This past weekend I was working on the gas logs in my woodburning fireplace, and I closed the damper. It had been open for about 2 years, ever since the last time we haired a pro to work on the logs (wasted that money, he didn’t fix them), and he told DW that we need to leave the damper open. I assume he meant while using the logs, I didn’t hear the comment, but DW took it literally and would not close the dameper.
Anyway, this morning she said she can hear a small animal in the chimney mamking noises like it can’t get out. Might be a bird, might be a squirrel. I’m guessing a bird can’t figure out how to fly vertically in a confined space, and a squirrel might be hurt after the long fall. Now I’m glad I thought to close the damper!
So what do I do about the critter? I really don’t want to open the damper and have a mad squirrel come falling out.
“Put your creed in your deed.” Emerson
“When asked if you can do something, tell’em “Why certainly I can”, then get busy and find a way to do it.” T. Roosevelt
Replies
roasted squirrel isn't bad...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Wait till DW is not around, and fire up the logs.
When you're sure it's dead, open the damper fully and let it drop out.
Tell the wife you were only using the exhaust to try to sedate the critter, but things got out of hand. Doctors use this line all the time. ;-)
If it is squirrel, lower a rope down, give 24hrs or else it`s flame on.(they are just a rat with a fuzzy tail)
Did have a small hawk in a metal chimney once, pain to get out.
Fun is Good
hmmmm crispy critters
You could losely plug the top of the chimney, crack the damper and then turn on the gas but not light it. Won't take long for the creature to take a human trip to never land. This assumes your doors are reasonably tight and you certainly don't want to pressurize the thing but healthy dose of gas will overcome a small critter pretty quick.
The problem with your idea and the rope trick is that the top of the chimney is above the second floor roof, and I don't have a ladder tall enough. Or the desire to climb that high."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Well, if one thing got in there, then something else will so somewhere along the line somebody is going to have to go up there and fix the cap/screen anyway. As far as the current situation, nature will take its course eventually.
Got any brandied cherries?
A friend of my wife's had a squirrel come down the chimney (while the house was unoccupied), wander around the house a bit (leaving sooty footprints), and then find the brandied cherries in a glass crock. Well, the squirrel worked the lid off, got into the cherries, and got crocked himself. Then he dashed madly around the house, leaving cherry-colored (but a little sooty) footprints on the floors, walls, and, occasionally, the ceiling.
Finally someone came home and managed to shoo the squirrel out the door.
I never did hear how they came out with the insurance company on that.
BTW, we had birds in our chimney several times. Once a momma bird even built a nest just above the damper. Had to rescue a baby that fell out of the nest into the chimney -- pretty tricky reaching through the damper to put the chick back in the nest.
Most birds can figure out how to fly up the chimney, I gather.
I suppose it's a little too late in the season for it to be a nest, though.
(Finally I built a cover out of expanded metal mesh and clamped it around the flue pipe at the top of the chimney.)
In the process of selling my house in NH,waiting for potential buyers to take a second look, I was cleaning out the Tarm wood/oil furnace. Among the ashes was a crispy squirrel. No big deal, threw it out into the woods. We had just installed a nice cream colored carpet through out the house. Just as the buyers were coming down the driveway we heard the dog coughing in the dinning room. He had found and consumed said crispy squirrel and proceeded to puke on the new carpet. DW freaked, I grabbed some paper towel. scooped it up and threw a carpet reminnet over the spot that we were using for pathways. We had had the carpet Scotch Guarded so the stain came out.
"Shawdow boxing the appoclipse and wandering the land"
Wier/Barlow
Be thankful that you're grandfathered and are able to close the damper. Current codes require the damper to be permanently open, 24/7/365, because some doofus might start the logs with damper closed, killing the family with CO. Your wife must apparently place you in that doofus category if she's insisted that the damper remain open 24/7/365. Sorry about that, but we all have our trials. I agree with others -- fire up the logs.
IF it can't get out. Take the wife somewere really nice for 2 to 3 days. I'm talking spa/romance retreat. You get good lovin and huge good hubby kudos. This should be enough time for whatever to die, but not start stinking.
the trick will be to open the damper and retrieve the little offender when she won't notice. Good luck.