A birdguard will benefit your chimney, wildlife and potentially even your living room carpet!
Stop birds from entering your chimney
A birdguard first and foremost is to prevent birds and squirrels from entering your chimney.
Pigeons especially have a habit of ‘falling in’ to chimneys in the spring and summer. They fly in intending to land on the rim of the pot, but can miss and end up inside the pot, and soon after stuck in the chimney itself. More often than not they end up dead in the chimney. This is not nice for the bird, nor is it pleasant when the maggots and flies appear.
As well as pigeons, Jackdaws are serial ‘chimney nesters’. They love nothing more than making a snug little nest in your warm chimney. In some ways it seems a nice idea to allow these squatters into your chimney, nursing their young to adulthood. But these nests can carry nasty creatures called ‘nest mites’ or ‘bird mites’ which are biting arachnids – related to ticks and spiders. These can end up coming down the chimney into your house. Also, if a nest is present and you light a fire, this is a serious fire risk and a major carbon monoxide risk – people have died in situations such as this. They can also cost as much as £300 to remove – so prevention is cheaper than the cure!
Stop rain from entering your chimney
Birdguards and cowls can also reduce water ingress.
This helps maintain the condtion of your chimney. Chimneys built before 1966 have a pargeting lining. This, when it rains, can fall off either as a damp powder or even in much bigger lumps.
This dirty stuff often falls all the way down your chimney, knocking off more as it falls down, ending up on your carpet leaving marks and stains.
Stop the water getting in and you reduce this problem, saving on carpet cleaning and preserving the structural integrity of your chimney.
We only supply and install the best quality stainless steel chimney cowls and birdguards.
Supply and installation of a stainless steel birdguard for a working fire using a ladder is usually around £195 + VAT.
If it’s for a chimney you won’t be using, a stainless cap can be fitted to your chimney pot. Supply and installation of a stainless steel cap is £175 + VAT.
To make an enquiry, fill in our form at the top of the page HERE and check the box ‘chimney caps/cowls’. We will initially find your house on Google street view if possible. This is to assess whether the job can safely be carried out using a ladder. We will then confirm a price and availability. You can then decide whether you’d like to go ahead with the service.
[…] only real preventative measure is fitting a cowl to your working chimney or a cap to your disused chimney. In our opinion, disused chimneys are the […]
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