Do It Yourself and Other Educational Chimney and Fire Safety Articles

If you hear an animal noise coming from your chimney, it is most likely a raccoon (possibly a mother with her babies), a squirrel, or the Chimney Swift bird. NEVER USE SMOKE OR START A FIRE to drive animals out of your chimney!  You may kill the animal, especially if it is already hurt or if it is too young to climb or fly out.  Then you’ll have a dead animal and whatever nest debris to clean out, which is a big mess not to mention cruel. 

The best way to prevent animals from entering your chimney in the first place, is to install a chimney cap. A chimney cap will also benefit your fireplace by improving the chimney’s draft so you burn hotter fires.  If you hear animal noises currently coming from your chimney, you will need to get them out safely and any nests or debris left behind before installing a chimney cap.  After you are certain all animals have vacated, purchase an approved chimney cap, and follow installation directions carefully to prevent future visits of the animal kind.

When a mother raccoon sees an uncapped chimney, she sees a hollowed out tree with a perfect entrance for her to climb into and explore.  From the inside, the chimney looks like a safe nursery for her to give birth and raise young. She will often set up her nesting area on the smoke shelf because it’s perfect for nestling, but this makes for a difficult removal.  To see what it is, you can shine a flashlight down the chimney, or up the flue through the damper and most people are able to spot their shining eyes.  At this point, you have two options.  Wait for the family to move out on their own, which they will do after the babies are big enough, or you can attempt to trap the mother and relocate her and her babies.  Some people have found that placing a trap on your roof with marshmallows in it is a good way to get the mother, who will come out at night in search of food.  Once she is captured, the babies can be removed.  If you want immediate and direct intervention to evict raccoons, then we strongly recommend hiring a professional animal control specialist. Evicting a raccoon can be difficult. There are potential safety risks to the homeowner and humane concerns for the raccoons if the eviction is not done properly. 

If you have a squirrel trapped in your chimney, the best option for safely removing it is to get on your roof and dangle a thick rope down the chimney that the squirrel will use to climb up.  Make sure you secure the top of the rope so it does not drop into the chimney from the weight of your squirrel.  Leave the rope attached overnight to give the squirrel a little space because it will not climb toward you if it doesn’t feel safe.  It is also possible that the squirrel fell into the chimney and may be hurt in which case it won’t be able to climb out on its own.  If this is the case, you will have to hire a professional animal control specialist or certified chimney sweep to come and remove the squirrel for you.  Once the animal is gone, it is worth inspecting for any debris left behind that could create a fire hazard within your chimney.

If you hear a bird flapping in your chimney, the bird is likely stuck and cannot escape out the top.  The best course of action is to close the fireplace doors or block the fireplace opening with a cardboard box if you do not have doors so you can capture the bird safely.  Open the damper and wait for the bird to fall into the fireplace or box opening.  At this point you can cover the bird with a cloth to calm it and then transfer it outside for a safe release.  There is one specific bird species called a Chimney Swift that is known for making its nest in chimneys.  That is how it got its name.  They nest in the fall and the hatchlings are pink and featherless at birth so they cannot fly.  They use sharp claws to cling to the textured surface of your chimney liner for the first month and will take their first flight at about 30 days after hatching. The young will return frequently to the roost during the first few days, and then as the weather starts to cool, they will migrate south.  Chimney Swifts are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and anyone who knowingly removes their nests that contain eggs or young birds can be fined.   Also, if you kill the adults you can be penalized so it is best to call your certified chimney sweep to come inspect if you believe you have Chimney Swifts in your chimney.  After the birds are removed, the chimneys should always be capped so that birds can no longer enter via the rooftop and become trapped.  This is especially the case for Chimney Swifts that are known to return to the same nesting location each year.

As soon as the animals are gone, call a professional chimney sweep to clean your chimney of all nesting debris, and install a chimney cap before using your chimney again.