Animals in Your Chimney – their Hazards

Whether it is scratching, flapping, or climbing, hearing the sounds of animals inside your chimney can be annoying. The chimney is the ideal hiding place for the animals because they are safely protected from natural elements, especially during the spring season.

Unfortunately, the presence of the animals in the chimney is harmful to your family’s safety and health. Call in a professional chimney sweep in St Louis as soon as you hear the noise of the animals from your chimney.

Dangers of animals in Chimney

If the top of the flue is not protected, animals can easily enter your chimney to nest or seek shelter. Once the animals get in, they cannot get out of the chimney. Being in the dark of the narrow flue can be perplexing, causing them to scratch which eventually damages the flue liner.

Moreover, nesting material and animal droppings can cause fire hazardous and strong odors. This debris will block the flue, prevent smoke and gas from properly exiting the chimney and may ignite when dried from stray sparks.

This is the reason why you should hire professionals for cleaning and inspecting your fireplace and air duct cleaning in St Louis MO at least once a year.

How do animals get into the chimney?

A damaged or missing chimney cap is the primary way most animals get into the chimney structure. Animals seeking shelter from predators, rain, and cold temperatures are extremely adept at finding their way into the chimney. In fact, animals like raccoons will even bite damaged portions of the chimney cap till they create a large hole for their entire family.

A chimney cap is the vital part of the chimney, and it protects not only animal entry but also from other debris from getting into the flue.

Why should you hire professionals to remove animals from the chimney?

Some homeowners attempt to remove the animals from the chimney by themselves. But, it is not advisable because it can be dangerous for your home and the animals. Also, opening the damper to force animals into the firebox only serves as a way to expose your family to disease carried by animals or get them trapped inside your home.

When the animals are alive and trapped in the chimney, removing a small portion of the masonry may be required to get them out. To prevent structural damages to the chimney, this should be done by professional chimney cleaning companies in St Louis.

The author is a blogger and a certified chimney sweep in St Louis. Along with a team of professionals, he provides affordable chimney cleaning service. Visit https://madhattersl.com/ for more details.

With over 40 years of experience, The Mad Hatter has been offering air duct cleaning & chimney sweep services at affordable prices. We have serviced over 80,000 satisfied clients in the greater St. Louis area.