Chimney Sweeping and Brick Chimney Repair in Hobart, Indiana
Hobart High School teams are still called the Brickies, after the brickyards that once worked the north side of the city. We look after the chimneys that brick built.
By Mark Jason, owner of NWI Chimney Sweep · 34 years sweeping Lake County chimneys
How old are Hobart’s chimneys?
Hobart chimneys span more than a century, from brick stacks of the 1890s to factory-built metal systems in the newest houses. Hobart incorporated as a town in 1889 and as a city in 1921, and the Census ACS 2019-2023 median year built for its housing is 1972. In our experience a house that predates the Second World War usually has a brick chimney with no liner at all or with failing clay tile, a 1950s-1980s house has a conventional tile-lined masonry fireplace, and recent construction leans toward prefabricated fireplaces and gas units. Those are era patterns from the trade, not a survey of Hobart.
Why does old Hobart brick need soft mortar?
Old, soft-fired brick has to be repointed with a lime-rich mortar no harder than the brick, or the brick faces break away. Mortar is meant to be the sacrificial part of a wall: it flexes and lets moisture out. Pack a hard modern Portland mix into a hundred-year-old joint and the moisture leaves through the brick instead, where freezing pops the fired face off. That damage is called spalling. Our tuckpointing and masonry repair starts by matching the mortar to the brick, and an unlined flue is brought up to standard with a correctly sized chimney liner.
Which of Hobart’s three chimney generations is yours?
Nearly every Hobart chimney falls into one of three build generations, and each one fails in its own way.
Pre-war brick
Tall single-wythe stacks, lime mortar, often no liner. Priority: confirm what is inside before use.
Mid-century tile-lined
Clay tiles in two-foot sections. Priority: creosote removal and a check of every tile joint.
03Prefab and gas
Metal chimneys and sealed gas units. Priority: chase cover, cap, burner and pilot service.
What local knowledge goes into a Hobart visit?
Knowing Hobart means knowing which streets hold the oldest masonry and which hold the newest. The homes around Lake George, Festival Park and the Art Theatre downtown are where we expect unlined flues; the brickyards themselves stood near what is now Cressmoor Prairie Nature Preserve. Permit questions belong with the City of Hobart government site. Hobart High School is run by the School City of Hobart district, and the county’s Deep River County Park, home of Wood’s Historic Grist Mill, carries a Hobart address too.
We also cover Lake Station chimney sweeping to the north; every town we reach is listed on the service area map page.
Unlined until proven otherwise
If you do not know whether a Hobart chimney has a liner, treat it as unlined: do not burn in it until a camera has been up the flue. NFPA 211 requires a continuous liner, and bare brick lets heat and smoke through its joints.
Hobart homeowners ask us
Can an unlined brick chimney in an older Hobart house still be used?
Not as it stands. An unlined brick chimney in an older Hobart home lets heat, smoke and acidic moisture work directly on the mortar joints, and NFPA 211 requires a continuous liner. The chimney can usually be returned to service by installing a listed stainless steel liner sized to the fireplace, stove or furnace connected to it.
Why are the brick faces popping off my Hobart chimney?
Brick faces popping off a Hobart chimney is spalling. Water soaks into the brick, freezes, expands by roughly nine percent and shears the fired face from the softer core. It is worst below a cracked crown and where past repairs used mortar harder than the brick. Spalled bricks are cut out and replaced, then the water source is corrected.
What mortar do you use to repoint an old Hobart chimney?
We match the mortar to the brick. A Hobart chimney laid a century ago in soft brick and lime mortar is repointed with a lime-rich mix that stays weaker than the brick, so movement and moisture go through the joint. Modern hard-fired brick takes a standard Type N mortar. Using the wrong one is the commonest cause of repeat damage we see.
How can I tell whether my Hobart chimney has a liner at all?
Shine a strong flashlight up past the damper of your Hobart fireplace. A lined flue shows smooth terracotta-colored tile with a horizontal joint every two feet or so, or a round metal pipe. Rough brick and mortar all the way up means no liner. If soot hides the surface, a camera inspection answers the question in minutes.
What is the shiny black coating inside my Hobart fireplace flue?
A shiny black coating in a Hobart fireplace flue is third-stage creosote, often called glaze. It forms when smoke cools and condenses on the flue wall, typically from smoldering fires or unseasoned wood in a cold exterior chimney. Brushes will not shift it; it needs rotary chains or a chemical treatment, and it is the most flammable form of creosote.
Should I add a cap to a Hobart chimney that never had one?
Yes. An open flue on a Hobart chimney takes in rain and snow that soak the liner and firebox, and it invites birds and squirrels. A stainless steel cap with mesh sides keeps water and animals out and stops sparks at the top. On an old chimney with a non-standard flue opening the cap is measured and made to fit.
Can a wood-burning fireplace in Hobart be converted to gas?
Often, yes. A sound masonry fireplace in a Hobart home can take a gas log set or a gas insert, but the flue has to be inspected first and an insert needs its own listed liner. The flue is swept before conversion so no old creosote is left above the gas flame. Our wood versus gas fireplace comparison covers the trade-offs.
Do you sweep wood stove inserts in Hobart?
We do. A wood stove insert in a Hobart fireplace burns hotter and slower than an open fire, so it makes creosote faster and needs sweeping at least yearly. We clean the liner from the top or through the insert, check that the liner is properly connected at the insert collar, and inspect the door gasket and baffle.
Have an old Hobart chimney checked before the next fire
A person answers the phone from 7am to 9pm, every day of the week.
Call (219) 203-9797