How do I keep birds and animals from nesting in my fireplace vent or chimney?
Clyde's river humidity is a chimney cap's slow enemy — it rusts dampers and eats at masonry and cap mesh faster than drier towns see, and a corroded cap is how birds and squirrels get into a flue. On the older 1960s-to-'80s ranch fireplaces here, a stainless cap resists that corrosion; mixed-fuel gas units rely on the vent screen.
Humidity rusts the guard out
Down in the Lower Pigeon valley, Clyde shares the cold-air drainage and river dampness of Canton and Waynesville, and that persistent moisture works on metal relentlessly. A galvanized or thin cap corrodes, the mesh weakens, and an opening appears that a swift or squirrel will find by spring. Stainless holds up where cheaper metal rusts through in just a few seasons.
The dated fireplaces in Clyde's ranch-style homes are prime candidates for insert upgrades, and a sealed insert with a new liner trades the open flue for a screened termination an animal can't den in. That's licensed work, permitted through Haywood County and pressure-tested.
Catch it before the burning season
A humid climate means a cap that looked fine last year may not be sound this one, so an annual inspection matters more here than in a dry town. We check the cap, the crown beneath it, and the screen on any gas termination — twenty-five minutes west of the shop, planned rather than scrambled.
If a nest already sits in the flue, don't burn it out; a blocked, moisture-weakened chimney is the worst place for smoke and carbon monoxide to back up, and swifts are protected. We clear it and cap it. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Clyde
We install and service fireplaces throughout Clyde and the rest of Haywood County — just 25 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Do chimney caps need to be inspected or replaced?
- What should I check on the outside vent cap of a direct vent fireplace?
- How often should the venting on a direct vent gas fireplace be inspected?
- Does an outdoor wood-burning fireplace chimney need sweeping too?
- How do I know when my chimney needs to be swept?