Raccoon nest in a flue near Portland changed my whole inspection routine

Got a call out to a house in Beaverton last Tuesday, homeowner said smoke was backing up into the living room. I pulled the cap and found a whole family of raccoons had packed this flue with leaves and debris, practically a second chimney inside the real one. Took me four hours to clear it out and I had to replace a section of liner because they'd scratched it up bad. The homeowner told me they'd only used the fireplace twice in three years, so nobody ever thought to look up there. Since then I always run a camera down every flue before I even start brushing, even on routine cleanings. You never know what critters have been nesting in there during the off season. Anyone else had to deal with animal blockages that made you change your standard check process?

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kai77915d ago

Raccoons in a flue, no kidding? That's like finding a whole apartment building in there. I'd have backed away slowly and called a wildlife guy before touching anything.