During the spring, animals look for a dry place to nest and store food. A chimney is a prime candidate for animals of any size to reside in. Luckily, we can help you avoid animal infestations during the warmer months! Let us tell you about our humane animal removal services and clean-up sweeping.

Prevent Animal Intrusion

The only way to prevent animal intrusion is to cap your chimney. Unless you buy a specific type of chimney cap designed to allow birds inside, your cap should prevent animals from entering. This includes tiny birds and mammals. A large animal may have the power to forcefully enter. Routine sweeps and inspections identify and correct minor damage while preventing animal intrusion.

Chimney Swifts

Some homeowners decide to allow certain birds into their chimney because their habitats have been nearly wiped out completely. They do so by leaving the chimney uncapped, or installing a special cap that allows animals in but keeps rain out. Both of these options can be hazardous to your chimney system since animals bring flammable materials in, become stuck in the chimney system. An uncapped chimney is also a recipe for a chimney leak.

Chimney swifts can be a pain because they don’t just inhabit your chimney. They bring their friends! These tiny birds will stay in your chimney sometimes until November. Before migration season, they congregate by the hundreds or thousands. They are loud and federally protected, so not even a chimney professional can humanely remove them. That means you may be dealing with these rowdy birds all summer, and then cannot light a fire until they leave in November.

Humane Animal Removal

If an animal can reach the top of your roof, it can gain access to your chimney. Keep it capped to prevent critters from climbing inside! If you do happen to notice signs there is an animal in the chimney such as chirping, scratching, etc., call the professionals to handle it. At Pristine Sweeps we truly offer comprehensive chimney care,including humane animal removal. Whether the animal is alive and well or has gotten stuck and died, we can remove it. If an animal is alive, we’d rather remove it humanely than have you attempt to smoke it out. When you light a fire to encourage an animal to leave, it may only cause them to suffocate inside your chimney through obstructing airflow. It could also cause them to climb up and cause further damage.

Schedule a Chimney Sweep

After an animal leaves the chimney, you need to schedule a chimney sweep to remove feathers, droppings, fur, or nesting materials. These things are flammable, may obstruct the chimney, and aren’t going to remove themselves. While you’re at it, ask a chimney expert about adding a chimney cap to prevent new animals from making your chimney home. Talk to a Pristine Sweep professional today by calling 206-574-8414!