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!

Stinky Chimneys

During the summer, the last thing on the minds of many homeowners is their fireplace, but when unpleasant odors start to invade their homes from the chimney through the fireplace, it can become a big concern.
Our staff at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service frequently receives calls from our customers complaining about stinky chimneys, and we have years of experience with dealing with this issue. We would like to tell you more about the sources of these unpleasant smells and what we can do to prevent this stinky situation from happening to your home.

CREOSOTE

If you have a wood-burning fireplace, you most likely know that creosote is a natural compound that forms during the combustion process of burning wood. The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) often warns the public of the dangers of accumulated creosote inside a chimney because it is the biggest cause of chimney fires. Not only is creosote extremely flammable, but it also releases a strong and acrid odor during the hot and humid months of summer. To prevent creosote from stinking up your home this year, Santa’s Friend Chimney Service recommends scheduling a spring chimney sweeping and inspection.
Our CSIA-certified chimney sweeps will take great care to be sure every bit of creosote has been removed from your chimney to reduce your risk of a fire and of a stinky smell invasion of your house.

WATER

Without a chimney cap on top of your chimney, water from rain can get into your chimney very easily. This water lands on the smoke shelf, where it creates a musty odor. Very often, leaves and other debris also fall into your chimney to mix with the pooled water on the smoke shelf, and this will cause a rotting, decomposing smell inside your chimney. Santa’s Friend Chimney Service offers a variety of chimney caps, and our chimney experts can professionally install a cap on top of your chimney to protect it from water leaks. This will also keep leaves and other debris from getting into the chimney as well.

BIRDS AND ANIMALS

Another problem that can occur to an uncapped chimney that can cause unpleasant odors is birds, squirrels, raccoons, and other wild animals nesting inside your chimney. The droppings and nesting materials of these critters are stinky enough, but there is also the possibility of a bird or animal becoming trapped inside the chimney and dying. You can imagine how horrible a dead animal can smell. The best way to prevent birds, squirrels, raccoons, and other wild animals from getting inside your chimney is to have a good quality chimney cap with mesh metal sides installed on top of your chimney. Santa’s Friend Chimney Service is happy to show you the options we have to protect your chimney from wild animal invasions.

Keep your home smelling sweet this summer. Contact us at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service today to schedule a professional chimney sweeping and inspection.