Chimney animal removal for homes in Brandon

Capping a chimney used by swifts

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encourages homeowners not to cap or screen chimneys that swifts use, because the birds depend on them for nesting. The same guidance says a chimney with a metal liner should be capped, since animals can be trapped inside a smooth metal flue.

Some homeowners choose to leave a masonry chimney open for the birds, and others decide to cap it after the season. We explain both paths honestly and do the work you choose at the right time of year.

Whichever you choose, the chimney is swept before it is capped, so old nest material does not stay in the flue under a new cap.

A trapped bird is not always a nesting bird

Some birds fall into an open chimney and cannot fly back up the narrow flue. A trapped bird flutters, calls and moves around, while a nesting bird tends to stay put and may come and go through the top.

The difference matters because a trapped bird can often be let out through the fireplace with care, while an active nest of a protected species must be left alone. We identify which case you have before anything else happens.

A trapped bird that reaches the room can usually find its own way out through an open outside door once interior doors are closed. After that, the chimney top needs checking for the opening it used.

Animal-proofing a factory-built chimney

A factory-built fireplace uses a metal chimney pipe with a cap made for that system. Florida's residential code requires these chimneys to be installed and terminated according to the manufacturer's instructions, so a generic screen or mesh cannot simply be wrapped around the top.

If animals are getting into a factory-built chimney or its chase, we identify the listed cap or chase repair that closes the entry without changing how the chimney system is meant to work.

The model information on the fireplace label helps identify the correct part. We record it where it can be reached so the replacement matches the system.

Protecting the room during chimney cleanup

Cleaning out nest material, droppings and debris can send dust and grit into the room if the work is not contained. Before any cleanup, we cover the hearth and the floor around the fireplace and keep the opening closed off while material comes down the flue.

Debris is bagged as it is removed and taken away with us. When we leave, the fireplace, the hearth and the floor around them should be clean, and you hear what we found and what, if anything, still needs repair.