Something Scratching, Chirping or Stinking in Your Chimney?

The problem family: an open flue is an open door

Every chimney without a capped, screened top eventually gets a visitor. The flue is warm, dark and sheltered, and from a raccoon's point of view a brick chimney is a hollow tree. Once something is in, the results range from noise to a blocked flue that sends smoke and carbon monoxide back into the house. Nearly every animal job we do ends with a cap, because removal without prevention means a repeat call next spring.

How to tell which sub-problem you have

Chirping that rises when you approach the fireplace

Chimney swifts, usually in late spring and summer. The nest is glued to the flue wall and the chicks are loud at feeding time. Swifts are federally protected, and we do not remove active nests. The nest is small and falls on its own after the birds leave in late summer; that is when we clean the flue and install a cap so it does not happen again.

Heavy scratching, thumping, growling, usually at night

A raccoon, and very often a mother with kits on the smoke shelf just above the damper. Do not open the damper to look. Raccoons are large, defensive and will come into the room. This is a live-removal job with the right equipment, and the smoke shelf gets cleaned and sanitized afterward.

Fast scrabbling during the day, then silence

A squirrel or a small bird that fell in and cannot climb out. These need removal quickly, because the alternative is the next item.

A strong rotten smell, flies in the room

A dead animal in the flue or on the smoke shelf. The smell gets worse as the house warms. Removal, then a full chimney cleaning of the smoke shelf and flue to get rid of the odor source.

No sounds, but smoke backs up or you see twigs in the firebox

An abandoned nest, leaf pack or debris plug. Nesting material is dry and packed tight, which makes it both a blockage and tinder. Cleaning clears it; an inspection confirms the flue behind it is sound.

What to do first

• Do not light a fire. Smoke will not drive out an animal that cannot climb, and a nest above the damper can ignite.
• Keep the damper closed and the glass doors shut, if you have them.
• Note the time of day you hear it and whether it sounds like one animal or several.

Then call 206-453-2045. Our chimney animal and nest removal page covers live removal and debris cleanout. Same-day service is often available in Seattle, Tacoma and Everett, because a trapped animal is a same-day problem. Quotes are free.

Keeping it out for good

The fix that lasts is a stainless cap with a welded screen on a brick chimney, or a proper cap on the flue of a framed chimney, sized to the flue and fastened so wind and raccoons cannot lift it. See chimney cap replacement. If the animal found a way in through a rotted chase or a gap at the top rather than an open flue, a chimney inspection will find it and route the repair. If you are not happy, we are not done.