Chimney animal removal for households in Edgewood

Raccoons using a chimney as a den

A raccoon can climb into an uncapped chimney and use the smoke shelf or damper area as a den. Heavy thumps, growling or chittering, especially at night, are common signs. A raccoon inside may be a female with young.

Florida's nuisance wildlife rule allows a property owner, or someone the owner authorizes, to remove a raccoon by allowed methods. We explain what that means for your chimney and who does which step. The young are part of the plan, not an afterthought.

Cleaning out the flue after the animal leaves

When the animal has gone, what it left behind still needs removing. Nest material, droppings, food scraps and fur can sit on the smoke shelf, on the damper or in the flue. They block the draft, hold odor and burn easily.

We protect the room, bag the material in the firebox and brush the flue and shelf clear. The debris is hauled away with us. Afterward the passage is looked at for damage, and anything found is listed separately from the clean-out.

What the time of day says about the animal

Different animals keep different hours. Birds tend to be active by day, raccoons often move at night and bats leave the chimney around dusk. Sounds that follow one of these patterns narrow down the possibilities.

Keep a rough note of when you hear activity over a few days. It is one of the most useful things you can give us. It also helps us plan when to look at the top to see the animal for ourselves. Even a few notes on a phone are enough.

Questions to ask before animal removal starts

A clear plan answers a few questions before work begins. Ask these if the answers are not already plain.

If an answer is vague, ask again. We would rather take a few extra minutes at the start than leave you unsure about what happens to the animal or the chimney.

• What kind of animal is in the chimney
• What the rules allow at this time
• Which steps our team handles and which others do
• How the flue will be confirmed empty before capping