Our Work
Clearing and protecting a chimney in Black Hammock
Why smoke and fire are never the answer
It is tempting to light a small fire and let the heat drive an animal up and out. That can injure or kill the animal, it breaks the protections that apply to swifts and bats, and it can ignite dry twigs and nest material packed into the flue.
Keep the fireplace cold until the chimney has been inspected and cleared. Our specialists confirm when the flue on your Black Hammock home is empty and open, and only then is the fireplace ready to use again. If the damper is stuck open, tell us, and we explain how to keep the room closed off until the visit.
What the code asks of a screened cap
For masonry chimneys, the Florida Building Code sets the rules for spark arrestor screens. Together, the screen's openings must give at least four times the free area of the flue outlet, and no single opening may let through a sphere over 1/2 inch or stop one under 3/8 inch.
The screen material also has to stand up to heat and corrosion at least as well as 19-gage galvanized steel or 24-gage stainless. Those rules keep embers and animals out without choking the draft, and they are the standard we size caps to on Black Hammock chimneys.
Activity around the chimney at dusk
Both chimney swifts and bats can be seen around a chimney toward evening. From the yard the two can be hard to tell apart, yet the rules that apply to each are different. A careful description of what you saw is often the first real clue.
If you see animals entering or leaving your chimney at dusk, note the time and how many you count, and describe it when you book. That record helps our team identify the species at the free inspection and choose the lawful timing for the work in Black Hammock.
Leave the roof and the flue to us
Looking down a chimney means climbing onto a roof, often a pitched one, and leaning over the top of the stack. Add a startled animal and that becomes a real fall risk. An animal cornered at the top of a flue may also bite or scratch, which is a health risk as well as a safety one.
Please stay on the ground and describe what you have heard instead. Our crew brings the ladders and tools for the job, checks the top of the chimney safely and tells you exactly what was found, from the entry point to the condition of the cap.
