I may have figured out a way to keep birds out of my stove, and get my chimney cleaned at the same time. I would get a half dozen or so, birds down my chimney over the course of the summer. They did a bang up job of cleaning my chimney though. However, it was a pain getting them out of the stove and outside without them flying all over the house. I took the cleanout cover off the bottom of my 6" chimney (the chimney goes through the wall) so that the wee darlings will just drop out the bottom. I was concerned, however, that leaving the bottom of the chimney open would encourage undesirables to take up residence in the part that goes through the wall or in the stove itself. While taking out a couple of 1.36 kg plastic Folger coffee cans I looked at the top and thought that it may fit into the pipe that goes inside through the wall and it fit snug enough to close off the opening. So now I can have the chimney open so birds will drop through (cleaning my chimney on the way down) and nothing will make a nest in the horizontal pipe. In the fall, I will reach up and pull out the coffee can top and I'm good to go.
My house is a 4 square, two story, 110 year old farm house that has to be 100 foot high (well at least it sure feels like it when I look out the upstairs window). Since I suffer from "high anxiety", I would have to pay someone to go up on the roof and then lean out to get to the chimney cap. Most people run screaming when I ask them about it. Even the installers kissed the ground after coming down the ladder. The coffee cover is alot easier and cheaper, main point - cheaper.
Makes sense to me I cant blame you at all I certainly wouldnt climb up that high I had a hard time putting my liner in and its only a 25' chimney.
what kind of crazy birds go down a stinky sooty stove pipe ? Are our gas and oil boilers also morgues ?
Heck, a few years ago I had flying "tree rats" cleaning mine. Heard them scurrying around in the pipe. They came out that clean-out door like they were on rocket sleds.
Heard a scratching sound coming from the stove room a few days ago after I got my 1st cup of coffee. Little bit later, I pulled the baffle boards and found a small blackbird in the stove. Grabbed him and took him outside where he flew off like a bat outta heck. That's the 1st bird we've had in the years we've been here. Might be time for a summer screen.
I actually have a screen cap over mine and found a bat in my stove last year. I leave some ash in mine and he was kind of petrified. I thought it was a chunk of wood and grabbed it. it was cool cause its wings were spread open, but man it scared the chit out of me.
