Spring and summer are the nesting season for many animals. While you may enjoy seeing birds nests in your trees or a rabbit den in the backyard, there is one place you do not want animals to nest – in your chimney.
Many birds and small mammals view a chimney as the perfect place to nest and protect their young. While the chimney is a cool, dark, protected, and enclosed space, it can be dangerous and difficult to navigate for many animals. Likewise, animal entry can cause significant damage to your chimney system. Because of this, it is important to have animals removed as soon as possible.
How Animals Get In
The most common ways for animals to enter a chimney is through a damaged chimney cap. Birds and small mammals can fit through holes and gaps just a few inches wide; raccoons have been known to use their claws and teeth to tear at the chimney cap in order to create a large enough hole for them to fit through.
The Dangers Of Animals In The Chimney
The presence of animals in the chimney can cause damage to your fireplace system and affect future burning performance. One of the primary ways animals cause damage is to the chimney liner. In addition to scratching it with their claws, teeth, and beaks, nesting materials can also have a corrosive and weakening effect on the liner.
Nesting materials, discarded food, and animal droppings can also create chimney blockages. When dry, these materials can be extremely flammable, increasing the risk of chimney fire if they ignite. The presence of animals can also cause strong odors as well as expose your family to bugs, parasites, or bacteria.
Getting Animals Out
If you have animals in your chimney, it is important have them professionally removed as soon as possible. Working with a chimney company to have the animals removed ensures that not only will the animals and their nesting materials be safely removed, but that minimal additional damage will be done to your chimney.
Not all animals can be immediately removed; chimney swifts and other species of migratory birds are protected by federal law. Removing protected migratory bird nests can come with a hefty fine. Luckily, the nesting cycle for chimney swifts is relatively short; most hatchlings have left the nest in around 6 weeks, allowing homeowners to remove the nests and repair their point of entry after.
Preventing Animal Entry
Once the animals have been removed, it is important to take the steps to keep them from re-entering your chimney. One of the best ways to do this is by finding and securing their point of entry. Installing a new chimney cap, a stainless steel screen, or a rain cover can all help protect against animal reentry.
While it may be fun to spot baby animals out and about in nature, the last place we want to see them is in our chimneys. To protect your chimney against animal entry – or to have animals safely removed – contact Jack Pixley Sweeps today!