by blogediter | Apr 27, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Chimney Balloons to squirrel, raccoon, opossums and larger vermin.
Q: Jason, A couple of times in the last few years we’ve had flying squirrels come down the chimney.
How resistant are the Chimney Balloons to the claws of little critters such as this? (I would put a screen on top of the chimney but I’d have to rent a lift to do so. Tall house, taller chimney, steep roof…) Thanks, – ADH
A: Dear ADH, Have you got a friend with a bucket truck or cherry picker? No?, neither do I, but I wish I did many times.
Chimney Balloons hold up well keeping out birds, bats, insects, and wasps, but they fall short when it comes to raccoons, squirrels, mice, and opossums.
If the critter has teeth and claws, you are going to need a wire mesh cap on the chimney and I would spend the extra to get a stainless one so you don’t have to replace it soon. Don’t risk your neck on your steep roof, call a chimney sweep to put the cap on for you. And if it is opossums or raccoons you are trying to keep out of your chimney make sure you anchor it VERY well. Those critters have the strength of a Gorilla when it comes to removing chimney caps! – Jason
by blogediter | Mar 5, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Bat in Chimney
Q: Jason, I have quite a few bats in my chimney. I had one sneak down through the damper last night and start flying around the house until I whacked him. This bat thing is not cool! Will a Chimney Balloon keep them out of the house and how do I get the bats out of the chimney? – BG
A: Hi BG, I have had to whack a few interior bats in my day too. The little critters can get through a gap as small as 3/8 inch so they can get in about anywhere. A fireplace chimney damper is often as good of a place as any to gain entry to your home since there are often gaps in the damper door once they start warping from the heat.
Here is what you do… Get a Chimney Balloon installed just above your damper door and seal the flue nice and tight and inflate the Chimney Balloon nice and tight. Then go to the roof (if you have access to the chimney and take a cloth bag with some moth balls in it and toss it down the chimney so it lands on the top of the Chimney Balloon. The mothballs will annoy the bats and they will fly up and out to get away from it. Make sure you don’t just do the mothballs without the Chimney Balloon though since you could end up coaxing them right into the house if you don’t have the chimney sealed off above the hearth.
Since the Chimney Balloon is in there tight the smell from the mothballs should stay in the chimney not enter the home.
