Just the sight of a fireplace can be charming. Stylish and old-fashioned, its very image is associated with warmth and comfort. Unfortunately, pests feel the same way. Ask any professional chimney sweep in Marietta, GA, and they’ll likely have horror stories about the creatures that they’ve seen living in chimneys, enjoying the warmth and privacy of its dark confinement. Ask your neighbors, and they too may have horror stories about finding raccoons, rats, ants, or other pests living in their chimneys.
Thankfully, you don’t have to admit defeat and just decide to live with an infested chimney. Here are some of the top tips from a professional chimney sweep for keeping chimneys pest-free.
Use Seasonal Firewood
Ants and roaches can burrow into the firewood you place in your hearth. If possible, only use wood that has been cut in the late fall or winter. Because ants, roaches, and other burrowing pests are less active in cold temperatures, it’s less likely that you’ll bring pests indoors when you carry this wood into your fireplace.
Burn Wood Right Away
The amount of insects, small mammals, and other pests that enjoy dead wood as a home is innumerable. Therefore, if you bring your outdoor wood supply indoors, be sure that you intend to burn it right away, and burn it all right away. Don’t store extra wood indoors. Letting wood settle allows pests to escape, or to move into your fireplace and up into your chimney.
Shut the Flue
The flue exists for a reason. It prevents your chimney from acting as a critter highway from the outdoors into your house. The flue is a tiny trapdoor that seals your chimney. Open it only when you’re about to light a fire, and close it immediately after use. If you’ve experienced an infestation in the past or have a particularly dirty chimney, talk to your chimney sweep about installing a chimney cap for extra pest protection.
If you’re curious as to the state of your chimney, like whether or not it has pests in it, call a local chimney sweep in Marietta, GA.