-1

Got a real scare with a hidden raccoon nest last Tuesday

I was cleaning a chimney on an old farmhouse outside of Boise, doing a standard sweep with my SootMaster brush. When I pushed the rod down from the top, I heard this wild scratching and hissing sound that made me jump back. Turns out a family of raccoons had built a nest right in the flue, about six feet down from the crown. I had to cap the top, go inside, and carefully remove the damper to let them escape out the fireplace before I could finish the job. Has anyone else run into animals that far up the chimney before?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_elliot13d ago

Disagree with the whole scare tactic. Animals in chimneys are just part of the job, not some big emergency. You just handle it calmly and move on.

jones.gray17d ago

How did you know they were all out before you started working again? I'd be worried one was still hiding in there.

nina_harris3917d ago

My uncle found a squirrel nest past the damper in his Denver chimney last fall.