Chimney Surround Squirrels

Chimney surround, faux chimney, chimney chase cover…whatever the structure attached to the roof resembling a chimney is called, squirrels and other animals like them if they can find their way in.

That’s because chimney surrounds usually have relatively large void spaces in them that make good nesting areas.

To review, a chimney surround is simply a decorative covering which is affixed to the roof of a home in order to hide a chimney pipe.

They are usually boxy structures made of sided wood, metal, or plastic. They are installed on the roof where a pipe of some kind comes up through the roof.

Their purpose is aesthetics; meant to dress up the look of the roof line.

Here are some different views of chimney surrounds. Some look like brick and some are just sided. But, as you can see, all of them have some sort of void between the pipe inside and the outer shell.

That is where squirrels and other animals can make nests if they find their way inside.

Squirrel in Chimney Surround

Here is a recent video which shows a squirrel that had found it’s way past the surround’s defenses. It was living in the void between the pipe and the framing.

If you have a chimney surround, maybe the pictures above or the video are making you nervous…

Don’t be nervous. When installed correctly (correctly being the key word), they are almost always squirrel free.

When a decorative chimney surround is put together correctly, the pipe comes to the top of the surround and passes through a tight fitting lid. Often, screens are installed.

But, squirrels do happen.

In the case of the video, the screening failed which can happen with age. Other times, wind or water or poor installation cause gaps to open.