Spent 3 hours on a blocked flue that turned out to be a bird nest and a stuck cap

Jessica Miller · 2026-10-28T11:05:04.268397+00:00

Last Thursday I got called out to a house in Norwood where the homeowner said smoke was backing up into the living room every time they lit the fireplace. I figured it was just soot buildup, but the flue was clear for the first 8 feet, then I hit something solid around 15 feet up. Turned out a starling had built a nest on top of the old cap, and the cap itself had rusted shut, so the whole run was blocked from above. It took me 3 hours, two rods, and a borrowed ladder to get it all out, way more than the 45 minutes I quoted. How do you all handle nests when the cap is jammed, do you pull the cap or work from the top down?

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Spent 3 hours on a blocked flue that turned out to be a bird nest and a stuck cap | Chimney Sweeps - HW Forums