ladder is difficult or unsafe. The drone captures high-resolution video and photos of the chimney’s exterior condition – we can spot things like cracked chimney pots, missing mortar on brickwork, or blockages at the top of the flue(for example, from a bird guard clogged with debris). An exterior inspection via drone is a great add-on if we suspect outside damage or if you simply want the full picture of your chimney (inside and out). And don’t worry – our drone pilots are certified, and we perform these inspections safely and legally with regard to airspace and privacy. (Our Chimney Drone Inspection is a flat rate service – for instance, £100 for a standard drone survey, however these are covered in a our full inspection)

In addition to the above, we can combine services or advise you on what level of inspection is appropriate for your situation. For example, if you’re unsure whether you need the full survey or just a basic check, give us a call – we’re happy to talk it through and make a recommendation. Our goal is to ensure you get exactly the level of scrutiny your chimney needs so you can use your fireplace with confidence.

Ready to Book Your Chimney Inspection?

A chimney camera inspection is one of the best investments you can make in your home’s safety. It answers that nagging question of “what’s going on up there?” and helps prevent nasty surprises like chimney fires or leaks. If you’ve never had a camera inspection, or it’s been a while, now is a great time to schedule one – before the heating season kicks into full gear or before you start using your fireplace extensively. Remember, even if everything seems fine, there could be issues brewing that only a trained eye (and a good camera) can catch.

Ready to book or want to get some advice first? We’re here to help. Feel free to contact Hodgsons Chimney Sweep to discuss your chimney concerns or to arrange an inspection at your convenience. Our friendly, professional team will walk you through the process and ensure your chimney is clean, safe, and ready to keep you warm. Don’t wait until a small issue becomes a big problem – give us a call or book an inspection online today, and enjoy peace of mind knowing your chimney is in tip-top shape!