Cleaned a flue in Salem last week that had a 30-year-old squirrel stash inside

Pulled up to a house in Salem, Massachusetts, lady says her fireplace has been smoking for years. I climb up top with my camera and see the flue is basically packed to the top with acorns and old shell bits. Took me about 2 hours to vacuum it all out with my heavy duty shop vac. The difference after I was done was night and day - she could actually see daylight through the chimney. Has anyone else found a crazy animal stash like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_fisher1mo ago

Whoa, that does sound like a lot of work! But is a few acorns really that big of a deal for a fireplace?

the_paul29d ago

Got a call a few years back about a chimney that was making weird scratching sounds at night. Turned out a raccoon had made a nest right up in the damper area and had been dragging in old insulation from the attic for bedding. The whole thing was a mess of fiberglass and raccoon fur. Had to pull the whole damper assembly apart to get it cleaned out.