Why does my fireplace smell like rotting meat or dead animal?
A smell like rotting meat almost always means an animal has died in the chimney, usually a bird, squirrel, raccoon, bat or rodent that got in and could not get out. Stop using the fireplace until a chimney technician has looked, because whatever is in there can also block the flue.
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The smell is often stronger when air is being pulled down the chimney into the house, for example when an extractor fan or the heating system is running, and it can fade and return. That does not mean it is going away. It usually means the remains are still in the chimney.
Why it happens
A chimney is a tall, dark, sheltered tube, and animals treat it like a hollow tree. Birds nest in it, squirrels and raccoons den in it, and bats roost in it. An open top with no cap or a damaged cap makes it easy. Once inside, the animal can slip down the flue, get wedged at the damper or on the smoke shelf behind it, and be unable to climb back out.
The smell reaches the room because a chimney is a direct air path into the house. Air moves down the flue as readily as it moves up, so the odour travels into the firebox and out into the living space. Nesting material, droppings and debris add to it and can sit there long after the animal has gone.
Rotting meat is not the only possible smell from a fireplace. Old soot and creosote smell sharp, smoky or tarry, and damp brick smells musty. A sweet, heavy, rotting smell points to an animal.
What you can check yourself
Listen first
Stand quietly near the fireplace and listen for scratching, rustling, chirping or squeaking. Sounds mean an animal may still be alive in there, which changes how it must be removed.
Look at the hearth, from a distance
Check the firebox floor and hearth for droppings, feathers, twigs, nesting material or fallen soot. Do not touch any of it with bare hands, because droppings can carry disease.
Check the damper handle
Note whether the damper is open or closed and whether the smell changes. Do not reach up into the flue or push anything into it.
Note where the smell is strongest
If it is strongest at the fireplace opening and weaker elsewhere, the source is almost certainly in the chimney. Tell the technician what you found.
Test your carbon monoxide alarms
Make sure the alarms near the fireplace and bedrooms are working. If anyone has a headache or dizziness, get outside and call 911.
When to call a technician
Call as soon as you notice the smell. It is already past what you can sort out by looking and listening. Do not light a fire to smoke the animal out or to burn off the smell. It is cruel, burning nesting material is a common cause of chimney fires, and a blocked flue can push smoke into the room.
Wildlife rules vary by place, and in many places nesting birds are legally protected, so removal sometimes has to be done a particular way or at a particular time. Your local building department or wildlife agency can tell you what applies where you live. One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service: call (866) 576-7943 and an independent chimney technician is arranged for you. The estimate is free, the technician inspects the chimney and gives the price before any work starts, and you approve it first.
What the technician will do
- Identify the animalThe technician works out what is in the chimney and whether it is dead or alive before anything is done. That decides the method.
- Remove it or evict it humanelyWhere the species requires it, removal or humane eviction is carried out with a wildlife specialist.
- Clear the debrisRemains, nesting material and droppings are taken out of the flue, damper area and smoke shelf.
- Sweep and inspect the flueThe flue is swept and inspected to check for blockage, damage to the liner and anything the animal left behind.
- Fit a proper capA properly sized cap with mesh goes on top so animals cannot get back in.
Related questions
- Will the smell go away by itself?
- It may fade as the remains dry out, but it can take a long time and often returns. The remains and nesting material need to be removed to clear it properly.
- Is it safe to use the fireplace if I can only smell it faintly?
- No. Stop using it until the chimney has been checked. A carcass or nest can block the flue, and smoke and carbon monoxide can then enter the room.
- Can a dead animal in the chimney make us ill?
- Droppings and nesting debris can carry disease, so do not handle them or sweep them up without protection. Leave the cleaning to the technician.
- How do I stop animals getting in again?
- A properly sized cap with mesh over the flue is the usual answer. The technician can also check the crown and flashing for gaps animals could use.
- What decides the cost of removing an animal?
- Chimney height and access, what the animal is and where it is lodged, how much debris there is, and what the inspection finds all matter. The free estimate sets the price before work begins.
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