Animals In Your Chimney?

Your home is inviting to all sorts of creatures: birds, bats, raccoons,and other animals during the spring. While many of us are eager to go outdoors after a long cold winter, critters are looking to go inside. Wild animals frequently mistake uncapped chimneys for hollow trees, and the inside of a chimney is not conducive to any easy escape. So if you hear something, don’t ignore it! Animals will leave behind their droppings, a very real issue that can pose a health hazard when the chimney pulls air down, not to mention the smell, and when the flue is blocked, it can cause carbon monoxide poisoning or for wood-burning fireplaces, smoke.

Here are ways to prevent animal intrusion:

*Use rain caps with animal guard, they have the appropriate mesh openings that allow combustion gases to escape while limiting animal entry.

*Use a top mount damper

*Close your damper (done from inside the home). Note: With fireplaces fitted with gas logs, the damper is required to be left open