Where do you get help with Chimney sweep Houston wildlife removal
Masters Services Inc has been in business for over 17 years now. When we first opened our doors our technician was, me! Our office staff consisted of my wife Christa who was also full time raising our girls. We started out doing simple chimney sweeps in Houston and as I expanded my knowledge and training we took on more and more. We have expanded to one of the largest chimney sweep Houston and wildlife removal companies in Texas, We now have 10 trucks running full time as well as over 6 office staff and a full metal fabrication shop where we produce all of our own chimney caps.
How did we get here?
Its simple, we became Certified Chimney Professionals and offered the best service and products possible to our clients. Starting with chimney sweeps.
It starts with a chimney sweep!
When your chimney is not in working order most of our client’s first thoughts are that they need to get a chimney sweep, while this is almost all cases is true it is more often than not being done in the wrong order, something is not working so get a sweep, we always suggest getting a routine chimney sweep to prevent things from going wrong or not working how they should.
What does a chimney sweep consist of?
Our technicians will arrive to your home in a marked truck and will be in Masters Services uniforms. They will go over with you any concerns that you have about your fireplace or chimney and will begin the chimney sweep and inspection process. Each chimney sweep that we preform is accompanied by a top to bottom inspection of your chimney and fireplace. This consists of about 20 different points that will be inspected to ensure that your home is safe for burning and to bring to light anything that may be in need of repairs or replacement in order to safely burn and to extend the life of your chimney. Then the cleaning will begin, this is a guaranteed no mess cleaning that takes about 30-60 minutes depending on how dirty your chimney is.
The technician will tarp off your fireplace and place a HEPA filtered H-vac into the firebox in order to catch the creosote as it is scraped from the flue. We will then send the chimney brushes up your chimney about 1-2 inches at a time scraping all of the creosote from the flue. This simple action of cleaning the creosote from the flue will help to lessen the chance of chimney fires as well as shining a light on anything that could become a problem that needs repair or replacement before it becomes a major problem.
Examples of repairs that may be needed:
There are a few common repairs that we note, these can be handled easily in most cases. There are times that a simple repair can highlight a worse situation this is rare yet it can happen. Some examples of things that can be in need of repair are your damper, your chimney chase, your mortar crown and most commonly, especially if you have had trouble with animals or birds getting into your chimney the best solution is a properly fabricated and installed chimney cap for your home. These are all things that Masters Services can help you with.
How do you stop animals from getting into your home?
Getting animals out of your home takes more effort than keeping them out in the first place. Things as simple as getting a proper fitting chimney cap installed that has an animal guard in place can keep birds, squirrels and raccoons out of your chimney. If animals are able to get into your chimney you are taking the chance that they can get into the living spaces of your home as well as them nesting in your chimney. When this happens the only safe option is to get a through chimney sweep and remove all of the nesting materials. Allowing them to remain in your chimney while burning will open you up to chimney fires, roof and attic fires as well as the physical dangers that arise in having your home on fire.
Your chimney is not the only way for an animal to get into your home!
Most animals that get into your home are doing so as it is convenient, they are looking for safety and warmth and even possibly a place that they can raise their young. The later is more dependent on what season it is but the bottom line is that they are looking for comfort and have found it in some way in your home. There are a few things you can listen for in terms of figuring out what type of animal you are dealing with, are you hearing things primarily at night? Does it sound like skittering or heavier like footsteps?
When our wildlife specialists come to your home the first thing that we are going to do is look for any way that the animals could be getting into your home, this in some cases can be an opening as small as ¼ of an inch. Finding all of these entry points and getting them repaired and sealed is key to getting the animals trapped and relocated as well as preventing them from getting into your home again once they are moved.
These openings can be in things like a loose piece of siding, a plumbing hole that is rotted or even just too big, through a roof that has seen some better days and so on. To animals like raccoons the size of the hole does not matter as they are strong enough to tear open a bigger space. In fact we have even seen in the past where a mother raccoon was blocked from getting back into an attic while her babies were still inside, this resulted in her bending the metal that had been used to patch the holes she had previously made and getting into the home in the first place.
Animals can cause damage in your home!
When you have animals in your home there are quite a few things to be aware of, most animals that get into your home are looking for a comfortable shelter, this means that they are going to “renovate” anything that is not to their taste or needs. There are more attic and home fires caused each year by squirrels than I would care to mention, this is because for some reason they really enjoy chewing on wires.
Squirrels and rats have front teeth that never stop growing, because of this they are constantly chewing on things to keep their teeth in check. This normally ends up being the wires in your attic, the wood beams any storage in your attic and sometimes even the dry wall in your walls. This can end up in quite a bit of damage if wildlife removal is not completed as soon as possible. This year alone we have had three customers who called us after having an attic fire put out and having the cause be determined as damaged wires from rats or squirrels in their attic.
Getting wildlife removal completed is simple!
After the initial inspection to determine where the animals are getting into your home we will then determine which type of animal you are dealing with and about how big of an infestation needs to be handled. This will then lead us to the best trapping method for your situation. There are quite a few different humane animal removal methods that we use and only by seeing your home and situation will we be able to decide which will be best for the animals that you are dealing with. In the example of squirrels, the best method that we have found is through the use of one-way-door traps, these allow the squirrels to leave and not get back into your home.
The next step is clean up.
Our job at Masters Services, (713) 723-4854 is not over until your home is also cleaned up from the what the animals left behind. This includes things like nesting materials, feces, urine and any other possible messes they have left behind. We are also able to help you get the area sanitized and deodorized following the relocation of the animals. This step is key in getting any disease or illnesses that the animals have been carrying removed from your home.
Our job at Masters Services is to provide you with the best possible products and services!
We have been in the chimney sweep Houston and wildlife removal business for over 17 years now, with the training and experience that we have I am confident in saying that there is no situation with your chimney or wildlife in your home that we will not be able to help you with. Call us for an estimate at (713) 723-4845.
