Chimney animal removal, clean-out and caps in Lake Estates

Keep the damper shut while you wait

A closed damper keeps an animal in the flue from entering the room. USFWS guidance on chimney swifts, for example, advises keeping dampers closed while the birds are using a chimney. The same step helps with most animals.

Do not open the damper to look up or to let an animal out. If the damper is already open and cannot be closed, keep the room closed off and stay out of it. Mention it when you call, because an open damper changes how quickly the situation needs attention.

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

Chimney parts that matter in animal removal

A few chimney terms come up when an animal is removed. Knowing them makes the plan and the written record easier to follow.

During the visit, we can point out each part. Once you have seen the smoke shelf, it is easy to understand why so many animals end up there.

• The flue is the passage smoke uses to leave the house
• The damper closes the flue off from the room
• The smoke shelf is the ledge behind the damper
• The cap screen is the mesh over the flue top

Our work and a wildlife professional's work

Chimney animal problems sit between two trades. The chimney side includes clean-out, damper and lining checks, entry repairs and the screened cap. The animal side can include trapping, exclusion and relocation under state rules.

Depending on the animal, we may handle more or less of that second part. We tell you plainly which steps are ours for your situation. Where a wildlife professional is needed, we explain how our work fits before and after theirs. The estimate shows the split.