Safety / Rain Caps – Bird/Animal Guards

When talking about chimneys, a damper is simply a plate that you maneuver to stop or regulate airflow inside your chimney. It is used to close off the flue and keep rain, birds and other small animals that like crawling in chimney stacks out and the ait inside your home in your home. Most of the time dampers are closed for the summer so the cool air from your air conditioning unit doesn’t escape of the chimney but can be closed between uses in the winter.

Dampers can also be used to regulate and control the rate of combustion of your fire by regulating the flow of oxygen. Most dampers are accessible by reaching up into the firebox with a poker but there are some that have a easy to reach lever that sticks down or out of the fireplace. All wood burning appliances have dampers including wood burning stoves so make sure you know where the damper can be controlled if you use one of these devises. If you don’t, you can easily fill up your home with unwanted smoke that can cause property and lung damage as well as a potential fire. The bottom line is to know how your entire fireplace works including the damper so you can avoid any unwanted accidents.

Though most people enjoy the season of tulips, cherry blossoms and the scurrying about of nesting creatures, there is cause for taking precautions that will help prevent too close of an encounter with nature and the unpleasant diseases and parasites these visitors often carry.  Spring time is when we get the most calls regarding the annoying sounds and smells indicative or uninvited guests residing in a homeowner’s chimney.  There are several important reasons why it is wise to prevent this type of intrusion besides the minor inconvenience.  Birds do not just make chatter in the home and leave behind unappealing droppings; they create dangerous environments. Studies show that more than 60 diseases can be transferred from birds to human beings, sometimes with fatal results.

While most people have heard of avian flu or West Nile virus, histoplasmosis and Cryptococcus have maintained a low profile despite the fact they have been popping up in the news as well. This low level of awareness keeps people from taking measures to protect themselves.  We tend to brush off bird droppings as just a nuisance, but they are the main source of disease transmission between birds and humans.  While this might seem bizarre because most people do their best to avoid direct contact with fecal matter (and folks usually don’t climb up into their chimney or fireplace), we have to understand that as bird droppings dry, they turn to dust and can become airborne. People in the environment inhale the fungus and bacteria the droppings may contain.

As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and CDC explain, “[Histoplasmosis] hurts your lungs. Sometimes, it hurts other organs too, and it can be fatal if untreated. Anyone close to places where the fungus is in the air can get this disease if you breathe in enough of it….”

A birdhouse or squirrel shack is a much nicer place for these little creatures than a chimney or other vents and will provide a safer way for homeowners to enjoy these creatures as they prepare their nests and raise their young.  A properly sized chimney and/or vent cap professionally installed is your best defense against animal and bird intrusion, and is a humane measure as well.