Bats
Bats are moved out with one-way exits timed around their breeding season since rules often protect them.
Chimney Sweeping
Chimney Animal Removal Hightstown, NJ
A Hightstown chimney sweep can get wildlife out of the flue and install a cap so they cannot get back in. Dial (609) 834-0024 to be connected with a nearby chimney sweep.
To birds, raccoons and squirrels, an uncapped chimney is a dry, sheltered den. Birds build nests on the smoke shelf or damper, raccoons den on the smoke shelf to raise their young, and squirrels fall in and cannot climb back out. Each one brings nesting material that blocks the flue, droppings that smell and the risk of the animal getting into the house.
It is tempting to light a fire and force the animal out, but it does more harm than good. Babies cannot escape, nesting material can ignite and smoke can back up into the room. Close the damper and glass doors if you have them, and keep children and pets away until the animal is out.
Removal depends on what is in the chimney. Chimney swifts are protected, which means waiting until they migrate before the nest comes out. A raccoon with kits needs patience, and the approach has to fit the wildlife rules in New Jersey. Once the chimney is clear, a cap with a mesh screen keeps them from coming back.
If the problem goes deeper than it first looked, a Hightstown chimney sweep may also recommend chimney cap installation or chimney cleaning.
Looking for Hightstown chimney animal removal? Call (609) 834-0024 and describe the problem to a chimney sweep who works in Hightstown.
Call nowThe process
What happens during chimney animal removal
Here is how a sweep typically handles an animal in the chimney.
Start with the clues
Sounds, droppings, timing and a look up the flue tell the technician what is living in the chimney since each one is handled differently.
Check the rules
The method and timing are chosen to follow wildlife rules and protect any young before any work begins.
Humane removal
Depending on the animal, removal may be by hand, with an exclusion door or by giving a mother the chance to relocate her young with care taken around the damper and smoke shelf.
Clean out the flue
All debris left behind is cleared out so smoke can draft freely.
Deodorize
The smoke shelf and firebox are cleaned and treated for odor which helps with lingering smells.
Seal the top
The flue is capped with screening that keeps birds and raccoons out so the problem does not repeat next season.
What is included
What chimney animal removal covers
Odor cleanup
When an animal dies in the flue, it is taken out and the smoke shelf cleaned to clear the smell.
Raccoons
Raccoon dens above the damper are cleared out and the chimney is capped.
Bird nests
Nests on the smoke shelf, damper or in the flue are cleared and the flue is capped afterward.
Small animals
Trapped squirrels and other small animals are removed since they cannot climb back out.
Related service
Bird Nest Removal Hightstown, NJ
A chimney gives birds a protected, dry place to build a nest, which is why it attracts them every spring. Their nests sit on the smoke shelf, the damper or the flue walls, and the dry twigs and grass can block the draft and catch fire with the first fire of the season. In furnace or water heater flues, a nest can cause carbon monoxide to spill indoors, so working CO alarms matter.
Chimney swifts are protected under federal law, which means an active nest stays until the birds migrate in the fall. A sweep in Hightstown will advise on timing, then remove the old nest and install a cap afterwards so they cannot return. Other species can often be handled sooner, depending on the bird and the rules that apply.
Related service
Raccoon Removal Hightstown, NJ
An uncapped chimney is a favorite den for raccoons, especially mothers with kits. Noises at dusk and dawn and the sound of young calling are typical. Raccoons can carry rabies and their droppings can carry roundworm, so never reach into the flue or try to handle one.
A common approach is to remove the kits first and give the mother the chance to move them, then confirm the den is empty before capping. Since rules on raccoons vary from state to state, the sweep follows the approach allowed in New Jersey. After that, droppings are cleaned up and a sturdy cap is fitted, since raccoons can tear lightweight caps off.
Local help
Chimney Animal Removal Near Me
Chimneys in Hightstown see the most animal activity in spring and early summer, when birds nest and raccoons raise their young. From Hightstown out to places like Twin Rivers, Cranbury, Princeton Meadows and Concordia, older chimneys without caps are the easiest targets for birds and raccoons. Capping the flue is the main defense, along with keeping tree limbs off the roof.
Need chimney animal removal around Hightstown? Call (609) 834-0024 for a Hightstown chimney sweep who serves the towns around it too.
Chimneys in this climate
Winters here are long and cold, and the heating season usually runs from October well into April. Masonry takes the worst of it from the freeze and thaw cycle: rain and melting snow soak into the crown and joints, then freeze and push them apart, and each winter widens the cracks a little more. Wind driven rain from coastal storms finds any gap in flashing, too. Most homeowners in Hightstown, NJ schedule a sweep in early fall, and a repair check after a hard winter.
Why call
Why not wait
Less damage
Small chimney problems caught early usually stay small repairs.
Local knowledge
Chimney sweeps in Hightstown know the chimneys and fireplaces common in local homes.
Straight answers
Ask your questions before you agree to anything.
Chimney Animal Removal FAQ
What should I do about chimney swifts?
Because chimney swifts are protected, removal has to wait until the birds leave for the season. The sweep can tell you when it is allowed, then clean out the nest and add a cap. While you wait, keep the damper shut and the fireplace out of use.
Why are animals in the chimney a problem?
An animal in the flue is more than a nuisance. Nests can block the flue and catch fire, droppings can carry disease, and raccoons can carry rabies and roundworm. Blocked gas appliance flues can spill carbon monoxide, so get to fresh air if a CO alarm sounds.
Can I light a fire to get an animal out of my chimney?
A fire is the worst way to deal with an animal in the flue. It can kill young animals, start a nest fire and push smoke and carbon monoxide indoors. Keep the damper closed and call a sweep instead.
How do I get rid of a dead animal smell in my chimney?
A sour, rotten odor from the fireplace points to a dead animal in the chimney. Air fresheners will not help, since the animal and debris have to come out. Close the damper until it is removed.
What stops birds and raccoons from getting into a chimney?
Capping the flue with a mesh-sided cap stops most animals. Choose a cap that is fastened securely and has mesh fine enough to stop birds. Cutting back branches that reach the roof makes the chimney harder to reach.
More questions? Call (609) 834-0024
Often needed together
Chimney Cap Installation
Installing chimney caps with mesh sides so water, birds and debris stay out of the flue.
Learn moreChimney Cleaning
Sweeping soot and creosote out of wood-burning fireplaces, stoves and inserts, to cut the risk of a chimney fire.
Learn moreChimney Odor Removal
Tracking down the creosote, moisture or animal behind a smelly fireplace with sweeping, deodorizing and a fix for the cause.
Learn moreChimney Damper Repair
Restoring the damper that opens and closes the flue or replacing them with a top sealing damper.
Learn more
Looking for something else?
See all chimney servicesTalk to a Hightstown chimney sweep about chimney animal removal
Call (609) 834-0024 for a local chimney sweep in Hightstown and nearby towns.
(609) 834-0024
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