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Just switched to a flexible camera for inspections after a tricky job in a 1920s flue
I used to rely on just a mirror and a light, but the camera showed me a hairline crack I would have missed completely. Anyone else find a specific tool that changed how you spot problems?
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irisjenkins19d ago
Honestly, a hairline crack in an old flue sounds like a pretty common find. Tbh, unless it's actively leaking or spreading, it might not even need immediate action. Sometimes new tools just show you problems that were already there and not causing issues.
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bennett.riley18d ago
My uncle's 1920s farmhouse had a flue crack for twenty years with no problems. I get what @irisjenkins is saying about old houses having hidden issues that work fine. When do you actually draw the line and call a repair person?
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haydenbutler16d ago
That's a dangerous way to look at it. Just because something hasn't failed yet doesn't mean it's safe, especially with fire and carbon monoxide. The whole point of new tools is to find these hidden problems before they become real disasters. Waiting for a leak or spread is like waiting for your brakes to squeal before you check them. Bennett.riley's story about the twenty year crack is pure luck, not a rule to live by. Finding a crack means you now know about a weak spot, and ignoring it because it's old is how people get hurt.
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