Hot Camera Inspections for Industrial Chimneys & Smokestacks

Staying up-to-date with your industrial chimney or smokestack maintenance program is extremely important, and this includes regular inspections. Inspections are necessary to confirm that your stack, emission system, and venting unit is operating safely and meeting all environmental regulations and requirements.

In the past, many facility owners may have delayed or skipped the cleaning and inspection of their industrial chimney & smokestack because it required downtime. Taking an industrial chimney or stack offline or out-of-use can be a huge hassle and can cut production or operation schedules, which is never desired. Luckily, this is no longer the case thanks to a new, innovative method that allows for a “hot camera inspection” to be performed while the flue is still in use.

A “hot camera” is designed to be both technically advanced & operationally versatile. These units are built to withstand extremely high temperatures and many forms of industrial gases & exposure that is experienced inside of contemporary industrial chimneys & stacks. The high-tech, insulated video camera is lowered down the flue of the operating chimney to allow trained technicians to spot any areas of vulnerability or deterioration that could cause serious problems later down the line.

Although effective for a quick look-over, hot camera inspections do not provide the detail and clarity that direct observation offers. Variations in flue gas opacity can create foggy or unclear images and hairline cracks or crevices may be hard to identify since the camera will be several feet from the liner surface. Although good for identifying damaged or missing brickwork and deteriorating liners, a hot camera inspection may miss narrow cracks or the beginning symptoms of spalling which are critical deficiencies that should be fixed immediately.

A hot camera inspection is often an acceptable solution for facilities or plants that cannot schedule downtime at the time an inspection is due. Combined with other innovative practices, like our rope access methods, a hot camera inspection is a good way to facilitate a less disruptive inspection of an industrial chimney. These on-line assessments of a stack’s condition leave no excuse for compromising workplace safety & production efficiency.

If you would like to speak with one of our highly-skilled chimney techs to find out more about hot camera inspections, call us today (770) 370-7055. We will help you execute an inspection program that will fit in with your company & facility’s needs and requirements while still meeting all government regulations regarding emissions, etc.