Our Company Blog

All About Chimney Swifts

It’s that time of year when the snow is melted, the grass is green, and the trees explode with the vibrant green of new leaves. The air smells fresh and the flowers start to bloom, bringing the birds from the North. Bird watching is a great activity, especially if it involves sitting on the front porch and relaxing with a glass of lemonade while you watch. The next time you’re out looking for different kinds of birds, take special notice of any gray, cigar-shaped, smoky looking smudge with wings. If you see this, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen a chimney swift. This is a special little bird, spending most of its life in flight. It can’t perch, so when it does land, it has to cling to the inside of a hollow tree or a chimney.

Life of a Chimney Swift

If you live in the west, you probably won’t see a chimney swift because chimney swifts mainly live in the eastern part of the United States. They migrate south to South America during the winter, then head back up for the warm days of the northeastern United States. Because swifts need to cling, rather than perch, the interior of hollow trees is the perfect spot, and that’s where they landed. However, as the region became more populated, hollow trees began to become more scarce and swifts had to find a new place to land. Chimneys were a natural choice, being hollow, warm, dark, and out of the path of the wind or harsh weather. The thing is, however, that chimney swifts can cause some small problems.

Chimney swifts in your chimney can’t really cause any physical damage, but they are noisy little birds, especially when raising a family. Because they are a small bird, their nests aren’t really big enough to catch a spark and start a fire. They are loud, especially when little ones are born. A good thing to remember is that when the little ones are at the point of making noise, they’re pretty close to the point of moving out of your chimney.

Call Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc

If the noise is too bothersome for you, the best idea is to get rid of those swifts after the family has moved out and then prevent them from moving back in. Give Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc a call and we’ll make sure that your chimney cap is in great shape, and that’ll keep the swifts out of your chimney in the future.

Suffering From Chimney Leaks? Let Us Help!

The holidays are over and it’s several days into the new year. You’ve got the holiday decorations put away in the storage room, and you’ve finally got a little time to look around the house and see how things are holding up. Maybe you are finally going to start that redecorating project you’ve been putting off, or maybe you like to just take a close look at each room in your house and see what odd jobs need to be done to fix things up. If you take a look into the living area and notice that there are some brown spots on the ceiling around the fireplace, or if the wallboard or trim boards are looking a little soft or soggy, then chances are you have a leaky chimney. This is a real problem, but one that the professionals at Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc can help you out with! We are proud to say that we stay on top of all the latest techniques and resources that will keep your chimney leak-free.

What’s Causing Those Leaks?

There are several different possible sources of chimney leaks. For instance, take a look at the top of the chimney from the outside of the house. At the very top, there’s a concrete piece that is called the chimney crown. The chimney crown is designed with slanted sides that overhang the edge of the roof by at least two inches so that when precipitation hits, it runs down and away from the place where the chimney meets the roof. If your chimney crown is cracked or chipped, that might not happen. Another thing you might notice sitting on top of the chimney crown is a structure called the chimney cap. A chimney cap is designed with a slanted, solid top and mesh sides. The slanted sides direct the precipitation away from the hole that lets the smoke out and onto the chimney crown. This, unlike the crown, isn’t built on, so not every home has one. If your home doesn’t, that could be another reason that your chimney is leaking.

Another thing that might be causing leaks is loose or ripped flashing. The flashing is the metal strips that cover the juncture of the chimney and the roof. If these strips get torn or ripped, then precipitation could be leaking into your chimney. Or if you’ve noticed that the mortar between the bricks is getting crumbly and loose, then precipitation could be leaking into the home through cracks and crumbles.

It’s plain to see that there are lots of reasons that you might be experiencing chimney leaks. It’s also clear that if your chimney is leaking, there’s one great chimney company to call to get those leaks fixed. That company is Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc. Every sweep that works for Chim Cheroo is CSIA certified, and we take great pride in the work we put in to make sure that your home doesn’t get ruined by nasty chimney leaks. If you notice signs of chimney leaks, give Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc a call right away!