What to do about bats in the chimney

The Problem with Bats

Bats can make your life difficult once they set up shop in your chimney.

These animals produce a lot of waste, which will stick to the bricks inside your chimney. The smell of all this waste will then permeate throughout your home, which is something you no doubt want to avoid.

These animals also carry several diseases like rabies and histoplasmosis. One affects the nervous system while the other affects the lungs. Yet both can be deadly if they're left untreated.

Should You Light a Fire?

A lot of people think it's a good idea to light a fire. After all, the heat will either kill the animals or the smoke will make them leave.

Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Lighting a fire doesn't get rid of the bats, and it can actually cause more harm than good. In many cases, the bat's nesting material could catch on fire. This then spreads to the rest of your home, and before you know it, you'll have the entire house burning down around you.

Exclusion

The correct way to remove bats from your chimney is with a technique called exclusion. This allows the bats to leave on their own, making it much more humane and effective.

Step 1: Find Entries

Your first step is to find all the ways the bats got inside your chimney. It's rare for them to use the top of the chimney directly, so there might be a few small holes that lead inside the chimney.

Step 2: Seal Entries

Once you've found all the holes, it's time to seal most of them up. Use the material you believe works best to seal up all but one hole. You'll need to use the last one to remove the bats.

Step 3: Install Exclusion Device

With only one hole left, it's time to install your exclusion device over this hole. These devices often take the form of a funnel or a net. The idea is that they allow bats to leave your home but stop the animal from coming back. Meaning the bats can go hunting at night but can't come inside.

Step 4: Wait for the Bats

With the device set up, you only have to wait until all the bats are gone.

Step 5: Repair and Clean the Area

With all the bats gone, you should now remove the exclusion device and seal the final hole. You should also install chimney caps and mesh screens in case yours are damaged, as this stops bats from entering your home in the future.

You should then put on a mask and gloves to clean the area and remove any bat guano. Make sure to sanitize the area to kill off all remaining germs.

Bat Houses

Some people also like to install bat houses or bat boxes in their yards. This works as a preventative measure, as it provides bats with a home, so they aren't as interested in entering your chimney or attic.

By setting these up in your yard, you can use the bat's natural diet to get rid of insects in your area. Each of these animals eats between 500 to 1000 insects a night, so having a small colony of them in your yard will make your home bug-free.

Professional Help

If you don't have the time to do exclusion or you don't have the necessary tools, you should consider calling a professional bat removal company. They'll quickly send someone over to take care of the bat problem for you.

With all the equipment and knowledge needed, these experts will quickly solve the problem and guarantee you'll never be bothered by bats again.