Santa's Friend Chimney Service

Santa's Friend Chimney Service Blog

Keep Out Unwanted Holiday Guests with a Bird Screen

It’s Christmas time and you’ve got everything ready for all those holiday parties and family get-togethers. You’ve cleaned and baked, cooked and decorated, shopped for presents, wrapped them up, and put them under the tree. Everything is just perfect. You’ve invited your family and friends and can’t wait to see them all together again at such a happy time of year. What do you do when an uninvited guest shows up? You invite them in and let them help themselves to the food and fellowship! However, you want to avoid uninvited furry and feathery guests. Unfortunately, sometimes these guests can get in through an uncovered chimney. On the bright side, this is an easy fix, and one that Santa’s Friend Chimney Service will be able to take care of in a jiffy!

How Do These Critters Get In?

So why would a bird venture down your chimney anyway? Birds go into chimneys looking for food or a warm place to nest and stay out of the elements. Once they get in, they may get confused or dazed, and that makes it difficult for them to get back out. The same might be true of a squirrel or other small animals or even bats. And when up means heading towards the cold and down seems warm and inviting, you might just find yourself with an unwelcome visitor in the middle of your family dinner or friends’ Christmas party!

If this happens, you will need to take some care of getting this guest out. Your best bet would be to call the animal control number in your neighborhood and let them handle it. This will ensure that your home stays intact and that the creature is unharmed.

Make Sure It Doesn’t Happen Again

Santa’s Friend Chimney Service provides a simple solution to unexpected critters. A bird screen is a frame that’s been fitted with a wire mesh that fits over your chimney and keeps birds and other unwanted visitors out. This also keeps good ventilation happening. Professionals should put the proper bird screen on top of your chimney because certain kinds can actually clog quite easily. Clogs cause poor ventilation and even contribute to creosote buildup.

All of us at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service want you and your loved ones to have a relaxed and happy holiday season, one that isn’t filled with the excitement of an unexpected critter running through your party. Give yourself an early present and call us today so we can fit your chimney with a bird screen!

By Justin Perkins on December 19th, 2017 | Tagged with: Tags: , , | Leave a Comment

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!

By Jim Robinson on May 22nd, 2017 | Tagged with: Tags: , , | Leave a Comment