Our Process

How chimney animal removal works in Elder Springs

Chimney swifts and the law

Small birds called chimney swifts nest and roost inside chimneys, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects them. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is plain about what that means: it is against the law to harass, injure or kill a swift, and the same protection extends to its eggs and nest.

A swift nest is a small half-saucer of twigs glued with the bird's own saliva to the inside wall of the chimney. While it is active, it cannot be treated as debris. If swifts are nesting in a chimney in Elder Springs, we confirm it and plan the chimney work around them.

Why some animals cannot climb back out

Rough brick gives claws some grip, while a smooth metal liner gives almost none. The Fish and Wildlife Service makes the point for swifts, noting that metal is far too slippery for them to cling to, and the same surface can leave other small animals stuck at the bottom of the flue.

An animal trapped on the smoke shelf or above the damper needs to be removed, lawfully and safely, before anything else happens. On a metal-lined chimney in Elder Springs, a screened cap afterward is the step that keeps the problem from repeating.

Chimneys with more than one flue

A masonry chimney can carry two or more flues, and each one is a possible way in. Protection can be a separate cap on each flue or one larger cap that covers them all, as long as every flue keeps the open area the code requires.

We measure each flue on your Elder Springs chimney and explain which approach suits its layout. Leaving one flue open after capping the others only moves the problem, so the estimate lists every flue we found. Flues that serve other appliances keep their own terminations, and we note any flue that is unused so you know its status.

After a storm loosens the cap

Each year from June 1 to November 30, the Atlantic hurricane season brings wind that can loosen or tip a chimney cap. A cap that sits crooked or has blown off leaves the flue open to birds and animals within days, and one held by corroded fasteners is the likeliest to move.

After a storm, look at the chimney top from the yard. If the cap has moved, call (645) 465-4122. Our 24/7 emergency line takes calls about storm-damaged chimneys, and our team refits or replaces the cap on your Elder Springs home before anything moves in.