No one likes to have bats living under their roof, attic, ceiling or chimney. The chimneys on Atlanta roofing offer an ideal place for bats to roost because they feel safe from predators. Bats present several inconveniences for homeowners, foremost of which is that bats carry diseases that humans could contract. They also produce noise that is annoying to some people. Their droppings are not only messy and smelly but have the potential to transmit diseases.

If you have bats living in your chimney, you can follow these steps to eliminate and prevent them from staying there.

Step One

Check the damper and make sure that it is close. This will prevent bats from gaining entrance to your house and flying around, which is not a pleasant experience for your family.

Never start a fire on your chimney while the bats are inside. You will have to open the damper to start a fire. For some reasons, bats fly down to the bottom than to the top and therefore, get inside the house. Starting a fire could kill the bats too, which is not only cruel but could be illegal in some places. They may fly into small areas around the house such as those found on walls and attics as well.

Step Two

Identify entry points. Bats find their way into your chimney and attic through holes and openings. Once you do, install a one-way exclusion device over the openings. This device is designed to let bats fly out of the chimney but not back in.

Finding the entry points of bats on chimneys is not difficult. It is obviously the big hole at the top. However, this is not the only point that bats enter the chimney. They go in through gaps between the chimney and roof, or in other holes such as those caused by decays. A thorough inspection is therefore recommended if you are to identify all the entry and exit points of bats.

Step Three

Seal all openings that bats could get in the house, not just the chimney where they roost. For houses with loose trims or fascia, you can use either a sealant or steel bolt to eliminate the gaps. For tile roofs, both a sealant applied on cracks and gaps and netting laid over the roof will work.

Bat repellents and electronic sound devices are not recommended for preventing bats from going into your chimney and home. There is no evidence that these products are effective and actually drive bats away. The best method is still physically excluding bats from entering gaps and holes.