Chimney Cowls
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Products

Birdsave Round Chimney
Guard 18 Wires
Overview
Chimney cowls are a common sight on both domestic and commercial chimney pots and will normally be provided to stop pigeons or birds entering the pot or as a means of preventing debris such as leaves and twigs building up inside the chimney. Some bird-specific chimney cowls are dual-purpose offering a steel mesh wall to stop pigeons or birds entering the chimney pot combined with a steel ‘hat’ to prevent rain from entering the chimney pot. The most common type of chimney cowl, or ‘chimney balloon’, is a round or conical wire device that fits into the top of the chimney pot itself, blocking access to the chimney for the purposes of nesting and denying perching opportunities on the lip of the chimney pot itself. Chimney cowls are marketed to stop pigeons or gulls but can be used to control most species of medium and large birds.
Birdsave with Optional
Anti-Roosting Spike

Birdsave Chimney
Guard Flatpacked
The PCRC receives hundreds of calls each year from members of the public asking for advice on the control of wood pigeons that perch on the lip of their chimney pot and ‘coo’ down the chimney. As the chimney is simply a large funnel, when a bird such as a wood pigeon or a gull perches on the top of the chimney pot and makes any noise at all, that noise will be amplified very considerably by the time it reaches fireplaces in rooms below. This results in many property owners assuming that they have a bird trapped inside their chimney pot or alternatively that they have a bird nesting within the chimney pot. In most cases the sound is coming from a bird perching on the chimney pot and neither of the above. The noise generated by birds perching on the chimney pot can be extremely disturbing for residents in the property, particularly at dawn and dusk in the spring when breeding displays and mating calls are common. For this type of problem a chimney cowl would be the most appropriate control and would resolve noise-related problems instantly.

Birdsave Round Chimney
Guard 20 Wires

Chimney Rain
Bird Guard

Birdsave Square
Chimney Guard

Birdsave Square
Chimney Guard

Chimney Cap
DEFRA’s view:
Chimney cowls are not discussed on the DEFRA website
Price range:
One UK-based pest control supplier offers the round wire mesh chimney cowl at the following prices:
- Large: 225mm – to fit pots with a 225mm diameter - £10.36 + VAT
- Medium: 200mm – to fit pots 200mm in diameter - £9.52 + VAT
- Small: 150mm – to fit pots 150mm in diameter - £9.12 + VAT
The prices above represent the lowest UK prices for round chimney cowls, although prices can vary quite dramatically with the most expensive retailing at £32.31 + VAT for a large 225mm cowl.
Conical cowls are available from many pest control suppliers, garden centres and suppliers of chimney products. Conical cowls are normally only available in one universal size for both round and square-shaped chimney pots and prices range from £11.04 + VAT through to £19.98 inc VAT. Colour options normally include terracotta and black.
One UK supplier of bird control products offers a range of conical cowls that are designed to fit either round or square chimney pots. The cowls are also offered with varying numbers of upright wires (from which the cowl is constructed) presumably for the control of different sized birds or possibly simply for aesthetic reasons. The range also offers an optional anti-roosting spike that can be fitted to the top of the cowl. All cowls are available with curved or straight wires and prices for these products are as follows:
- Round chimney pot: 18-wire conical cowl - £25.00 inc VAT and postage
- Round chimney pot: 20-wire conical cowl - £27.00 inc VAT and postage
- Square chimney pot: 20-wire conical cowl - £30.00 inc VAT and postage
- Optional anti-roosting spike: - £4.50 inc VAT and postage
Chimney cowls that offer both protection from nesting birds as well as a conical ‘hat’ to stop rain entering the chimney pot are available for £15.99 from one internet supplier. These cowls require a jubilee clip to fasten them to the chimney pot.
One UK pest control supplier offers a ‘C-cap disused chimney cap’ for use on redundant chimneys where a permanent seal is required. The ‘C-cap disused chimney cap’ is available in terracotta or buff colour and costs £28.58 + VAT.
User reviews:
To date we have been unable to find any user reviews for chimney cowls but we will update this section as and when user reviews are made available to us. If you are able to provide a user review for chimney cowls please contact the Pigeon Control Resource Centre.
Comments from the Manufacturer/Distributor:
Other than a basic product description, no detailed information was available from manufacturers or suppliers of chimney cowls.
Editorial comments:
Chimney cowls are a cheap and efficient method of excluding both nesting birds and noisy birds from perching on chimney pots. Some cowls deny access to nesting birds but still allow perching to take place on the top of the cowl and therefore it may be necessary to install anti-roosting spikes on the top of the cowl. One brand of cowl offers an optional purpose-built anti-roosting spike which is designed to be fitted to the top of the cowl.
The Ely Fire Service has confirmed that there are health and safety concerns where the use of cowls is concerned. The Fire Service pointed out that leaves and other debris can become wedged between the upright wires (or within the mesh) of the cowl causing reduced flue efficiency and in turn potential health and safety issues. Anything that has the potential to block an active flue should not be used or, if used, should be regularly checked and maintained. The Fire Service also confirmed that owners of properties that are over-hung by deciduous trees (trees that loose their leaves) or by excess vegetation should be particularly aware of the dangers inherent with fitting a cowl.
One option where disused chimneys are concerned is to ‘cap’ the chimney pot permanently. This option may have appeal to many property owners who have chimneys but no longer use open fires. Capping the chimney will resolve all bird-related problems, including noise and at the same time will reduce heat loss within the property. Chimney caps can be removed should the chimney be used in the future.
Noise-related problems are common for property owners during the breeding period with wood pigeons being the most common culprit. Where this problem is concerned, fitting a cowl will completely resolve noise-related issues although there may continue to be residual noise if the cowl is not fitted with an anti-roosting spike to stop perching on top of the cowl.
Where nest building is a problem, a chimney cowl will effectively stop pigeons or birds but care must be taken to fit the cowl outside the breeding period. In the UK it is an offence to disturb any nesting bird or to interfere with a nest or its contents. Providing that a chimney cowl is fitted at the correct time of year and the property owner carries out a thorough inspection to confirm that there are no nesting or roosting birds in situ, the chimney cowl is an ideal option. It should be noted that bats will sometimes nest and roost within chimney pots and flues and if the property owner suspects that this may be the case a bat survey should be undertaken. It is an offence in the UK to disturb roosting or nesting bat populations. It is highly unlikely that any species of bird that breeds all-year round will be found nesting in a chimney pot so the months of November through to February should be safe period to install a chimney cowl.
Anyone considering a chimney cowl as a method of bird control should be aware that once birds are deterred from perching or nesting on or in a chimney pot they may simply start perching on the chimney stack or on other parts of the roof. Chimney cowls are an exclusion device, not a scaring device and as such they may have the effect of moving a problem bird from its preferred perch but not scaring the bird away from the property. Where chimney cowls are used for the purpose of excluding roof-nesting gulls from building nests in chimney pots it should be understood that the likely response from the bird will be to immediately re-build a nest on the chimney stack itself or in the lee of the stack where the stack meets the roof. In this case the stack itself and the right angle created by roof and stack should be protected with anti-roosting spikes as should the top of the cowl. Gulls will always return to the same nesting site each year and therefore, in order to ensure that the birds are physically prevented from nest building, comprehensive proofing will be required.
Also commonly known as:
Chimney balloon, chimney guard, bird balloon, bird guard, chimney cage
Relevance to pigeon control:
Chimney cowls are a pigeon-specific product but will provide protection against all species of bird from perching on or from nesting in a chimney pot