video camera SNAKE / Endoscope one's pizza oven chimney (routine maintenance, etc)

[ogopogodude]

Here is the strangest topic in at least a year, I am betting ... But has anyone considered buying a (cheap) snake / endoscope from amazon to be able to see one's chimney passage-way to make sure there are no problems ? I am tempted to buy a $100 item from amazon to look up inside the chimney stack to make sure there is no build up of soot, .. also to look for cracks etc.

I would appreciate anyone's input on this ...

[MarkJerling]

Is there anything preventing you simply looking into it from the top? Having said that, with the angles in mine, an endoscope camera would allow me to see the tricky curved bit. Might be a plan. I see I can get one that will work with my Android phone for about $10.50 on AlieExpress!

[ogopogodude]

yes. I have a cap on top (rain avoidance stone cap) which hinders things big time. The real reason is that I suspect a crack or a leak somewhere since I could "smell" something not quite right and I am thinking maybe the heat entering the chimney is perhaps escaping into the insulated outer brick dome and singing (singe / burning) the insulation barrier that is outside the terra cotta vent.

[MarkJerling]

yes. I have a cap on top (rain avoidance stone cap) which hinders things big time. The real reason is that I suspect a crack or a leak somewhere since I could "smell" something not quite right and I am thinking maybe the heat entering the chimney is perhaps escaping into the insulated outer brick dome and singing (singe / burning) the insulation barrier that is outside the terra cotta vent.

Aha. In that case, a endoscope type camera will make sense. Good luck!