Chimney Animal Removal by Local Jacksonville Pros
Birds, squirrels or raccoons in the flue? Local, family-run pros clear it and cap the top, starting with a free inspection.
- Family owned and operated
- Free inspection and estimate
- Same-day service available
- Upfront pricing, no hidden fees
Get Your Free Inspection
Get a quote for chimney and fireplace repair and installation in Jacksonville.
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Why Choose Us
Why homeowners call us about animals in the chimney
- Locally owned in Jacksonville
- Family owned and operated
- 100% satisfaction guaranteed
- Free inspection and estimate
- Same-day service available
- 10% off when you book today
An animal in the chimney is stressful, and the fix is not a fire or a broom handle up the flue. A family-run local team of animal removal pros works out what is living there, follows the rules for protected birds, cleans out the mess and closes the top with a screened cap. The price is on paper before we start, and new customers take 10% off the job. Hear something up there? Call (904) 920-5495.
- Free inspection and estimateFinding out what is in the flue, and which rules apply to it, is part of the free visit.
- Upfront pricing, no hidden feesThe clean-out and the cap are priced as separate lines, and whoever handles any trapping is named in writing.
- Family owned and operatedFamily owned, so we plan around nesting seasons instead of forcing an animal out.
What's Included
Chimney animal removal, flue to cap
Scratching, chirping or a sour smell from the fireplace often means an animal has found its way into the flue. Chimney animal removal starts by working out what it is, because protected birds and bats have legal timing, then clears the nest and droppings. A screened cap from our chimney cap replacement work closes the top after. Local, family-owned chimney pros handle the chimney side, starting with a free inspection.
- Animal identified before anyone reaches into the flue
- Nests, droppings and debris cleaned out of the flue
- Damper and smoke shelf checked once the flue is clear
- Screened cap fitted so nothing moves back in
- Legal timing for protected birds followed and explained
How It Works
Animal removal, from first call to capped flue
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Tell us what you hear
Chirping, scratching and the time of day help us guess what is up there. Keep the damper shut and do not light a fire.
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Animal identified, rules checked
A look down from the top with a light confirms what it is. Swifts and bats have legal timing, and we explain it.
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Flue emptied, nest cleaned out
Once the animal is out, nest material and droppings come out with the firebox sealed, using brushes and a sealed, filtered vacuum.
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Screened cap closes the top
A cap with the right screen goes on each flue, and any other gap we find is written up with its repair.
10% off your first service when you book today
Book the clean-out and cap today and your first service with us is 10% off.
Your Options
Removal timing by the animal in your flue
Each animal in the chimney calls for removal suited to what it is, and the species sets the timing.
Free Inspection
Inside the free animal check
- What is in the flue, and how we identified it
- The legal timing that applies, with the rule named
- Who removes or excludes the animal, named in writing
- Clean-out of nest material, droppings and debris
- The damper and flue checked for damage once clear
- A screened cap sized to the flue, or repair of the existing one
FAQ
Animal removal questions
Something is scratching in the chimney. Can you come today?
If a crew is free, yes. Until we arrive, keep the damper shut and the fireplace opening covered, and do not light a fire to drive it out. Call (904) 920-5495 and tell us what you are hearing.
What if the birds in my flue are chimney swifts?
Swifts are federally protected while nesting, so the nest stays until they migrate. We plan the clean-out and cap for right after they leave and tell you the earliest date.
Lakeside and Doctors Inlet, do you cover those?
We do. Whoever handles any trapping is named in writing before a trap is set.
Are the removal, cleaning and cap priced together?
They share one written estimate as separate lines, so you see what each part costs. The inspection that finds the animal is free, and nothing is tacked on once we start.
Will the animal come back after you leave?
Not through the flue once a screened cap is on. If it got in some other way, such as a gap in a chase, we point that out too.
Common Problems
Sounds and signs of an animal in the chimney
Chirping high in the flue at dawn
Often birds, and chimney swifts are federally protected while nesting. We confirm what they are and plan the clean-out for after they leave.
Scratching just above the damper
Something has climbed or fallen down the flue. Keep the damper shut, light no fire, and we identify it before anyone reaches in.
A sour smell from the fireplace
Nest material or droppings are sitting on the smoke shelf. We clear them with the firebox sealed and the room covered.
Twigs and debris dropping into the firebox
Nest material is building above the damper. Once the flue is empty we clean it out and fit a screened cap.
Our Services
Caps and dampers that keep animals out
Have a chimney pro check what is in the flue
We identify the animal, explain the timing rules and price the clean-out and cap in writing.
Free InspectionFull service details
The rules for swifts and bats in a chimney
Calls about a raccoon in the chimney, a squirrel in the chimney or a bird in the chimney all begin the same way, with identification and the rules. Swifts are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states that harassing, injuring or killing swifts, their eggs or their nests is illegal. Their nest is a half-saucer of twigs glued to the flue wall with saliva, so bird nest in chimney removal, and any bird removal from a chimney with swifts in it, waits until they migrate.
Bats fall under the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's nuisance wildlife rule, 68A-9.010 of the Florida Administrative Code. It bans exclusion devices at a roost from April 16 through August 14, while young bats cannot fly. From August 15 to April 15 a one-way device may be used, and bat in chimney removal ends with a permanent closure only after the device has stayed up for four or more days and nights with forecast lows above 50 degrees.
If an animal gets into the room
An animal in the chimney that drops into the room needs a way out. Prop open an outside door if you can reach it without passing the animal, then step out and shut the other doors. Do not light a fire to drive it out: the smoke can kill it in the flue, set the nest burning and push smoke back into the house when the nest blocks the draft.
Droppings carry their own risk. The CDC notes that the fungus behind histoplasmosis grows in bird and bat droppings and spreads when the material is disturbed, which is why the clean-out is done with the firebox sealed.
Closing every way into the chimney
Section R1003.9.2 of the Florida Building Code, Residential, sets the spark arrestor screen: openings that will not pass a half-inch sphere nor block a three-eighths-inch sphere, with a total open area at least four times the flue outlet. A screen built that way keeps animals out and lets the flue draw. Factory-built chimneys take the cap listed for that chimney. Open joints near the top, a cracked crown or a rusted chase cover can also let animals in, so each one goes on the estimate.
Hearing something in the flue? Call (904) 920-5495 to book a free inspection.