Scratching noise coming from the woodstove

[sassafraspete]

Ok, this is a first for me. We heat our house with a wood/oil combo furnace that's in the basement. We also have a small woodstove that we fire up from time to time. I came home from work the other night and my wife says she is occasionally hearing a "scratching" noise coming from the woodstove. I was too tired to investigate...it will keep until the weekend.

We figure out that it is definately some kind of animal ...but what? Could it be a squirrel....maybe a ground squirrel... or what about a bat? Maybe a bird?

The critter was only scratching during the day while my wife is home...but not at night. To combat the noise ....she resorted to turning her music up LOUD.

OK, so it is the weekend, and we start to tackle the job. We started to take on the task of removing the stove pipe. The scratching seems very loud...what if it is a squirrel ....we had visions of this squirrel covered in black...jumping all around our house. Can you imagine that? What if it is a bat? I think I better put on some old clothes.

Ok...what tools to get. Well, I have a couple of fish landing nets down in the basement. I hauled those up. I get a bucket to set the stove pipe in. Meanwhile the scratching continues.

Ok...I removed the screw holding the stove pipe together...
What am I about to see.....

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="red"> What am I about to see.....
</font>


Toss another log in and you'll see "BBQ" /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[RoyJackson]

Reckon by now you know what is was...
My money is on it being a squirrel

 

[Egon]

Ahh shucks Pete, It could be any of many things. Put a screen on the chimney cap To keep out the bees.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif as always

 

[Boondox]

I'm assuming this sound happens whether or not the stove is in use? If only at startup or when the fire really gets going...when is the last time you checked for creosote buildup? Just asking since if we let our chimney go too long between cleanings chunks fall down and sound just like the scratching of a small animal.

Pete

 

[Glenn9643]

If your experience is the same as mine you'll find an owl. I had two that came down the chimney at different times and they can make a lot of noise.

 

[riptides]

A cat.

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Indydirtfarmer]

Anyone seen Santa Claus lately????? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[JayC]

So that's where Jimmy Hoffa has been all these years! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[PineRidge]

Happened to me years ago with a gas furnace.

Turned out a common squirrel had come down the chimney like old St. Nick, down the flue-pipe, and out the draft diverter.

He was sitting just behind the top front cover on an old Moncrief furnace.

When I took the front off the furnace we both had an accident. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Egon]

Pete:

Had sorta the same experience with creosote build up.

I burned a creosote removing log. Then taped on the stove pipe. Sounded like hail as it was falling. Also blocked off the top of the stove. Then used too small a nylon rope to pull the cleaning brush through. It was a fun day. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Boondox]

Yeah, we all have that experience at least once! The first year we had that stove I was up on the roof shoveling snow when I decided to tap the side of the stovepipe. I heard what you described. Figured it needed cleaning, so I tapped again, with vigor.

Then my wife started bellowing at me from inside the house. Something about smoke billowing from the woodstove because of the blocked flue.

Not a good day! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Egon]

Goodness; That does make me feel better. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[sassafraspete]

Sorry for the delay to the end of this story.... my wife had to have the computer and I never got back to finishing it.

Anyway, there we stood with our fish nets over the doors to the wood stove, and I gently removed the pipe expecting at any moment for something to jump out and crawl up my leg. Nothing happened.

So next I went for my stick and started poking. Kinda like catfish grabbing, except I'm poking around with a stick. Finally a noise , and a puff of wood ash or I should say several puffs, out flops this big black bird.... maybe a young starling by the look of some small spots on the feathers.

With some well placed pokes we were able to convince the bird to go into our nets, where we quickly closed the top and took it outside to freedom.

Well besides the mess of wood ashes where the bird was flopping around and causing a dust storm, all went pretty well. On the bright side I discovered there was very little creosote in my stove pipes...looked more like a little dry wood ash.

So in the end...after 2 days of scratching, a bird gains it's freedom, and I get a long overdue stove pipe inspection completed.

Maybe I should take Egon's advice and put on those chimney caps.

As for the fish nets... that's the first bird I ever caught in one. I'm going to have to get out and fish more.....

sassafraspete

 

[Airedale]

Those Starlings will build a nest in your flue and plug it. I happened to see Starlings flying into my fireplace flue last spring. I have a gas fireplace insert vented through a 4 inch liner. I climbed up and took a look and they had it plugged for a couple of feet with nesting material. Good thing the weather was warm and the insert did not fire up. I enclosed the opening with 1/4 inch hardware cloth.

 

[Egon]

Pete:

You are not the first person to have a bird come down the stove pipe. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Nor will you be the last. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon