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Shoutout to the old guy in Burlington who told me to use a mirror on a stick
I mean, I thought it was a dumb gimmick for years, like why not just use a camera? But last month I had a real bad creosote buildup in a tricky offset flue on a house in Essex Junction. My camera died, so I dug out this cheap mirror on a pole I got at a yard sale. Idk, seeing the actual reflection, not a screen, let me spot a hairline crack in the clay liner I would've totally missed. Has anyone else had a simple tool surprise them like that?
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jenny426mo ago
Okay but a hairline crack in a clay liner. Is that even a big deal? Those things have been in houses for a hundred years. Half of them probably have cracks. Seems like you're looking for problems that aren't really there. A camera would show the same thing if it was charged. Just sounds like an excuse to use a weird old tool.
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grace_owens916mo ago
Get where you're coming from, but a real mirror gives you depth and light in a way a flat screen just can't. That crack was super fine, easy to miss on a pixelated feed. Sometimes the simple way just works better.
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finley7846mo ago
Check the crack with your fingernail, if it catches it's a real problem. I've seen those hairline fractures let water seep in and wreck the wall behind it over a single winter. A mirror shows the angle of light across the surface way better than a camera screen for spotting depth.
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lucashenderson5mo ago
Totally get the mirror thing, had a similar spot in my old place. Honestly jenny42, those tiny cracks in clay can let in way more moisture than you'd think over time. A quick mirror check saved me a huge repair bill later.
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