What To Do About Animals in Your Chimney
Each spring, animals from squirrels and raccoons to bats and birds look for the perfect place to build their nests. Often times, that “perfect place” turns out to be a chimney. If you hear the telltale sounds of scuffling animal paws, flapping wings or chirping in your chimney, you’re probably left wondering what to do when an animal is in your chimney. Here’s your step-by-step guide to dealing with this particular issue.
Don’t try to deal with the animals on your own.
Trying to extract an animal from your chimney could be a dangerous task and even at times lead to injuries. Resist the temptation to deal with an animal on your own. Never try to smoke an animal out of the chimney, this will likely kill or severely injure the animal, leaving you with an even bigger problem. Additionally, some species, such as chimney swifts, are protected – to remove them from your chimney during their nesting is illegal.
Close off openings between your chimney in your home.
A major problem of having an animal in your chimney is that it could make its way into your home, bringing unwanted diseases and causing extensive damages to your home. If you can hear an animal in your chimney, first, create as many barriers as possible between the flue and your home. Next, close your chimney damper to prevent the animal or bird from descending into your firebox, and finally, close your fireplace doors to create one final barrier to prevent the animal from invading your home.
Call in the professionals.
Once you have your chimney blocked off as well as possible, call in a professional to help deal with the animal nesting in your chimney. Some chimney sweeps will remove animals themselves, or you might need a company specifically skilled in animal removal.
Have your chimney cleaned and inspected.
Once the animal has been removed from the chimney, you will need the chimney swept and inspected to remove any debris and ensure that the animal hasn’t left behind any damages. The debris and damages left behind can leave your home at risk for a chimney fire. You’ll want to rely on a CSIA-certified chimney sweep to be sure that your chimney is safe to use again.
Install a chimney cap to prevent future animal intrusion.
To prevent animal intrusions from happening, have your chimney outfitted with a caged chimney cap. With a chimney cap firmly in place, animals and birds won’t be able to access the flue opening when they’re looking for a place to nest. Your chimney sweep should always check the condition of your chimney cap during your annual inspection to verify that it is secure and will continue to protect your chimney.
If you have animals or birds rustling in your chimney — or if you’d like to prevent an animal from nesting in your chimney this spring — call the Chimney Care Co. to schedule an appointment. We can clean and inspect your chimney after an animal intrusion or install a new chimney cap to keep animals out of your flue.