Bats
Bats in a chimney are handled with exclusion devices that let them leave but not return and the top is sealed after they are gone.
Chimney Sweeping
Chimney Animal Removal DuBois, PA
A local sweep can clear animals out of a DuBois chimney and install a cap so they cannot get back in. One call to (814) 913-0171 reaches a chimney sweep near you.
An open chimney looks like a hollow tree to a lot of animals. Raccoons often use the smoke shelf as a nursery, birds nest inside the flue and squirrels fall in and get trapped. Each one brings nesting material that blocks the flue, droppings that smell and the risk of the animal getting into the house.
Do not try to smoke an animal out by lighting a fire. Young animals that cannot climb will be hurt, the nest can catch fire, and a blocked flue can push smoke and carbon monoxide into the house. Keep the damper and any fireplace doors closed so the animal stays in the chimney, and keep pets away from the fireplace.
Not every animal can be removed the same way or at any time. Chimney swifts are protected, which means waiting until they migrate before the nest comes out. Rules on trapping and relocating wildlife vary by state, so the method follows what is allowed in Pennsylvania. Once the chimney is clear, a cap with a mesh screen keeps them from coming back.
If the problem goes deeper than it first looked, a DuBois chimney sweep may also recommend chimney cap installation or chimney cleaning.
Looking for DuBois chimney animal removal? Call (814) 913-0171 and describe the problem to a chimney sweep who works in DuBois.
Call nowThe process
The chimney animal removal process
Here is how a sweep typically handles an animal in the chimney.
Identify the animal
Sounds, droppings, timing and a look up the flue tell the technician what is living in the chimney since each one is handled differently.
Set the approach
Protected birds like chimney swifts are left until nesting season ends, while many other animals can be removed right away and you hear what to expect.
Get it out
Animals are removed by hand, with a catch pole, through a one-way exit or by letting a mother move her young while keeping it out of the house.
Remove debris
All debris left behind is cleared out and the flue is swept if needed.
Deodorize
Where animals have nested, the area is cleaned to remove odor and parasites which helps with lingering smells.
Seal the top
A chimney cap with a mesh screen goes on the flue so animals cannot return and any damage at the top is noted.
What is included
What chimney animal removal covers
Odor cleanup
When an animal dies in the flue, it is taken out and the smoke shelf cleaned before the fireplace is used again.
Raccoons
Raccoon dens above the damper are cleared out without harming the kits.
Small animals
Trapped squirrels and other small animals are removed and the entry point is closed.
Bird nests
Birds and their nesting material are removed as covered in more detail below.
Related service
Bird Nest Removal DuBois, PA
Birds nest in chimneys because the inside of a flue is dry, sheltered and hard for predators to reach. The sticks and grass in a nest can block the flue and ignite when a fire is lit. If the flue vents a furnace or water heater, a nest can force carbon monoxide into the house.
Because chimney swifts are protected, their nests cannot be disturbed during nesting season. A DuBois sweep can tell you when removal is allowed, then clear the nest and cap the chimney. Other birds follow different rules, and the sweep can tell you which apply.
Related service
Raccoon Removal DuBois, PA
In spring, a female raccoon looking for a safe den often climbs into an uncapped chimney to have her young on the smoke shelf. The signs are chattering and whimpering from the young and the mother leaving at dusk and returning before dawn. Raccoons can carry rabies and their droppings can carry roundworm, so never reach into the flue or try to handle one.
Removal often means taking out the kits so the mother can carry them off, or using a one-way exit once the den is empty. Since rules on raccoons vary from state to state, the sweep follows the approach allowed in Pennsylvania. With the den cleared, the smoke shelf is sanitized and a heavy-duty cap goes on, because raccoons can pull off weak ones.
Local help
Chimney Animal Removal Near Me
In DuBois, wildlife moves into chimneys mostly in spring and summer, when the fireplace is cold. From DuBois out to places like Sandy, Treasure Lake, Punxsutawney and Brookville, older chimneys without caps are the easiest targets for birds and raccoons. Capping the flue is the main defense, along with keeping tree limbs off the roof.
Need chimney animal removal around DuBois? Call (814) 913-0171 for a DuBois chimney sweep who serves the towns around it too.
Chimneys in this climate
Winters here are long and cold, and the heating season usually runs from October well into April. The hardest thing on brick here is not the cold itself but the constant swing above and below freezing: rain and melting snow soak into the crown and joints, then freeze and push them apart, and each winter widens the cracks a little more. Nor'easters drive rain sideways into flashing and mortar that looked fine in summer. That is why chimney cleaning in DuBois is usually booked in the fall, before the first cold night.
Why call
Why not wait
Safer fires
Small chimney problems caught early usually stay small repairs.
Local knowledge
Chimney sweeps in DuBois know the chimneys and fireplaces common in local homes.
Know what happens next
Ask the sweep about the cause, the options and the estimate before work starts.
Common questions about chimney animal removal
What should I do about chimney swifts?
Because chimney swifts are protected, removal has to wait until the birds leave for the season. A sweep will advise on timing, then remove the nest and install a cap afterwards. While you wait, keep the damper shut and the fireplace out of use.
Why are animals in the chimney a problem?
Animals in a chimney cause problems beyond the noise. Blocked flues, fire risk from nests, disease from droppings and animals getting into the house are the main concerns. A blocked flue on a furnace or water heater can also send carbon monoxide into the house, so keep CO alarms working.
What should I do about a dead animal smell in the fireplace?
A sour, rotten odor from the fireplace points to a dead animal in the chimney. Removing the animal and cleaning the smoke shelf is the only real fix. Keep the damper shut in the meantime.
Will smoke drive an animal out of the chimney?
Lighting a fire is the wrong move with an animal in the chimney. It can kill young animals, start a nest fire and push smoke and carbon monoxide indoors. Close the damper, keep pets away and have the animal removed safely.
What stops birds and raccoons from getting into a chimney?
Capping the flue with a mesh-sided cap stops most animals. It should be fastened well enough that a raccoon cannot pull it off, with mesh small enough to stop birds without clogging with creosote. Keeping branches off the roof removes an easy path to the top.
More questions? Call (814) 913-0171
Related services
Chimney Cap Installation
Putting a sturdy cap on top of the chimney so water, birds and debris stay out of the flue.
Learn moreChimney Cleaning
Brushing and vacuuming the buildup from wood-burning fireplaces, stoves and inserts, with the damper, smoke shelf and cap checked along the way.
Learn moreChimney Odor Removal
Getting rid of the campfire, musty or rotten smell coming from a chimney whether the smell shows up in summer heat or after rain.
Learn moreChimney Damper Repair
Fixing stuck, rusted or warped chimney dampers including handles, chains and seals.
Learn more
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(814) 913-0171
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