Chimney animal removal in Park Lake/Highland

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.

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

When young animals are in the chimney

Young birds, bats or raccoons change the plan. Removing adults and leaving young behind, or sealing a chimney with young inside, leads to animals dying in the flue and an odor problem that follows. When young are present, the work waits for them to leave with the adults or is handled by a specialist. We confirm the chimney is empty before cleanup and capping. Young animals are also the reason the calendar matters so much in this work.

Maintenance visits after the cap is on

A cap does its job only while the screen stays clear and fastened. We offer maintenance visits, which line up with the annual inspection NFPA 211 asks for. On a maintenance visit our crew checks that the cap is still tight to the flue, that the screen is undamaged and clear of leaves and nest starts, and that nothing has moved into a second flue or the chase. The Florida residential code expects a spark arrestor screen to be removable for cleaning, so a clogged screen can be cleared rather than replaced.