Chimney Sweeping and Flue Inspection in Highland, Indiana
A Highland chimney from the 1960s usually carries two flues: one for the fireplace and one for the furnace and water heater. We check both on the same visit.
By Mark Jason, owner of NWI Chimney Sweep · 34 years of hands-on chimney work
Highland was settled in 1848 and incorporated on April 4, 1910, when 304 people lived here. Local government today is the Town of Highland, and the housing most of us picture when we think of the town, Cape Cods, brick ranches and bi-levels, is what a 1966 median implies.
Why does the furnace flue matter as much as the fireplace in Highland?
In a 1960s house the furnace and water heater normally vent into the same brick chimney as the fireplace, through a separate flue beside it.
The original furnace sent very hot exhaust up the chimney, which kept the flue warm and dry. A modern fan-assisted furnace extracts more heat, so its exhaust arrives cooler and carries the same water vapour. In a tall, cold masonry flue that vapour condenses on the tile. The condensate is mildly acidic, and over a few winters it dissolves mortar joints and flakes the tile face. It gets worse when a high-efficiency furnace is vented out the side wall in plastic pipe and the water heater is left alone in a flue sized for two appliances.
The signs are modest: a damp patch on the basement wall at the chimney base, white salts on the brick, or grit and tile chips behind the cleanout door. The cure is a stainless liner sized to the appliance, selected from the gas code venting tables for that burner input and flue height.
How do we inspect a sixty-year-old Highland chimney?
We inspect a Highland chimney from the hearth to the cap in four passes, so nothing between the basement cleanout and the roofline is skipped.
Firebox and damper
Firebrick joints, the damper plate and the smoke shelf are checked by hand and light. Soot here tells us how the fireplace has been drafting.
Fireplace flue
If deposits call for it we carry out a full fireplace sweep first, because a tile cannot be judged through a coat of creosote.
Furnace flue and cleanout
The appliance connector, the thimble where it enters the chimney and the debris at the cleanout are examined, with a Level 2 video scan when the tile is suspect.
Roofline
Crown, flashing, cap and mortar joints get a hands-on check. Recessed joints are noted for tuckpointing before the brick starts to spall.
Which parts of Highland do we cover?
Every Highland street is in range for our Lake County crew, and the work is steady across the whole town. The best-known green space is Wicker Memorial Park, a North Township park that President Calvin Coolidge dedicated in 1927 as a memorial to World War veterans. Elsewhere in town, we work the blocks around Main Square Park, Sheppard Park, Markley Park, Meadows Park and Brantwood Park. Students in these neighbourhoods attend Highland High School in the School Town of Highland.
Chimneys of this age nearly always need attention at the top as well, so ask about crown rebuilding and stainless caps while we are on the roof. Starting figures for every job are kept on the NWI Chimney Sweep price list. We also handle masonry chimney work in Munster and fireplace service in Schererville; the full list of towns is on the service area page.
Highland homeowners ask us
Does the furnace flue in my Highland home need sweeping too?
The furnace flue in a Highland home needs inspecting every year, though it seldom needs brushing the way a wood-burning flue does. Gas appliances leave no creosote. What collects instead is debris: flaked tile, eroded mortar, leaves and the occasional nest, all of which can pile up at the base and block the vent. NFPA 211 calls for yearly inspection of vents as well as chimneys.
What does a stainless liner do for an older Highland chimney?
A stainless liner gives an older Highland chimney a continuous, gas-tight flue of the correct size. It keeps exhaust away from deteriorated tile and brick, and because it is sized to the appliance it warms quickly, drafts properly and stops condensation forming. Liners for this purpose are listed to UL 1777, and the diameter is chosen from the appliance input and chimney height, never by eye.
How can I tell if the crown on my Highland chimney is failing?
A failing crown on a Highland chimney shows itself in a few ways without anyone climbing a ladder: mortar-coloured chunks in the gutter or on the roof, a rust-streaked damper, water marks on the firebox walls, or damp ceiling drywall next to the chimney.
Is tuckpointing enough or does my Highland chimney need rebuilding?
Tuckpointing is enough for a Highland chimney when the bricks themselves are sound and only the mortar joints have weathered back. Rebuilding becomes the honest recommendation when brick faces have popped off, bricks are loose to the hand, or the stack above the roof has started to lean.
Why does my Highland fireplace smell smoky in summer?
A Highland fireplace smells smoky in summer because humid air is being pulled down the flue across old creosote. Air conditioning, bath fans and a clothes dryer all draw air out of the house, and the chimney is the easiest way for replacement air to come in. Sweeping removes the source of the odour, and a top-sealing damper closes the path.
Should a never-used fireplace in a Highland house be inspected before the first fire?
Yes, a fireplace nobody has used in years should be inspected before a first fire in any Highland house. We regularly find flues blocked by nests, dampers rusted shut and gaps between tiles that a previous owner never knew about.
Can birds nest in an uncapped Highland chimney?
Birds can and do nest in an uncapped Highland chimney. Chimney swifts are the usual tenants, and they are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so an active nest has to be left until the young have flown. After they leave in autumn, the flue can be swept and fitted with a cap so the chimney is closed to them the following spring.
When is the best season to schedule chimney masonry work in Highland?
The best season for chimney masonry work in Highland runs from late spring to early autumn. Mortar and crown material need temperatures reliably above about 40°F to cure properly, and a repair that freezes before it sets will fail. Sweeping and inspections can be done in any month.
Two flues, one visit: call about your Highland chimney
Ring any day of the week from 7am to 9pm and tell us what the house is doing.
Call (219) 203-9797