Obstruction Removal

Most obstructions that enter the chimney from your roof can be prevented by installing a chimney cap on the top of your chimney. If you live in an area with a high population of squirrels, raccoons, birds, leaves or bees, we highly recommend installing a chimney cap preemptively to save you the headache down the road of an unwanted intruder.

Removing a family of raccoons will require a trap placed on the roof. The roof needs to have a flat surface. A sweep can bait the trap with white bread. Before a chimney sweep sets a raccoon trap, they will understand what to do based on the state laws where you are located. It is illegal to trap and relocate raccoons in some states so it is best to be informed first. For example, in California it is OK to trap but you cannot relocate without written permission by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Once the raccoon who is likely a mom with babies has been removed, a chimney sweep can perform their cleaning so you can start a fire.

For a squirrel, a sweep can attempt hanging a rope from the rooftop into the chimney. Squirrels are excellent climbers and even if it is slightly injured, it will most likely be able to climb the rope and escape. They will tie the rope around the exterior of your chimney top and let it dangle down as far as the squirrel is. If it does not climb out right away, they can leave the rope overnight and it will likely climb out after they disappear for a little while. They can come back the next day to finish their work. If this technique does not work, a professional animal control specialist can place a squirrel trap within the chimney in hopes of catching it live and relocating it. Once the squirrel is removed, the sweep can clean the nest along with any other debris during their sweep.

If you hear a bird flapping in your chimney, it is also safe to assume that the bird is stuck. The easiest way to get the bird out is to shut the doors to your fireplace, but open the damper in order to allow the bird to drop down into your fireplace. If you do not have doors on your fireplace, you can create temporary doors by placing a large box inside your fireplace opening. Silence external noises in the room and wait for the bird to enter the box. Once it is in there, you can slide a cardboard sheet over the opening so the bird is trapped inside the box and can be taken outside and freed. You can also wait until you see the bird enter the fireplace and gently toss a cloth over the bird. Once the bird is covered by the piece of cloth, he will calm down and you will be able to carefully transport the bird in the cloth outside and release it.

If the bird does escape your trap and fly into the interior rooms of you house, it can be gently guided out provided that the ceilings of the building are not too high. This is best done in the evening so you can use light as a guide for the bird. Turn off all interior lights and open as many doors and windows (preferably big doors) as possible. Turn on as many exterior lights as possible so the bird can find the exit. Give it some space to move and to keep it from panicking and exhausting itself.

There is one specific species called a Chimney Swift that loves to occupy the chimney and nest.  They nest in the fall and will often return to the same location year after year.  If you suspect there is a nest in your chimney, do not start a fire.  It will kill any young flightless birds and the debris from the nest is also a fire hazard.  Swifts are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and anyone who knowingly destroys birds or nests that might contain eggs or young can be fined or penalized.   If you suspect you have swifts, call your local chimney sweep professional to come remove the nest.  After the birds are removed, the chimneys should always be capped so that birds can no longer enter via the rooftop and become trapped.