Santa's Friend Chimney Service Blog

Animals in Your Chimney

Spring is such a great time of year! You can get out of the house and move around without having to worry about warm clothes. Also, the possibility of cold weather stopping your activities is nothing to worry about. However, you’re not the only one that is more active in the springtime. In addition, so are the animals that like to take it easy in the cooler winter months. Spring is the time that many animals start to have their young. That means they are building nests, whether we’re talking about four legged critters or birds. Many creatures are looking to find a warm area that’s protected from the wind and rain to build a nest and raise their young. Guess what? Your chimney really fits the bill! Not only is it warm and protected, it’s also safe from other predators.

Let Them Be or Get Them Out?

If a bird or other animal is making a nest in your chimney, you’ll know it. When you have an animal visitor taking up residence, they’ll make noise. Whether it’s the parents getting ready for their babies to come, or after the babies arrive and make lots of baby animal noises. Usually these noises will only last a couple of weeks. So, if it doesn’t bother you, you can just let nature take its course! What happens once the babies are old enough to be out and on their own? It’s important to call in the pros to remove the nest. This is because the nest will dry out and be a fire hazard come autumn and winter when you start using your fireplace again.

If the noises are bothering you, one thing to keep in mind is that some animals are protected by law during nesting season! So, you’ll just need to wait until they are gone before calling in someone to remove the nests.

Smells

Another reason that you want to have animals removed from your chimney is because of the odor they can cause. The strongest and most offensive odor is, of course, if an animal gets stuck and dies before it can be removed. However, there other causes of odor. This includes the waste and urine that an animal leaves behind when it gets in your chimney. You’ll want to call in a company that can do more than just remove the animal. You need them to clean your chimney to remove the odor causing materials as well.

Accidental Visitors

Sometimes animals find your chimney to get out of the elements and raise their young. Additionally, sometimes animals fall into your chimney and can’t get back out. If that’s the case, you’ll want to make sure that you hire a company to remove those animals in a safe and humane manner. You may be tempted to try to smoke the animal out, but that’s never a good idea. If the animal is really stuck, you may succeed in killing the animal instead of scaring it out!

Call the Right Company

If you suspect you have an animal, living or dead, in your chimney, call Santa’s Friend Chimney Service. Let them check out the situation and give advice on the best way to remove the animal. You can trust them to get the job done in a safe and humane way!

Are Your Dryer Vents Really Clean?

Spring is the time of year that your thoughts turn to doing some deep down cleaning. Cleaning your closets and throwing out those clothes you don’t wear anymore, going through your drawers, even washing the windows. It feels so great to walk in and see the sparkling windows, smell the fresh spring air, and know that everything is right with the world. However, one thing that you don’t often think about cleaning is your dryer vents. Unlike your drawers or closets, if you neglect cleaning your dryer vents, you could be putting your home at risk!

How to Clean Your Vents

When you think of your dryer vents, you probably think of cleaning the lint tray after every load dried or every couple loads dried. This is a great thing to do. Plus, it does help prevent an excess buildup of lint. The thing is, even with regular cleaning of the lint tray, dust and other small particles get through and can lodge in the dryer duct work. Although most of these particles get out into the great outdoors, some get stuck in the duct work. Consequently, as that builds up, serious problems can occur.

Common Problems

When you have a build-up of lint in your dryer vent, the most catastrophic occurrence is fire. If that lint catches a spark from your dryer, it will instantly explode into a full-blown fire. It can quickly follow the trail of dryer lint in the hose and cause a major house fire if it isn’t caught immediately.

There are also health risks involved with having a full dryer vent. When moist dryer air blows through a dryer vent that is full of soft, fluffy lint, mold and mildew can begin to grow. If someone in your home has allergies, asthma, or other breathing conditions, this buildup can actually exacerbate the situation.

Another negative of having a full dryer vent? It makes your dryer run less efficiently. When there’s a build-up of lint and dust in your dryer vent, it causes less space for the air to get through. This causes your dryer to put extra effort in to get the clothes dry. How often have you run clothes through one cycle, only to discover that it is still damp?

If you run it through and don’t get to it right away because you think it’s going to be dry and then find out it’s still damp, you may find a load of clothes that smells musty and needs to be rewashed. Not only is this an annoyance, it also means you may be getting bigger electric bills. According to the National Filter Supply website, having a full dryer vent can also cause added strain to the motor of your dryer. This could mean having to replace your dryer sooner than normal.

Call in the Experts

It is recommended that you have your dryer vents cleaned at least once a year. When you call Santa’s Friend Chimney Service, you can be sure of getting your dryer vents cleared completely. You don’t have to worry about any of the risks listed above. Give them a call today to get your vents cleaned. Then rest assured knowing that your house is truly spring cleaned!