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Preventing animal intrusion to your chimney

Your chimney provides a welcoming environment for birds and animals looking for a warm, dry, sheltered space to take a nap or build a nest. Once inside, birds and animals can cause damage, create a fire hazard or even gain entry into your home. That is why it is important to prevent animal intrusion into your chimney.

The problem with animals in your chimneyPreventing animal intrusion to your chimney - Indianapolis IN - Your Chimney Sweep

Some animals, like squirrels and birds, have been known to build large nests to make their homes inside chimneys. Raccoons have no problem entering and exiting chimneys, and will use chimneys as a warm, sheltered place to sleep. Other animals get into chimneys and can’t get out. Both animal nests and the bodies of trapped animals can form dangerous blocks in your chimney. A blocked chimney can ignite, causing a fire hazard in your home. When a chimney is blocked, it also prevents your fireplace gases, including deadly carbon monoxide from exiting your home.

Birds and animals that gain entry to your chimney can cause other problems. They can introduce fleas to your home. They can damage liners and chimney dampers. They leave behind smelly droppings. A trapped animal that dies in your chimney can fill your home with a horrible, decaying smell, especially when temperatures rise during the summer.

Keeping animals out of your chimney

Chimney caps are your chimney’s best defense against animal intrusions. A quality chimney cap should be fixed to your chimney with a wire cage that prevents birds, animals and larger bats from gaining entry to your chimney. It is important that you or your chimney sweep inspects your chimney cap annual to make sure it remains securely in place.

A top-sealing chimney damper also can close your chimney off from animals and birds. The dampers open to let out smoke when you light a fire. In between fires, the dampers seal off the top of your chimney flue entirely to water, wind, animals and birds.

What to do if when an animal enters your chimneyPreventing animal intrusion to your chimney - Indianapolis Indiana - Your Chimney Sweep

If animal smells are making their way into your home from your chimney, or if you hear rustling within your chimney that seems to indicate animal intrusion, it is important that you call a chimney professional. Often, nesting birds will need to be left in place, but a chimney professional can help you coordinate the removal of other animals. It also is important to keep up with your annual chimney inspection, as the inspection will indicate whether an animal intrusion has occurred and is blocking your chimney.

If you are worried that an animal could access your chimney, call Your Chimney Sweep to schedule a consultation. We can examine your chimney cap and flue and provide a recommendation for securing your chimney from an animal intrusion. It’s better to keep animals out than to deal with the problems that can come from a trapped or nesting animal!

The importance of a chimney cap

One of your chimney’s most important components sits at the very top, where you likely don’t see it or think about it. The chimney cap may be out of sight and out of mind, but it plays an important role in protecting your chimney from water damage. As such, it’s important that you make sure your chimney cap is firmly in place and in good repair.

The Importance Of A Chimney Cap - Indianapolis IN - Your Chimney SweepYour chimney cap wears many hats

Your chimney cap sits at the very top of your chimney’s flue. In most cases, it is a metal cap attached to the top of your chimney with a wire cage. While a chimney cap’s primary role is to keep water from flowing down the walls of your flue and causing damage to the chimney liner, firebox, damper and other portions of your fireplace and chimney, it actually serves several other purposes as well.

While the top of your chimney cap diverts water and prevents strong downdrafts from entering your chimney, the metal caging that supports it is equally as important. The caging prevents animals and birds from entering your chimney, where they can build nests or become trapped and die. The caging also prevents leaves, twigs and other debris from entering and blocking the chimney. Blocked chimneys can cause all sorts of problems, including improper drafting, a backflow of carbon monoxide and even chimney fires.

The caging also helps to keep things in. Without it, sparks or still burning embers would be able to rise out of your chimney. Those embers can land on your roof or on nearby vegetation and ignite fires. 

Know your chimney cap

Because your chimney cap is so important, it is important not to forget about it high upon your rooftop. While most chimneys are fitted with chimney caps, those chimney caps can become dislodged over time, or they can rust or corrode. If your chimney cap is missing, in disrepair, or improperly fitted or installed it can pose a risk to your chimney and your home.

The only real way to know the status of your chimney cap is to visit your roof and inspect it. If you are unable to do so safely, your chimney sweep should inspect your chimney cap during your annual sweeping and inspection. Your sweep should inform you if your chimney cap is missing or in poor condition, and he or she should recommend and be willing to install a replacement if needed. If you are concerned, remember to ask your sweep about your chimney cap before he or she visits your rooftop.

If you need a sweep to inspect your chimney and your chimney cap, call Your Chimney Sweep today! We’ll make sure your chimney cap is in good repair and keeping your chimney safe.

By Joe Sauter on May 9th, 2016 | Tagged with: Tags: , , | Leave a Comment