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Got a call from a homeowner about a chimney that smelled like a dead animal...
Turns out a family of raccoons had been nesting in the flue for who knows how long. Found a stat online that says raccoons cause about 40% of all wildlife chimney blockages in the Midwest. Has anyone else run into this with a live animal stuck up there?
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the_thomas3mo ago
I've had two calls like that over the years and both times it was raccoons. One was a mom with babies stuck in there after a storm. The 40% stat sounds about right from what I've seen. It's funny how these little wildlife problems tie into something bigger. In my experience, a lot of the messes we deal with come from places we don't think to look. Like with a chimney, people forget it's basically a vertical tunnel into their house. Same thing happens with gutters and crawl spaces. Small gaps turn into big headaches when animals find them.
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the_felix1mo agoMost Upvoted
Ah man, I used to think raccoons were way too smart to get stuck like that. Figured they could always just climb back out same way they got in. But hearing your stories and that stat, plus remembering a buddy of mine had the same issue last year with a mom and kits after heavy rain, yeah I gotta admit I was wrong. It makes sense though, especially after a storm or if the damper is closed, they panic and can't figure it out. Guess I underestimated how confused they get when it's not their normal route.
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blairwhite3mo ago
Wait, @the_thomas, don't raccoons usually find their own way out though?
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