camera for dust collector ducts

[Bill Gebhardt]

Has anyone tried to use a pipe inspection camera to locate a clog duct to their dust collector?
Bill

[Dave Sweeney]

Hmmm, well if it works for poop no reason why it shouldn't work for sawdust.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

If your D.C. piping is metal, clogs can be found by tapping along the pipe and listening for a change in tone. This works well on house gutters and downspouts too.

[richard poitras]

Hmmm, well if it works for poop no reason why it shouldn't work for sawdust.

Along those same lines of thinking ... once determined the location of the clog, a snake would would work for busting it loose as well... 🚽

[Bill Dufour]

Chimney brush?
BilLD

[Carl Beckett]

Chimney brush?
BilLD

Or dryer vent brush...

[Paul F Franklin]

I've used this one to inspect flue pipes and HVAC ductwork, but not dust collection ductwork:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGHX8PP3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I like it because it is self contained and doesn't require use of a phone app. The last one I had required an app, which wasn't updated to work with newer version of IOS, make the camera useless.

It gives great pictures, but the camera head tends to catch on anything that it can, even though it is pretty small (or maybe because it is pretty small). For example, when I was inspecting the flue for our gas fireplace insert, there was a transition a few feet up the chimney from flex pipe to solid. The transition had a rim that protruded into the flue pipe maybe 1/4" and the camera caught on it every time. It took many tries, each time pulling the camera out and changing the angle of the last few inches of the cable a little before I was able to get past the rim. The cable is flexible, but fairly stiff and you don't have much control over the path the camera takes once you get more that a couple of feet into the pipe/duct, especially if there are any bends or turns. Negotiating obstacles is tricky. I was just about at the point where I was considering jury-rigging a ball or something similar right behind the camera head so it wouldn't catch on stuff easily when I got lucky and the camera slipped by the rim. After that, it was smooth sailing up the rest of the flue.

I would expect the couplings and fittings in a dust collection duct would be enough to snag the camera. Probably blast gates too. So you might have to rig up something like the ball trick.

[Bill Dufour]

Negotiating obstacles is tricky. I was just about at the point where I was considering jury-rigging a ball or something similar right behind the camera head so it wouldn't catch on stuff easily when I got lucky and the camera slipped by the rim. After that, it was smooth sailing up the rest of the flue.

I was going to suggest a whiffle ball golf ball or drill a hole through a ping pong ball.
In the movies the cops can steer the head every which way and adjust focus too.
Bill D