Michigan Wildlife Solutions, LLC
Michigan Wildlife Solutions, LLCMichigan Wildlife Solutions, LLC
Animal Trapping • Damage Control
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Bat Removal Specialists
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Chimney Cap Installation For Wildlife Prevention

Bats in a chimney
Chimney's come in all shapes and sizes, but never the less wildlife will find it.  Bat's, birds, raccoons, and squirrels will all end up in your fireplaces. This can be avoided with a simple instillation of a chimney cap. The chimney to the right was filled with bats, because there was no chimney cap on it. The colony of bats gained access right through the top of the chimney. We had to make a temporary screen and an exclusion tube to exclude the bats before we could get rid of them. Once the bats were excluded we could remove the temporary screen and install a 9x9 chimney cap. This is a common problem we find with these types of chimney's. Even if there is a chimney cap it's usually the flashing around the chimney cap which isn't properly installed correctly. 



Improvised one way bat door
Most chimney caps are much different than the one on the right. This is for a gas furnace so the lining is ran right through the inside of the chimney stack. If the proper chimney cap is not installed it will leave all the areas around the lining open for bats and other critters to get in. Keep in mind, just capping the chimney without the instillation of the one way door would have trapped the bats in the chimney. Once the bats are in you have to get them out, but if the chimney was capped properly the bats would not have made it in. Sometimes more is needed than just capping the chimney to keep bats out. Most chimney cap sizes are not small enough to keep bats out. They will keep other nuisance wildlife out like raccoons, birds, and squirrels, but not bats. Installing a 1/2" hardware cloth underneath the cap will help to keep bats from penetrating. DO NOT just install hardware cloth with no cap, because it could pile up with leaves or snow and keep it from properly ventilating.

Chimney Capping Will Save More Than The Life of Your Chimney
Chimney caps keep raccoons outAnimals often get trapped inside of your chimney or fire place. Ducks, owls, squirrels, hawks, and baby raccoons often fall through the top of your chimney because there is no cap. These animal can not get out like bats, chimney swifts, and adult raccoons. A dead animal is a very hard animal to get rid of. Some dead animals fall to your fire place or into your clean out, but sometimes they get caught on a ledge inside of your chimney. Sometimes chimney sweeping the flue can get rid of the dead critter, but this isn't always the case. Most times the animal will just decay in your chimney causing an awful odor. So don't wait until there is a dead animal, get the chimney capped to prevent the wildlife from entering. 


What if My Chimney is Already Capped? 
Michigan Wildlife Solutions Technician sealing around the chimney If your chimney already has a cap on it then you are on the right start. If your having a problem with nuisance wildlife, then it's still a good idea to have it inspected during your initial home inspection. We can check to make sure the cap is properly installed, is not broken, and there are no potential entry points around it. Sometimes home owners with bat problems will get bats in the chimney or fire place even when the chimney is capped. Proper sealing or screening can prevent the bats from entering around the chimney. The image to the right shows how we had to screen around one of the openings on the chimney cap to keep the bats out. The top of the chimney cap is fine, but around the middle of the chimney cap there was an opening where the bats were slipping through. We took some 1/2" hardware cloth and sealed it with some windows and siding silicone.

Chimney Sweeping and Cleaning
If you have problem wildlife in your chimney or fireplace you will probably want your chimney flue cleaned and sanitized. We carry chimney sweeping rods on all of our trucks to help get rid of wildlife and clean them out. We can run a sweeping rod up and down the flue of your chimney to clean out all the unwanted waste and materials. After all of the urine and feces are out of the chimney we will vacuum them up with a hepa filtered shop vacuum. We can spray a disinfectant in the chimney to kill off any odors or foreign bacteria and fungi.  

Proper Installation of Chimney Caps
Choosing the right size is the first thing to do. Standard flu sizes come in 9x9, 13x9, and 13x13. Most chimney caps will come in a galvanized metal and a stainless steal metal. We recommend installing a stainless steal cap to prevent rusting. Galvanized caps will work fine though. With birds, raccoons, and squirrels just installing the cap will work fine. With bats it is recommended to install a 1/2" hardware cloth underneath the cap to keep the bats out. Do not use anything smaller than a 1/2" hardware cloth, because it can get filled with soot and build up ice during the winter. This will cause house fires and gases backing up into the home. Double flue chimneys may require a special type of chimney cap. These are not always carried on our trucks and may need to be special ordered. 

Chimney Swifts- A Real Nuisance 
Chimney Swifts a Real Nuisance So we've talked about squirrels, raccoons, and bats living in the chimney and fireplace now we have to talk about chimney swifts. Loud screeching noises come bellowing through your home from the fireplace. This is most likely chimney swifts. Chimney swifts are a type of black bird that lives in Michigan. There really isn't a lot you can do right away to get rid of a nest of chimney swifts. Most chimney swifts make their nest somewhere in the middle of the chimney making it impossible to get to without damaging the nest and killing the birds. We typically wait for the young to be raised and then return to the home to clean out the chimney and cap it. If the birds are adults and still live in your chimney we can install a one-way door on your Chimney stack to get rid of them. Then once the birds are out we can install the proper cap to keep them from returning. 

If You Need a Chimney Cap Installed We Service Most of South East Michigan. Visit Our Service Area Page to See if We are in Your Area. 

If You Need a Quote For Capping Your Chimney or Getting Rid of Nuisance Wildlife Call Us Toll Free (877) 922-2287. For an Immediate Quote on Chimney Capping You May Click the Free Quote Button Below. 

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Michigan Bat Control Inc. 

Michigan Bat Control Inc.

At Michigan Wildlife Solutions, LLC we over the most humane and complete wildlife control solutions. We are experienced in the nuisance animal control industry and get rid of all nuisance animal pest from your home, attic, and office. We are specialized in commercial and residential services. Our specialty is things that fly like bird control, bat control, bat removal, and live exclusions. We proudly service all of the following cities for wildlife control, bird control, and bat pest control: Saginaw, Midland, Bay City, Flint, Flushing, Grand Blanc, Goodrich, Davison, Lapper, Swartz Creek, Byron, Owosso, Perry, Gaines, Durand, Lansing, East Lansing, Okemos, Hasslett, Howell, Brighton, Pinckney, Whitmore Lake, South Lyon, Ann Arbor, Novi, Northville, Plymouth, Canton, Wayne, Westland, Milford, Holly, Clarkston, Ortonville, Waterford, Rochester, Troy, Birmingham, Royal Oak, Ferndale, Shelby Township, Utica, Macomb, Romeo, Sterling Heights, and all surrounding cities. For a complete list of our animal control services and areas we commonly service, visit our links below. 


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