Animal removal from chimneys in Hunter's Creek

Listening for what is in the chimney

The sound tells us a lot before anyone climbs a ladder. Write down what you hear and when, and share it when you call. Timing, sound and anything that has fallen into the firebox usually narrow the list down.

• Scratching or thumping, often at night, can point to a climbing animal
• Chirping that rises when adults return can mean nestlings
• Fluttering near the damper suggests a bird or bat in the smoke chamber
• Light scurrying in daylight can point to squirrels

Openings near the chimney into the attic

Animals that appear to be in the chimney are sometimes in the attic beside it, having entered through a gap in the soffit, fascia or roof near the chimney. We check the chimney top, flue and chase first. If the evidence points into the attic instead, we tell you so and suggest the right professional, since attic exclusion is outside chimney work. If both spaces are involved, we explain which openings belong to the chimney and which do not.

Birds perching or nesting on top of a cap

Birds sometimes perch on a cap or build on its hood without entering the flue. That is usually a lesser concern, though nest material on the hood can blow into the screen and clog it. We look at the hood and screen during the inspection. If nest material is restricting the screen, clearing it is part of the cleanup, while the timing rules for protected birds still apply. A cap hood with a nest on top can also trap heat and debris, so we note it even when the flue is clear.

The screen also stops embers

The screen on a cap does two jobs. It keeps animals out, and on a wood-burning chimney it catches larger embers before they leave the flue. A torn screen fails at both. That is one more reason to replace a damaged screen promptly and to size it to the code range, which balances protection against keeping the flue open enough to draw. We check both jobs of the screen whenever we inspect the cap. On a wood-burning fireplace, a torn screen can also let larger embers land on the roof around the chimney.