Chimney Caps – Animals in Chimneys

Coopertown is known for our beautiful custom-fabricated chimney caps. View our photo gallery here.

A chimney cap, which is installed at the very top of your flue, plays an important role in protecting your chimney against the intrusion of water. But that’s just part of the chimney cap’s job. It’s also instrumental in keeping animals from either purposefully or accidentally ending up inside of your flue.

Some animals (including birds and squirrels) may choose to climb into your flue to nest, posing a variety of problems for your home. First, they bring constant and annoying noises that you certainly don’t want to hear all day and all night. They can also bring in unpleasant smells, unsanitary bugs and dangerous debris.

When these animals access your chimney flue in order to nest, their nesting materials often block the flue, limiting its ability to vent gases, and posing a serious fire risk. These materials are typically highly combustible, and can easily cause a rapidly spreading chimney fire. But nesting animals aren’t your only problem — it’s not uncommon for baby birds and squirrels to fall into an open flue, get stuck, and eventually die. That’s an unpleasant and unsanitary situation for any homeowner.

Custom copper chimney cap on a very large and tall masonry chimney - there are differ designs all the way up the chimney

Chimney Swifts

Certain birds pose a particularly tricky problem in chimneys. Chimney swifts earned their name because they love to nest in chimneys. These birds are known for returning to the same chimney year after year once they’ve found a place they like. To make matters even more complicated, chimney swifts are federally protected birds, which means that if they choose to nest in your chimney, you’ll (by law) have to wait for them to leave on their own. The only way to really deal with chimney swifts is to prevent them from getting into the chimney in the first place. A properly sized and installed chimney cap can keep all of these unwanted creatures out of your chimney and home.

Chimney swift nest with eggs inside the chimney

If Animals Do Get Into Your Chimney, Coopertown Services Can Remove Them Humanely

Although we’re big advocates of keeping animals out of your chimney system, we believe that treating animals humanely is very important. With over 30 years of humane animal removal and animal-proofing experience in Shelby County, we’ve developed a reputation for doing right by animals and by our customers.

If having a damaged or missing chimney cap has left you with animals in your chimney (nesting or otherwise), Coopertown Services can remove them humanely, and animal-proof your chimney and home to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Call us today or or click here to schedule an appointment!

 

Take care of leaky chimney problems right away, before they have a chance to cause more extensive and more expensive damage. Coopertown provides this professional chimney work with quality service and reliability. Don’t forget about your chimney crown either! Coopertown guarantees high-quality and lasting crown installation.