Animal removal from chimneys in Mariners Village

The damper is your barrier

A closed damper separates an animal in the flue from your living space. Leave it shut, and keep glass doors closed if the fireplace has them. Opening the damper to look up the flue invites a frightened bird or bat into the room, and an animal that falls onto the grate is harder to handle inside the house. Our assessment starts at the chimney top and in the firebox, with the damper left where it is. If the damper does not close fully, stuff an old towel into the gap below it and tell us when you call.

An old nest found at the start of the season

Nests built in spring are often found in fall, when someone looks up the flue before the first fire. By then the nest is usually empty, though that still needs confirming, and for swifts the birds must have left. We remove the material, sweep the flue and check the damper and cap, so the first fire of the season starts in a clear chimney. If the nest turns out to be active, the plan changes to match the animal and the rules for it.

What the chimney inspection covers

Our free inspection for an animal problem looks at the chimney from the roof and from inside. The written findings say what we saw, what the rules allow and what we recommend, item by item. The inspection also notes anything we could not see, so you know what the findings cover.

• The cap, screen and crown or chase cover at the top
• Signs of nesting, droppings, fur or feathers
• The damper, smoke shelf and firebox from below
• Every flue in the chimney, including appliance flues

Getting to the chimney top safely

Cap work and inspection from above mean working at the top of the chimney, sometimes on a two-story roof. Our crew brings the ladders and safety equipment the roof calls for. Please do not climb up to look into the flue yourself. An animal at the top can startle you on a ladder, and what you can describe from the ground is all we need to plan the visit. Steep roofs and tile roofs take extra setup, and any added time is written into the estimate.