Safety First

In May we had a nasty surprise when we opened the cottage...2 DEAD SQUIRRELS!  They stunk, and were disgusting to clean up.  We realized they must have come in from the chimney but didn't have an immediate fix. Our chimney is about 20' off the ground and 10' above the very steep roof line.  This weekend we arrived to find another squirrel in our wood stove and knew we had to do something immediately.

Here was my solution with the tools at hand.  First, add a long ladder up the roof for access to the base of the chimney.

 Then, add a 2nd ladder at the base of the chimney.

 Finally, add a 3rd ladder that perfectly fits into the 2nd ladder and reaches the top of the chimney.

For safety, I tied myself off with a tubing rope that was secured over the roof to the cottage next door.  There is no way I would have scaled the chimney without the tie-off.  With the tie-off, I felt very good.

 Now I was ready for the easy part - install the chimney cap.

 No more squirrels!