How do I keep birds and animals from nesting in my fireplace vent or chimney?
Out on Mills River's rural farmland-and-forest lots, wildlife pressure on a chimney is simply higher — more squirrels, more birds, the occasional raccoon — and many of these homes run propane, so the guard you need is the intact factory screen on the vent termination or a stainless cap on a masonry flue. Either way, keep the branches and brush cut back from it.
Rural lots mean more animals at the flue
A house ringed by farmland and woods, the way many Mills River and Horse Shoe properties are, sees far more wildlife traffic than a town lot — and a warm, uncapped flue reads to a squirrel or a nesting bird as the best cavity around. The first defense is keeping trees and brush trimmed away from the chimney so nothing has an easy bridge to it.
Many of these large-lot homes are on propane, whose sealed vent termination carries its own screen. Repairing or connecting that venting is licensed gas work, permitted through Henderson County; keeping the screen clear and intact is the routine part you can stay ahead of.
Don't forget the outdoor features
Mills River's open valley makes it prime outdoor-living country, and a gas fire pit or outdoor fireplace has burner ports and a housing that wasps and mud daubers love to pack over the off-season. When we check the indoor flue, the outdoor feature is worth a look at the same time so it lights clean when entertaining season starts.
Spring is peak nesting, so a late-summer sweep — before you're hosting and before the first cold night — clears anything that settled in. If something's already there, we remove it rather than burn it out, since a blocked flue backs up carbon monoxide and swifts are protected. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Mills River
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mills River and the rest of Henderson County — just 25 minutes south 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?