Scratching at dusk, chirping at dawn, or a smell you cannot place? Squirrels, raccoons and chimney swifts treat North Texas flues like ready-made dens. We remove them humanely, clean up what they left behind, and seal the entry so it never happens twice.
An animal in the flue is not a wait-and-see problem. A nest resting on the damper is dry tinder parked directly above your firebox, and a blocked flue can push carbon monoxide back into the living room the first cool night you light a fire. The National Fire Protection Association ties a large share of chimney fires to obstructed flues, and nesting material is the fastest way a clean chimney becomes an obstructed one.
There is a simpler reason to act too: animals almost never leave on their own. A raccoon that found a warm masonry den will raise a litter in it. Call (214) 225-8874 and we will get eyes on the flue quickly.
A trapper can carry an animal away. What a trapper cannot tell you is whether the liner was clawed open, whether the damper still seats, or whether the debris packed into the smoke shelf will glow the next time you burn. Our technicians work to CSIA-aligned standards, so removal, flue assessment and cleanup happen in one visit by one crew.
You also get the same treatment as every Lowes job: protective floor coverings, HEPA dust control, photos of everything we find, and a plain-English explanation before any repair is suggested. No pressure, no surprise pricing.
First we identify the tenant, because species determines method. Squirrels and raccoons are guided out through one-way exits or safely removed by hand, while active chimney swift nests are federally protected and must be worked around until the young fledge. Next we clear nesting material, droppings and debris from the smoke shelf and flue, then deodorize and sanitize the affected areas, finishing with a full chimney sweep when the flue needs it.
The last step matters most: we close the door behind them, so the whole cycle does not restart next spring.
Even a short stay leaves a bill. Nesting chokes airflow, droppings corrode metal components and push odor deep into porous masonry, and larger animals scratch flue liners and bend damper hardware. Birds do not limit themselves to chimneys either; nests at the exhaust hood are one of the most common finds during a dryer vent cleaning.
Whatever we find, you see it in photos before you decide anything. Plenty of jobs need nothing beyond removal and cleanup, and we will tell you plainly when that is the case.
Every repeat-visit story we hear ends the same way: with a properly sized cap. A stainless chimney cap with animal-proof mesh costs a fraction of a second removal and keeps rain and stray embers out as a bonus. Not sure how the animal got in? A camera inspection maps every opening in minutes.
Start with a Free Online Quote or call (214) 225-8874, and your chimney goes back to being yours alone.
Chimney swifts, squirrels and raccoons lead the list, with the occasional possum or duck. Swifts favor open clay flues in established neighborhoods, while raccoons target wide masonry chimneys with damaged or missing caps.
If the nest is inactive, usually yes. Active chimney swift nests are federally protected, so we time removal for right after the young fledge and plan the capping visit so the flue never sits open again.
Yes. We rely on one-way exits, hand removal and timing rather than poisons or harmful traps. Keeping wildlife alive and outside is both the legal route and the one that actually prevents repeat visits.
It depends on the animal, the amount of nesting material, and whether the flue needs cleaning afterward. Request a Free Online Quote with a few details and you will have a clear number before anyone climbs on the roof.
Often, yes. Nesting debris and droppings sit exactly where creosote builds, and a sweep restores safe airflow. We recommend it only when the flue genuinely needs it, and you see the camera view either way.
Fresh sounds are the giveaway: scratching at dusk, chirping at feeding time, thumping when the house goes quiet. Several silent days plus a growing odor can mean it left, or that it did not make it out.
Constantly. A warm exhaust hood is prime nesting real estate, especially for birds in spring. If we spot evidence at the vent hood, we flag it, and our dryer vent cleaning service clears the run end to end.
Exclusion: a properly fitted cap or animal-proof mesh over every opening the animal used, combined with removing the scent-marked nesting material. That combination breaks the cycle that turns one visit into an annual event.
We like someone home for interior access to the firebox, but roof-side work and cap installation can usually proceed either way. You receive photos of everything we do regardless.
See finished projects in our before-and-after gallery, compare exclusion hardware in our guide to chimney caps versus chase covers, learn the warning signs a chimney needs repair, or browse the FAQ. Ready when you are: request a Free Online Quote or start at the homepage to explore every service.
One visit removes the animal, clears the mess, and seals the entry for good. Same careful crew, same protected floors, same straight answers we bring to every North Texas chimney.
An uncapped flue reads as a hollow tree to wildlife: dark, sheltered and safely off the ground. Once one animal dens there, scent markers invite the next, which is why uncapped chimneys turn into repeat rentals.
Swifts are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so an active nest with eggs or young cannot be disturbed. The good news is they fledge within weeks, and we schedule cleanout and capping the moment the nest empties.
A female on the smoke shelf between February and June is almost always a mother with kits tucked out of sight. Humane removal keeps the family together, because a sealed-out mother will tear at roofing to reach her litter.
Droppings, and worse, a deceased animal, drive odor into brick that no open window can fix. The cure is physical: removal, sanitizing, and airflow restored through the flue.
Lighting a fire under a nest can ignite it, harm protected birds, or send a panicked animal into the living space. Mothballs and sprays mostly annoy the homeowner. Neither touches the opening the animal used.
Stainless mesh sized to the flue, secured at the crown, and checked against the cap and chase cover. Done right, it is invisible from the curb and permanent from the animal's point of view.
