Something living in your chimney? Chimney animal removal in South Tampa

Keeping the animal out of the living space

The fireplace damper and the glass doors or screen are the barrier between the chimney and the room. While an animal is in the chimney, keep both closed and resist opening the damper to look.

If the fireplace has no doors, block the opening with something the animal cannot push aside, and keep children and pets out of the room. Those steps buy time while the animal is identified and the right help is arranged.

• Keep the damper and fireplace doors closed
• Keep children and pets out of the room
• Do not light a fire or use smoke
• Note when you hear the sounds and what they are like

Who handles the animal and who handles the chimney

Florida's rule allows property owners to deal with nuisance wildlife on their property or to authorize someone else to do it. Protected birds and bats have their own rules on top of that.

We are clear about the division of work. Where an animal must be trapped, excluded or rehabilitated, we coordinate with the right wildlife help. The chimney side, meaning the inspection, cleaning, damper and flue checks and the cap, is ours.

That division keeps each part of the job with the people suited to it, and you get one plain explanation of the whole plan before anything starts. The inspection that begins it is free.

Cleaning up droppings and nest debris with care

The CDC explains that the fungus behind histoplasmosis spreads in bird and bat droppings, and people are infected by breathing in its spores. Sweeping up dry droppings in a firebox can put that dust in the air.

Leave the cleanup to us. Our team removes nest material, droppings and debris from the firebox, the smoke chamber and the flue with care, bags it and leaves the fireplace clean. The work is priced before we begin.

If droppings have already been disturbed, air out the room and keep people away while you arrange the cleanup. Anyone with health concerns after exposure should speak to a doctor.

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.