Chim-Scan® and the Wireless Question - Answered

First, as far as wireless goes we do have a wireless unit, that works quite well. The signal can go through 3 walls and up to 150 feet away doing so.

But, just when I am ready to start a production run, the FCC has placed a wattage limit on all wireless units to fit part 15 of the code. 
So, for now, the best I can do is about the same power as blue tooth without requiring an amateur radio license. 
The FCC is planning to enforce this rule, this fall.  How you may ask?  I don’t know. But the fine on my part for selling this type of equipment  is $7,5000.00 per occurrence, without the end user having the license. 

So if you are happy with the Bluetooth cellphones range then I can match it. But if you would like to “see” farther then it will require a license to run one. 
Plus under this ruling as an amateur you cannot use it for commercial gain. That’s another fine. But this will find its way and interpretation with every attorney you talk to. There are attorneys already adding this litigation to their list. No matter where the earths got a hole, somebodies got a bucket!!  

Because of the quad copter phenomenon the FCC and the FAA are planning to enforce this very soon!!  From the suppliers that I've been in communication with, tell me that this is very real and that I should not risk any sales without proof you have the license. They are also downsizing the wattage to help comply with the ruling, with regret because the range sucks!!

So, at this time, I’m not sure where to go with this “wireless thing”.

 Since the Go Pro and all the consumer cell phones, are out there for $200-$300.00 that may be a choice for those that want to deal with consumer electronics.

No back up, no customer support, constant changes, cheap equipment that people tell me 'it’s the bomb'.

Now I know how you folks feel like when a customer comes to your store.

You spent time educating them about what they need and then they go to a big box store and say that your prices for your stoves are too high and that the value is the same??

Whatever!

Right now to address the changes in the industry, we have been selling the lighthouse camera. 
No rods to turn, the camera goes around on its own, Stop and reverse when you want to.

Even color corrected light source, no hot spots, on a cable that doesn't need a license and can give you a good high res image 300 feet away if you need to.

Plus its backed by a company that answers your e-mail and questions at night, supports your industry events and gives back to customers in the way of education as much as possible.

Many of these changes can be made to older equipment by adding the necessary switches and updating of the SD recorders to accept the EYE-FI cards.

Because the rods don’t have to be turned, the cable comes out of the slip ring reeler (series 200 and 450) and goes up the chimney. Coming down, it falls to the floor, where you wined it up on the reeler. NO MORE TWISTED CABLES !!

With the CeCure camera/Enviro-flex camera on top, you can look up the chimney and see where you are going and get a bird’s eye view. Then with the flick of a switch, change the view to the lighthouse where the camera is rotating 360 degrees to see the joints. Two incredible views at one time.

We can now offer this at less money than the Auto Focus Tilt cameras and half the size and weight!!  

Because of these changes the system can now be used with a viper system so those operators that want a seamless rod can do so.

With the advent of the EYE-FI card sending the images right to your I-devise, you can send them to your paperless report.  The snap button on the controller is fast enough to capture the image without stopping the rotation and with the keyboard you can enter the clients name on the photo along with any short message or description you want.

The series 200 and 450 that can use the character generation keyboard, characters stay with the image as it transfers through the EYE-FI CARD, SO SHORT DESCRIPTIONS STAY WITH THE IMAGE………HOO….AH. ( not shouting just excited :) )

We are not the same camera company, our product line is an ever evolving process. just trying to take it to another level.

So in a nutshell this is where we are,

*Full view, 360 degree and above imagery,
*less rod connections yet more choices of rods to use,
*capable of image transfer to digital devises,
*lighter weight, smaller size (2”round) to fit through prefab fireplace dampers and thimbled chimneys,
*able to be used for prefab chase inspections(CeCure and Enviroflex models- 1.5” hole)
*add photo descriptions to your imagery for easier documentation and photo admin
*and the ability to use earlier models and upgrade them.
*plus you can pair the Lighthouse with the Envrio-flex and get 2 views all with the flip of a switch

Tom's eventful week, be careful out there!

It’s amazing what can change, in a few short seconds.

I was sitting at my desk reading the February issue of Sweeping that had arrived. On page23 was a picture of someone with their arm bandage the headline read, “Unable to work due to Injury or Illness.  The article was written by a supporter of this industry and someone I would call a friend, Brian Noe.  We were introduced to him at a Mix meeting.  I hate to be the “poster boy” for this article, but I thought I would share what proceeded to happen, minutes after I read the article.

Monday, March 3, 2014, we had record temperatures all across the Midwest, minus -13 in Fairfield. We had turned the new condensation furnace in our pole barn that has our chimney lab and extra tools that we do not use every day, OFF, when propane reach over $5.00 a gallon in January.  If we are not working in that building, no sense of heating it!!  WRONG, a high efficiency, condensating furnace is full of condensate, turn it off and it freezes and wont’ work- DUH.  As I waited for the furnace guy to come and help thaw out the furnace, I went back to the office.  Esther , (my wife)went to fix lunch and left me at my desk reading emails, getting ready to call a customer, and thinking about our booth at the upcoming convention.

We all get interruptions throughout our days, but I need to learn to prioritize better. An employee mentioned that we needed some special pieces of plastic cut for a unit. I don’t like “the girls” to use the table saw, so I jumped up to go cut them quickly while lunch was getting ready.  Of course the table saw is in the “cold” building. So I couldn’t wait for the furnace to thaw, (so I thought). It’s COLD, so I left my gloves on, not thin tight fitting gloves, but my insulated ones I used to chuck wood into the outside furnace.

It happens so fast, last piece to cut, and the saw blade simple grabbed the edge of the leather and pulled my thumb into the blade. I’m a very fortunate man. 1. It only cut the end of my thumb on my predominate hand. 2.  The intense cold, did not allow my hand to bleed. (Esther was glad, not to have to clean that mess up.  As I left the building, I had my wits about me to go back and turn the saw off.

I didn’t go back into our shop; I didn’t want to interrupt the employees.  I know at least one, would have fainted at the site of the blood. J  I got into our home and called to Esther, “Get your coat.”  Where are we going….hospital..  OMG…She was cooking lunch, and was not pleased to have to turn the burners off, half way thru. After delivering me to E.R. Esther called Shelley explained where we were and to go and make sure everything was turned off!!

The E.R. is less than 7 miles way, mostly 4 lanes. (We live in the country, but the bypass is nearby)

X-rays showed that the bone between the knuckles was shattered, 3 breaks and the pad was minced back to the first knuckle.    Now if it had been another finger, we may have opted to amputate.  Even if it had been the left hand, maybe….but since I’m right handed the doctor had a plan.

Side note, who knew that our small town of 10,000 would have an orthopedic surgeon with his office at our hospital?  He is also a leader in the procedure I’m about to describe. We are so grateful that we did not have to travel to the University Hospital 70 miles away.

After evaluating, Dr. Ivan scheduled surgery for 3:30 in the afternoon. After putting 4 pins in the bones to hold the thumb together, he cut a flap in my abdomen and pulled the flap up around the wound and secured it in place.  He placed another “stitch” using 100 pound test line to secure his wrist to his side, so that the arm/hand did not move.   They wrapped me up with two six inch wide ace bandages to hold my arm to my body. I finally got to a room about 6:45.  Pain meds kept me pretty drowsy, and the doctor said that we will know after 24 hours, if the “flap” will survive. Next day, by the Grace of God, when they changed the dressing, all was pink and looking like the Doctor wanted.  They sent me home with antibiotics and pain meds.

The doctor was impressed that at the age of 59, my blood pressure was good, no diabetes and that I was a non smokers (except maybe a cigar when Shelley was born 26 years ago).  He said I was in good shape for the shape I was in.  And that the little bit ( J) of belly fat was a great place for my thumb to heal.  So instead of the original ER timeline of 3 weeks, we should be able to unhook the thumb so that I can go to Columbus for convention

Now to make a long story short, about ten days later, we plan to “unhook” my thumb and wrist from my side.  Then another 4-6 weeks for the pad to grow and heal.  Then, another surgery to reshape the thumb and healing starts again.

This procedure is very old, the countries of India and Saudi Arabia pioneered this hundreds of years ago, according to the doctor.  They would use big biting ants to secure the flap. They would make the ant mad, make it bite, then tear the body away and let the bug secure it.  I’m sure animal rights group would not be happy about that, these days.

The body is amazing and can heal itself with a little help.  I appreciated all the calls, comments, prayers, words of encouragement, good vibes, white light, etc. I can feel the good vibrations and thoughts for me and my family.  Remember; take care of yourself, good food and exercise.  We all work hard and it’s easy to pick up fast food and be too tired to work out. But my fast healing, tells me it’s worthwhile to eat healthy and take daily walks, bike rides etc. before or after work.  Nobody can do that for you.  Be good to yourself!!

So to get back to Brian’s article, make sure you have the insurances that you need to keep you and your family going, when an accident happens.  If you don’t’ think you can afford it, raise your prices.  It’s not IF an accident will happen, but WHEN.  Side note; as an S-Corporation, Esther and I could have opted out of paying for workman’s comp on ourselves, but we didn’t.  The battle now will be between blue cross and blue shield and workman’s comp as to who will be the hospital bills.

 Make sure that you take time for a vacation, get rested so that you mind is clear.  It’s no time to ”multi-task” when working around power tools.  I think I can convince Esther to buy me that new table saw that shuts off automatically if skin comes in contact.  We saw it on “New Yankee Workshop” a few years ago.  The $2500.00 price tag would have been much less than these hospital bills!!

I’m also blessed to have great employees.  We have worked for years, thanks to Dave Pomeroy (God rest his soul) for getting us started, and other business coaches, to have our “S.O.G.’s” standard operating guidelines, in place so that our business can continue without my daily input.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help in your company.  No one expects you to have all the answers.  You may know chimneys, but you don’t know, what you don’t know, until you are open yourself and your company to review.  The Mix meetings have helped many understand that.  Convention is coming soon, take that time to talk with other companies and be open to other options.  Just because you have done something for years the same way, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.  You are not the same person as you were when you started you business.

Laughter is the best medicine, so they say! So let the jokes begin. 

*I’m thumbing thru the same “Sweeping” again, and I see an article from Jerry Isenhour’s “The Coach’s Corner”, titled, “Fire in the Belly”.  Who knew?... signs everywhere.

*Did you hear about the butcher, who backed into his saw?  He got a little behind in his work! J

*Part of the healing process requires changing the dressing on the wound and keeping the “flap” area moist.  Sort of like the Thanksgiving turkey, we don’t want to let any of the area dry out.  So a cousin called and wondered if it was time to go baste Tom!!! J

*At Ash Wednesday’s Mass, Esther came home to tell the readings were spot on. As we begin our yearly Lenten practice of prayer and fasting, Jesus especially calls us to give to others without expecting return and to give to others without letting our right hand know what our left hand is doing.  Tom thinks he can easily handle that one.  Our priest, Father Nick, came to visit the sick last night , smiled when he saw how appropriate that reading was.

*Of course, many have suggested that I find a better way to “give up doing dishes” for Lent.

*A card from family arrived today wanting to make sure we had followed our Mother’s daily orders of making sure we changed our underwear in case we had an accident!!

                                                                               

*My sister and brother -in-law, have been sharing funny thoughts also from Arizona, to help lighten up the situation.

*At least the chimney sweep, did not have a chimney fire!! 

*For a while now, friends have encouraged me to write more, i.e. articles, blogs, etc. So thanks for reading to the end, I will try to follow that good advice. And yes, Tom Thumb will be ready to give his talk on Wednesday after lunch, in Columbus.  Be there, or be square.  After reading this, you won’t have to ask why my thumb is all bandaged.

 Till next time, be careful and keep scanning those chimneys, Tom Urban, Scanman

Tom's Response.

Wow, Lots of conversation. Let me explain my intentions about chase inspections. This is my experience doing this work on subrogation cases concerning prefab chases.  I started to write a response but it went on too too long. I've done this work since 1994 and the last in California in 2013, so I have some history doing it. If you are interested in learning how I do them and my answer to your questions concerning entry holes, getting around inside the chase, getting dimensions, lighting issues, borescopes, firestops etc.  

Keep Reading.

1)      Yes this in my opinion is a level 3 inspection

2)      Intended Purpose: If your intentions are replacement of the existing unit, it would be helpful for a chimney contractor to “see the interior” before setting a saw-z-all to it.( electrical wires, gas piping, water pipes etc.)

3)      What is real: All of us understand that prefab chases especially track homes are done by the lowest bidder, therefore corners are likely been cut. So if your gut is telling you something doesn't look or feel right, you have the opportunity to offer a selective service to evaluate the interior without destruction. ( Especially if chase covers are sealed well)

4)      Experience: I have done 45 such inspections in the state of NJ. several years ago and went through the side shoulder, through vinyl siding, and in some cases through the shingles on the roof  near the chase. I can tell you there were many things covered up that caused hidden water issues within these homes along with a worker stuffing their lunch bag and hoagie wrapper right behind the firebox so it was in direct contact with the unit and the back OSB wall!!

5)      Experience: I also have experience with Randy Brooks in California (45 units) where many of the photos were taken so the areas for gas lines outside air and critter presence can be seen. Check with Randy on his take about doing them.

6)      Dimensions: As far as taking dimensions, the camera is under 1.5” so a 1.5” hole saw will allow the camera to pass. Plus with the use of a gooseneck rod you can bend it so reaching around chimney pipe can be done. Since the camera is 1.5” I use that as my measuring device. If the camera can go through an opening between combustible and pipe with wiggle room then in most cases the chimney is 1.75” to 2” away from any combustibles. The same with fireboxes. Plus in most cases the mfr. has instructions on the side of the unit, especially sidewall clearances.

7)      Firestops: Should you find firestops ( past experience  tells me not too many) then your inspection can only go that far and another entry point might be a consideration. Again it will go back to how bad do you need to see?? Since this is a level 3 there is some leeway on this. That’s why I made an inspection checklist so you can tell the customer what you saw and what you didn’t see.

8)      Operations: I place the unit on the roof or chase top and drill the hole into the chase. Then attach the camera to one or two rods and lower the camera cable and rod into the chase. When I reach the top of the firebox I’m looking directly down. There is enough light from the LEDs to illuminate the area. I check the sides of the firebox and clearances, insulation ( or Lack of) outside air, gas line entry and other supports. When you need to look at 90 degrees, I push the camera into the firebox and bend the gooseneck. Now looking for clearances around chimney pipe can be done along with close up of mantel support or creative use of 2x4 construction.

9)      Borescopes: I have one from Dewalt that works through a ¾ to 1” hole. Works great but my light is limited to only a few inches around the head, so positioning the borescope can take a while. It has a place but don’t expect it to illuminate a chase!!

10)   Sealing: Usually RTV on the chase around the hole, then a 6x6 alum plate with six screws, then cover the edge with RTV silicon. On wood siding under vinyl, same 6x6 sheet of alum. With six screws.  In masonry, stuff hole with some ceramic blanket then mortar over top. ( Not sold on that one but was the best I could come up with at the time.) On roofs I use a wonder bar to pry up a shingle tab and drill the hole. When done RTV around the hole and slide plate under tab, put a dab of RTV on the underside edge of the raised shingle and press down. Also there is a company that makes a 1.5” plug out of chrome steel which looked interesting also. Plug hole and add RTV around plug-done.

Why Salesmanship Matters

The funny part about being a sweep is you have to deal with the public, and if we don't we don't have a job. But we need to remember their wishes and we all understand the responsibilities we have to the levels of inspection. Somewhere in the center is a place that requires some training. For me it was a start to go to Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage class. This is where my eyes were open to the techniques we need to persuade the customer that the inspection with the sweep is in their best interest. And the best way to do that is shut up and do the job.

 People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. if you run across someone who just wants it swept then do the normal job you normally do, follow the standard of care by doing the level 1 and hand them the results and smile. What they are telling you they don't want to talk to you about it until you demonstrate how much you care. You need to show them your care. My daily sweeping days are over but the ones I do remember that gave me the hardest time usually became a great customer, just by being quiet and doing my job. Sales training is now an ongoing training for me and my staff and the start at Dale Carnegie was great at the time.

 For a chance to get some free advice from a pro, check out Jeff Gitmer's website. He has some bullet presentations that can be done in minutes and gives you a chance to score yourself on how you absorbed the material. the site is open 24/7 so the late night in your jammies meeting can happen. Just go to the site and when it asks for a member number put in 2078. That should open the program and let you see all the short bullet questions on proper selling techniques for free. Remember, be quiet, do your job as set by the standard of care for the industry and do your company sop for sweeping this type of installation, present them the information, smile and move on. That’s one way to service a hard head. Check out Jeff's site for more. I know more sales people that get training on a constant basis, usually are more calm, collected and smile more than those without, just because they understand the customer’s needs and see them without antagonizing them. Take you out of the picture and put them in. Thanks for taking the time to read this post and have a great day!!

also check out this company if you want some inside the industry but outside your company help.

http://www.chimneyandventingconsultants.com/

When Chim-Scanning, if I see holes and gaps between chimney liners, does it really matter?

Is that open space between liners that big a deal?

 Doing sweep work and Chim-Scanning on a day to day basis you've most likely come across chimney liners not sealed to each other. And your thought is, “well that’s not that bad, I don’t want to alarm anybody over a 1/8” gap. Let  me finish sweeping here and give it some thought on how I can address this.

Well, I know it’s another hole in a poorly constructed chimney, I don't know how to tell them, so I’ll let it go.”

Think again.

Let’s look at this differently. If you have a 7x7” liner and a 1/16^th gap between the liners the open area equals 3 sq. inches. Place 9 more liners on top of this with the same 1/16^th of an inch opening, collectively you have 30.38 sq. inches. Which is larger than a  6” thimble hole. So that “not so bad mortar joint”, may not be serving your customer very well.

In an another example, let’s ramp it up a little by taking a 13 x13” liner and have a one inch opening between the liners. We have 52 Sq. inches in just one joint area. That’s larger than an 8” thimble hole. Add 4 more liners to the top of this one and you have a whopping 260” sq. inch opening, larger than a 18” round thimble. 

Get the idea?

If chimneys are to be under a negative pressure or vacuum then how can we expect the chimney or fireplace to operate in an acceptable manner. 

If that doesn't make you ponder, place this example chimney in newer construction or renovation of an older home.  This could become a real problem in performance. Even though there may be a brick or block surround to the liners, it will still leak air into the chimney. Conversely condensates and or creosote can leave the liner area and enter into the chimney cavity.

Something to keep in mind

Just apply the recommendations from the codes (which is the minimum standard) to your thought pattern and understand this principle. Even though the codes do explain in detail how clay liners are to be joined. (NFPA 211 or IRC) Both code bodies understand that the smallest hole can create a loss in performance when trying to exhaust smoke and gases from a fireplace or appliance. Gaps can create uncertainty, on how the fireplace or appliance will operate under all conditions. Smoke and gases can move into other areas within the chimney cavity creating more uncertainty.

(Uncertainty is not your friend). Remember you have a variety of solutions to stop the leaking, whether a reline, resurface or joint repair. If you were wondering if  this is a big deal, yes it is.

What to tell your customer

*Their chimney falls below recommended  building codes.

* Even though the chimney may appear to operate, it is doing so in a limited ability. And the condition will only prematurely deteriorate the chimney at an accelerated rate.

*If they're asking you “is it safe to use,” I can not offer you any peace of mind in it’s current condition.

Today's technology and higher demands for efficiency and performance are now ramped up higher than before. So yesterdays thought process will not work with today's reality.

Here’s a demonstration to easily explain this problem.

· Take a beverage straw and make a small hole in it.

· Place straw into beverage and draw on it. 

· Once the beverage drops below the hole, there should be a 

sound coming from the straw plus you'll have to 

work twice as hard to draw the beverage through the straw.

· This simple concept is the same with the chimney.

Now Mr. & Mrs. Smith, do you understand why there’s smoke staining on the front of your fireplace?

ScanMan's Corner: Thoughts

ScanMan's Corner: Thoughts

Thoughts

So you think you currently have enough work,  you are doing installations for a local stove shop and you are able to fill in the schedule here and there with some sweeps.   BUT, cash flow is really bad, you know how it is with summer vacations and all.

HMM, sound familiar, if there is so much work, then why is cash flow hurting.  Did you not learn about forward schedule all those years ago from Sooty Bob?  So what has happened?  Are you still doing the same old, same old thing?  And getting the same old, same old results?   No one likes change, but in business, you have to make some hard changes to be able to see results in the future.

I have been talking about our Chimney Data System, CDS, now for a couple of months  It seems like years, because of all the time that has been invested.  But now it’s your turn to invest in yourself and your company.

Change requires your time and effort.  Try it for 21 days,, maybe schedule one or two less jobs per day to give you the time needed to answer ALL the questions.   We have a great company that has dropped there schedule load from 6 to three jobs per day, but their ticket price has risen to make up the difference.  Besides the less wear and tear on vehicles and themselves.

 Maybe, only gather the CDS info on your new customers, all those installs for the stove shop are new customers, correct?  Then let’s start there.  Simply answer the questions on the appropriate form.  If you’re so busy now, then just file it away.  Then go back, when you have time, and review the information.  HMMM, do you think that there might be some work than may need to be done at that location that wasn’t included in the installation quote, i.e. crown repair, tuck pointing; .  Do you think you could forward schedule that work?  Maybe next year cash flow won’t be such an issue!

Once you have gathered the information on that customer, you will not have to do it again.  OH my gosh,  what a treasure of information you have gathered.  Now imagine if you had the CDS information on ALL your customers.  At some point, they were all new customers to you!!

Do you ever think about a time when you will not be able to go out and physically do this type of work?  By implementing the CDS, you will be doing several things.  One, you will have downloaded your brain about your customer base.  Second, you will have something to sell to a new owner of your company when you are ready to retire.  MMM, something to think about as we all prepare in our own way for our futures.

This has been and looks like it will continue to be a rough and tumble weekend for many of you on the east coast.  Earthquakes and hurricane Irene, be careful out there, there just might be a silver lining!

Some insurance work may come your way.  What a great way to gather the need information. IF you do not have the time to write the report, just send us the info and pictures and the report can be written for.  We are here waiting to serve you.