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Black Goose

Black Goose

Chimney Sweep | Williamsburg, Yorktown, Newport News, & Hampton

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    • Chimney Sweep
    • Chimney Repairs
    • Chimney Relining
    • Chimney Caps
    • Chimney Swift
    • Top Pans/Chase Covers
    • Fireplace Rebuild
    • Gas Logs and Inserts
    • Historic Restorations
    • Dryer Vent Maintenance
    • Animal Removal
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Animal Removal

 

If you suspect a critter might have taken up residence in your chimney, the first thing to do is to seal any access they may have to your house. This can be easily done by placing a board in front of your fireplace, and attaching it at the sides to ensure there is no place to squeeze through. While this step isn’t essential, it can offer peace of mind to many homeowners, especially in homes with young children. Next is to contact a professional for animal removal. 

You may have heard or read online that you can “smoke out” animals by lighting a fire, but it is very important that you NEVER do this. Attempting to remove animals like this is not only inhumane (in some cases illegal), but can cause serious damage to your chimney flue.

Removing Birds from Your Chimney, Kitchen, or Dryer Vent

Birds are one of the most common animals you may find in your chimney. While some may have flown in and found themselves trapped, many choose to set up residence due to the warmth and protection. At Black Goose Chimney we are able to remove birds, nests, and any offspring with care.

There are some species that we cannot remove from a flue, the most common is the Chimney Swift. This species is a federally protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, meaning it is prohibited to kill, capture, sell, trade, and transport protected migratory bird species without prior authorization by the Department of Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

You may also discover a bird who has built their nest in your exterior dryer vent. Just give Black Goose Chimney a call, and we’ll be out as soon as possible to humanely remove the nest and clean out your dryer vent. If nesting birds in your dryer vent is a routine problem, we can also install specially designed vent covers.

Dealing with Raccoons or Squirrels in Your Chimney

Similar to many birds, momma raccoons see your chimney as a safe, warm location for to raise her babies. The smoke shelf in your chimney offers her an ideal spot for cuddling and nursing her young. Understandably, these mothers are extremely protective of their young, and can be aggressive to anyone or anything they perceive as a threat. Raccoons frequently carry rabies, worms, fleas, and lice, so it’s best to leave removal to the professionals at Black Goose Chimney. When our team removes any babies from the chimney, they will wear heavy gloves in order to protect their own safety, as well as to ensure they do not leave their scent on the babies. The babies will then be placed in a bucket or box so that their mother raccoon can come and retrieve them safely.

Squirrels are luckily much easier to remove from a chimney. Since they are excellent climbers, we are often able to remove them by lowering a secured rope down the flue and allowing them to climb out. While this works in many situations, it is not a universal fix. If manual removal is necessary, the team at Black Goose Chimney will do so with the utmost care for both the animal and your home.

How to Prevent a Chimney Pest Problem

The easiest way to prevent critters from making a home in your chimney is to have a chimney cap professionally installed. The cap serves as a first line of defense against pests, and prevents other debris from making their way into your chimney system. At Black Goose Chimney we offer copper, stainless steel, and galvanized chimney caps in a large variety of standard and custom sizes. If you currently have a critter living rent-free in your chimney, we can easily install a chimney cap as soon as they have been safely removed.

Black Goose Chimney is Here to Help

If you suspect an animal living in your chimney, give Black Goose Chimney a call for animal removal. Our technicians will come out and provide you with a full update of your situation, and let you know what options you may have. Please call our office at (757) 596-2298 or send us a message through our online form.

Black Goose Chimney brings 21st-century technology to a century-old trade with extensive experience and state of the art tools. Our training and dedication to excellence makes Black Goose Chimney the company you want when credentials and quality count!

All of our lead sweepers are nationally certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) for chimney sweeping and Certified Dryer Exhaust Technicians [C-DET]. We feel it is essential to continuously educate ourselves in this growing field, that is currently unregulated by the state which includes animal removal.

If you ever hear scratching, squeaking, or chirping around your fireplace you may have an animal stuck in your chimney. This is potentially dangerous for you and for the animal if not dealt with quickly. Animals may have nests in your chimney that can quickly alight and cause a fire in your flue. For this reason and the safety of the animal, they must be removed as quickly and humanely as possible. At Black Goose we use care and precision when we are removing animals from your chimney. 

Prevention

Keeping pests out of your chimney is as easy as installing a chimney cap. This cover for the top of your chimney is often the first line defense against Raccoons, Squirrels, and Birds. It is also useful in keeping debris out of your flue in fall and spring.

Raccoons

Animal Removal - Racoons
Mama Raccoon

Raccoons like to make a home on the smoke shelf in masonry fireplaces. If your chimney is not capped they can easily maneuver into the chimney to have their babies. Raccoons carry rabies, roundworms, fleas and lice. Mama raccoons are very dangerous and must be out of the area before we remove any babies. Mama Raccoon can open most any damper, except for rotary screw type Vestal dampers, and even then she can often still move the damper. Most raccoons can be forced out of the flue, by pushing them with a rod with a half moon tool attached to it.  Babies are often too young to climb out on their own and must be physically removed.  When our leads remove the babies they will wear heavy gloves so they do not leave their scent on the babies and they will place them in a bucket or box so that Mama Raccoon can come and get them.

Squirrels

Baby squirrel rescued from chimney.

Squirrels can often be removed by dropping a rope down the flue and securing it to the top of the chimney casing. Sometimes it is necessary to physically remove them.

Birds

If you have a prefabricated fireplace it is possible for a bird to be stuck in between the pipes. If this is the case the only way for us to remove the bird is to remove the siding of the exterior chimney in order to access the pipe, which will have to be unattached from the top down and then reconnected.

Animal Removal - Chimney Swift
Chimney Swift

The only bird that we cannot remove from a flue is the chimney swift. They are a federally protected species. For more information on chimney swifts please visit www.chimneyswift.org.

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Services

 

  • Chimney Sweep
  • Chimney Repairs
  • Chimney Relining
  • Chimney Caps
  • Chimney Swift
  • Top Pans/Chase Covers
  • Fireplace Install
  • Fireplace Rebuild
  • Gas Logs and Inserts
  • Historic Restorations
  • Dryer Vent Maintenance
  • Animal Removal

Helpful Hints

 

  • How To Hire a Chimney Sweep
  • Apples to Apples Comparison
  • Rave Reviews
  • How to Easily Start a Fire

Coupons

 

Be sure to check out our Coupon Specials! We have new offerings on a regular basis so be sure to check back often!

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Google Rating
4.2
Based on 54 reviews
Black Goose Chimney
Black Goose Chimney
4.2
Bill McCoy
If I could give negative stars I would! These guys jerked my 80 year old mother around during Christmas when it was freezing. Someone told Mom to call these guys because the furnace was venting into the basement. A dude looking like Bob Marley shows up and says he can't fix it or even look at it because we have slate roof and they need special equipment to get up there. Ok. I get it. When can you come back? Someone will call you. No. No one called me. I called the next week. By this time mom had to sleep downstairs in front of fireplace to stay warm. I called. Dude on phone said he didn't know anything about it but would get back to me day after New Years. He didn't. I called again on Wednesday. No one answered. I left a message. Nothing.
Dorethea Johnson
They attempted to charge me an absorbent amount for money a fireplace chain cover. They qouted a me the price for it. They didn't have it in stock. When It came in. They had changed the price by more than double.
Kyle Russell
I seen a employee hit another vehicle on 64 and keep driving. Wouldn't want that integrity working at my house.
William Chandler
Very professional and thorough.
Jory Morrison
Frances McCoy-Brown
From the person answering the phone and scheduling my appointment. To the two men who came out and did a chimney check were very courteous and professional. I was provided with information that would help me make an informed decision. There was no hard sell ! I would recommend them.
Yvonne Richardson
Had my chimney and firebox repaired. they did the work in very reasonable time and did a very good job. Were on time and were respectful, courteous and professional. Cleaned up nicely also. The lady in the office was very friendly and helpful.
Fran Spady
The gentlemen were professional and left my home clean. They were thorough in their inspection and answered our questions. They took pictures so we could see repairs. He wrote up more than one bid so we could take care of the necessities first. There was no hard sell or pushing to purchase.Thank you Black Goose. I have a new chimney sweep!
Bridget Sims
Brian Lucas
I paid them to perform a diagnostic on my gas logs that were not lighting. The Tech determined I have a faulty valve and told me the office would look up the part and send me a quote to replace it. That was nearly three months ago. I called the office twice during that time to remind them and got the run-around. Don’t waste your time on this company.
Amanda Wroten
Ken Nelson
Pauretta Banks
Love my fire place! They did a great job and made sure I was satisfied before they left.
Wayne Sears
Tom Jowers
High prices but as the old saying goes "you get what you pay for." In this case, quality service.
John Sims
This company helped fix our chimney after a very scary fire we had. Great quality work and very professional crew
Pamela Mason
Black Goose Chimney did a superb job for us. Their technician Joe is a pleasure to work with and is not only professional and polite, but does fantastic work! On time, great workmanship and a pleasure to work with - what more can you ask for. I would recommend BlacK Goose Chimney to anyone.
Deborah Hill
Michael Chase
What a great team. Highly professional, knowledgable and no nonsense tell it like it is workers. Sergey is a master brick layer and technician. I will not use anyone else when it comes to brick and chimney work.The owner, Jim and Kathy, front office, are absolutely great to work with. I highly reccommend this company.
William Marx
The terracota liner to the oil boiler had broken after 50 years. Jim came out and gave an estimate and managed to promptly get a crew here on a Saturday to replace it with a steel liner. The crew, Sergei and Michael, arrived on time and were quite polite, efficient and neat. The left the house in better shape than when they arrived. They took care that the 5 month old puppy was kept away from the repair materials. Michael went so far as to clear the entire roof of pine needles, not just the area he was working. Greatly appreciated. They truly went the extra mile!
Selina Tyler
James Simone
Wanted to charge a $99.00 service call for an estimate. Other companies came for free
Sean B
Don Lovis
They came out to do a dryer vent sweep. They quoted me 800.00 labor for 2 hours to fix one dryer pipe 10 ft long. Hired another company and charged 75.00. I will never use them again
Anthony Cronin
Very ProfessionalShared Concern To Apply Money To Return Maximum Value With Highest Quality!
Wayne Booth
Called today to schedule cleaning two chimneys. The price they quoted was more than double other places I called. And they were booked out three weeks. The company I scheduled with was six weeks out. It was worth the wait.
Peter Henrie
Very disappointed with my experience with this company. I called to get a quote for a gas stove installed. They sent their employee who charged me $100 to quote me, this wasn't told to me on the initial call, only at the end of the onsite visit to quote. I was told it would be removed from cost of the installation however they were unresponsive to calls and emails multiple times afterwards that I gave up moving forward with them. Would sadly not recommend.
billd354
Used this company about 6 or 7 years ago for a new crown and mortar joint work. Felt they did a good job. Tried to get them to do more work, however after sending me a confirmation phone call that they would be there, they cancelled at the last minute. They did call me and tell me that a person called in sick, so I asked if the next time I schedule that they guarantee no matter what, they meet their appointment obligations. The person would not and so other person called me back, who also would not. They obviously gave preferential treatment to some customers, because they didn't get cancelled. This person told me a different story, that the person was in a car accident the previous day. Then why didn't they call me first thing in the morning? This person also would not guarantee that they would definitely be there on the reschedule. If you live on the southside, you can expect to be the first to be cancelled. Which was it? Sick, car accident, or just didn't want to drive through the tunnel because both people I talked to wanted to give me to their competitors.
Chris Burrell
The guys that came to the house were great!! Highly recommend!!!
Nikki Edgerton
Tim Pratt
Jerry Fortner
Enjoying another early season fire watching football thanks to Blue Goose Chimney. Great system been years we have been able to enjoy our fireplace!Jerry FortnerPoquoson, VA
I C
Barry Hughes
Very frustrated in dealing with the office of this business. My chimney inspection was completed on the 18th of October and I called last week and then sent an email and kristin responded on the 11th of November and said she would have something by the 13th. It's now the 15th and nothing. Not right at all.if you can't
kathryn howard
I have used Black Goose for over 15 years. I needed serious work to our fireplace and chimney which they took care of and they have been out to inspect and or sweep every year since. They are always timely and fair. They only sweep about every other year so I'm not charged a sweep, it's based on how much we have used the fireplace. We have had no problems at all since the repair and I only have them to thank.
Rhonda Saunders
These guys are very professional and they know there stuff. Very honest and trustworthy
Wesley Stilson
Great service. Sergey and his helper showed up during the allotted time. They did a full inspection of my wood stove to ensure it was installed correctly to code. they did a full borescope inspection of the stove pipe and chimney pipe and found one sheet metal screw that was installed incorrectly. they fixed it and did a full sweep. They cleaned up their mess and provided me input on when to have them back for another sweep. Top notch service. They will not disappoint.
Eric Marsalis
Marilyn Keener
I highly recommend Black Goose Chimney. They arrived on time and did an excellent cleaning job. I found them to be very knowledgeable and professional. I would not hesitate to use them again.
Jeffrey Sheffield
Trustworthy, prompt, and professional. Couldn't ask for a better experience.
Adam Russell
Expert technicians, receptionists needs some work though. Completely satisfied all the same.
Ellen Charles
We had a knowledgeable chimney sweep come and inspect our fireplace and chimney. We knew that our fireplace had a bad back wall and knew there maybe some problems with the chimney. He explained what needed to be done and the cost. They had two very nice guys come and do the repairs. They worked well together and cleaned up afterwards. They showed my husband pictures of what they did to the chimney. From the time I called setup an appointment and the work being completed was about 8 days.
Jeff Prunier
The team at Black Goose Chimney took care of my fireplace and my wood stove with courtesy and professionalism! I highly recommend them. Not only did they put a new chimney cap on and replace the mortar, they answered all my questions and made sure I was confident in preparing a fire. Don't delay, call today!
Mike Levering (Throls)
I had an appointment window of 1:30 to 3:30. At 3:40 I called them asking for an ETA . The receptionist stated that a technician had installed the cap first thing in the morning. I explained to receptionist that was impossible since no one from Black Goose had been to my home. After some back and forth the receptionist stated she would have to see the pictures of the job and would get back to me the following day. I received a phone call the following day and was informed the chimney sweep installed the cap on the wrong house.This review would not have been necessary if Black Goose had been more proactive in addressing my concerns since there was still time in the day to put on the cap or at least offered to compensate me for my lost time. Perhaps they were just having a bad day and my experience with their service was just a fluke. Unfortunately their bad day cost me my afternoon. I strongly recommend you look elsewhere for your chimney needs.TL;DR: They put the cap on the wrong house.
Skyler Yugo
Nice crew, honest about condition of our chimney, quick work and reasonably priced.
Cody Stickle
Patty from Black Goose is the best!
Heather Westmoreland
The fellows at Black Goose are very friendly and professional. They give you their honest opinion even if means that they won't get any work from it. I've had them come out for two years in a row and I feel confident with their services.
Kim Enroughty
I know nothing about chimneys so I was reluctant to call someone for an inspection. I couldn't be more pleased with the service I received from Black Goose Chimney Sweep. John was very professional and answered all my questions. I feel confident that I will call them again for one of their many other services.
Christopher Costa
I have been organizing the annual dryer vent cleaning for my 13 unit Condo Association for the past 3 years! I have not been satisfied with the service from the past two companies so I contacted Black Goose Chimney. I am so happy that I did. The service was complete and professional in every way. Patty and Ike drove out to Virginia Beach to look at the job ahead of time. We split it into two days so that they would have enough time to service each unit properly. We chose a weekday and a Saturday. The crew who came on Tuesday were Ryan, Jesse and Sergey. They were very courteous and thorough. They recorded air flow readings before and after service and provided a receipt with all of the info. They cleaned each vent from inside and outside, protected floors and cleaned up after themselves. I'm not sure who the crew was on Saturday but I have not heard any complaints so I am confident that all went well!I will definately call Black Goose again next year!
John Pierce
Ryan M. and Jessie came out to inspect 9 fireplaces for a local Girl Scout camp. I asked a lot of questions and Ryan was more than willing to take his time and explain everything to me that I wanted to know. He is very knowledgeable, friendly and thorough. Thanks Black Goose!
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