You may think your fireplace is a great source of warmth, but many small animals do too. Chimneys are many animals favorite place to find shelter from rain, wind and snow. But no one wants to hear pigeons flapping around in their chimney or worry they might make their way into your home. Even worse, animals in your chimney can damage it and cost you money in extra cleanings and repairs.
What’s the danger of animals in your fireplace?
First, an animal in your chimney is in danger itself. If you use your fireplace or the appliance connected to it, then your chimney will regularly face extremely high temperatures and fill with smoke and gases. This is not a sustainable atmosphere for an animal to survive in, and they most likely won’t be able to.
An animal is also a danger to your chimney. The animal itself can block the airflow of your chimney and its movement can damage the chimney walls. And once it moves on from your chimney, it leaves a lot behind. Any substances it leaves behind, like a nest, feces and feathers, all can also block the airflow of your chimney. These substances can be flammable and put your chimney in danger of a chimney fire.
Why Call a Professional
Without the help of an experienced professional, attempting to remove an animal from your chimney can simply scare it and cause even more damage to your fireplace and chimney system. Your chimney is a complex system that is hard to reach, and many animals are stubborn and won’t leave easily. If you attempt to reach them yourself or use something to, you may harm your chimney even more than it already is. To prevent inadvertent damage and to remove the animal humanely, we recommend using a professional chimney service like ours.
Chimney Swifts- The Exception
While we can remove most small animals from your chimney, chimney swifts are the exception. These birds love to build their nests in chimneys and abandoned buildings, and while this may not be ideal to you, they are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act- which means it is against the law to have them removed from your chimney. Luckily, chimney swifts only stay around their breeding system, which is from May to July- when you most likely won’t need to use your chimney. They stay while their young hatch and are usually gone by early November, when they migrate to Peru for the winter.
Call Us Today!
If you’re hearing some weird noises coming from your chimney and suspect an animal has made is way in, give us a call and we can remove it without further disturbing or damaging your fireplace. We’ll also help you takes measures to stop more from entering again, so you don’t have to worry about animals making a home of your chimney system.