How do I keep birds and animals from nesting in my fireplace vent or chimney?
Fairview is propane-and-wood country on big wooded lots, and both the fuel mix and the trees raise the nesting stakes: overhanging limbs give squirrels a bridge to the flue, and open wood chimneys are what swifts prefer. Cap masonry flues with mesh-sided stainless, keep the propane vent's factory screen clear, and trim the branches back.
Wooded lots, on two fronts
The heavy tree cover that makes Fairview natural wood-heat country also hands animals a route to your chimney — a squirrel walks out an overhanging limb and onto the crown rather than climbing the brick. Cutting branches back from the flue is the first move, and it's easy to neglect up Cane Creek or Garren Creek where the canopy crowds the roofline all season.
The second front is the cap itself. An open wood-burning flue is the most inviting target for nesting swifts and squirrels, so it wants a stainless cap with mesh sides that also arrests sparks — worth having on any wood chimney out here.
Creosote and nests both belong to the fall sweep
On these wooded lots, creosote buildup is the leading cause of chimney fires without a fall sweep, and that same annual visit is when we catch a compromised cap or an early nest before you start burning. Two problems, one appointment. On the propane fireplaces around Fairview Crossroads, the sealed termination's screen gets the same check.
If something's already nested, we remove it rather than light a fire under it — a blocked flue backs up carbon monoxide, and swifts are federally protected. Fifteen minutes east of the shop; any gas venting work is permitted through Buncombe County. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Fairview
We install and service fireplaces throughout Fairview and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east 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?