Chimney Sweep in Crown Point & Northwest Indiana
Sweeping, inspection, masonry repair, relining and vent cleaning from a Crown Point crew led by Mark Jason, who has spent 34 years inside Region chimneys. Open 7 days a week, 7am to 9pm.
What happens when you call
- A person picks up between 7am and 9pm, any day of the week.
- We ask what you burn, how old the house is and what you have noticed.
- You hear which visit fits: sweep, inspection, repair or vent cleaning.
- The work follows the NFPA 211 standard from firebox to cap.
- Our aim is to explain what we found in plain words before anything extra is done.
Gas smell, CO alarm or chimney fire?
If you smell gas, a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding, or you suspect a chimney fire, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility first. Once the house has been declared safe, call us at (219) 203-9797 to inspect the chimney before it is used again. See our emergency chimney service page for what to do in a fire, CO leak, blockage, backdraft or storm.
By Mark Jason, owner of NWI Chimney Sweep · 34 years in the trade
A chimney company built for Region weather
Northwest Indiana chimneys fail mainly from water and frost, because lake-effect snow off Lake Michigan melts and refreezes inside the masonry all winter. Snow loads the crown (the slab that tops the brickwork), a mild afternoon melts it, and the night freezes that water inside every hairline crack. Repeat that a few dozen times a winter and brick faces pop off, mortar joints open, and the flue tile under them starts to shift. Then a humid July pulls the smell of last season’s soot back down into the living room.
That is why a visit from us is never only a brush up the flue. We look at how water is getting in, how smoke is getting out, and whether the liner still matches the appliance connected to it. If you would like the full menu first, the chimney services overview for Crown Point explains which job answers which symptom.
Seven services, one crew
NWI Chimney Sweep handles seven jobs with one Crown Point crew: sweeping, inspection, masonry repair, relining, caps and crowns, gas tune-ups and dryer vents.
Chimney Sweeping & Cleaning
Rotary and hand brushing matched to the flue, from firebox and smoke chamber up to the cap, with soot contained at the hearth.
02Chimney Inspection
Level 1 visual checks and Level 2 camera scans that show cracked tiles, missing mortar joints and hidden gaps.
03Chimney Repair & Masonry
Tuckpointing, flashing and counter-flashing work, brick replacement and breathable water repellent for spalling stacks.
04Chimney Relining
Stainless liners listed to UL 1777 and sized to the appliance, for failed clay tile or a flue that is simply too big.
05Caps, Crowns & Dampers
Stainless caps, sloped crowns with a drip edge, chase covers and top-sealing dampers that keep rain and animals out.
06Gas Fireplace Tune-Ups
Pilot assembly, thermocouple and thermopile testing, burner and log placement, glass cleaning and vent checks.
07Dryer Vent Cleaning
Lint cleared along the whole run, wall to hood, with the duct length and elbows compared against IRC M1502.
Wondering what any of this costs? Every starting figure sits on one page: the chimney service price list.
Why homeowners call Mark
Mark Jason, the owner, was born and raised in Crown Point, the same city the shop works from today, and has been in the chimney sweep business for 34 years. He is 55, a father of two girls and two boys, and he runs this company the way he would want a contractor to treat his own family’s house: say what is wrong, say what is fine, and leave the upsell out of it.
He believes a company grows through word-of-mouth referrals and by building trust in the community, not through pressure at the kitchen table. The company was named best chimney sweep company in NWI for 2023, and the aim every season since has been simple: to be the top local service provider a neighbor recommends without hesitating.
Three decades in the trade teach things a checklist cannot. Glazed stage 3 creosote will not come off with a brush, so the right answer is a chemical treatment or rotary chains, not more scrubbing. A crown that is flat mortar instead of sloped concrete will crack again no matter how often it is patched. A gas insert vented into an oversized clay flue will condense and eat the mortar. Knowing which of those you are looking at is the difference between a repair that lasts and one that buys a single winter. More of his background is on the page about Mark and the company.
Towns we sweep in
NWI Chimney Sweep travels to sixteen towns, from Munster on the Illinois line through Crown Point to Valparaiso in Porter County. Pick your town for notes on the housing stock and the chimney problems that go with it, or read the full Northwest Indiana service area guide.
Learn before you light
The chimney guides library holds our longer explanations of maintenance, safety, fuel choices and repairs, written for homeowners rather than tradespeople. Good starting points:
- A season-by-season chimney maintenance guide you can follow yourself.
- Wood versus gas fireplaces compared on heat, upkeep and venting.
- Heating alternatives to an open fireplace, from inserts to stoves.
- The chimney safety infographic for a one-screen refresher.
- A chimney repair case study that walks through diagnosis to fix.
- The history of chimney sweeping, for the curious.
Chimney questions we hear every week
How often should a chimney in Northwest Indiana be swept?
NFPA 211 calls for every chimney, fireplace and vent to be inspected at least once a year and cleaned when the inspection shows it is needed. In practice a fireplace burned a few nights a week through a Region winter usually needs sweeping yearly, while one lit only on holidays may just need the annual look.
What hours can I reach NWI Chimney Sweep?
NWI Chimney Sweep answers the phone seven days a week from 7am to 9pm at (219) 203-9797. That includes Saturdays and Sundays, which is when most people finally have time to notice the smoke stain above the fireplace opening or the damp patch on the ceiling beside the chimney.
Do you work on gas fireplaces as well as wood-burning ones?
Yes. Wood-burning masonry fireplaces, factory-built fireplaces, wood stoves, inserts and gas units are all part of the daily work. Gas appliances get their own visit type, described on the gas fireplace tune-up page, because the checks are about ignition and venting rather than soot.
What does working to NFPA 211 mean for my appointment?
NFPA 211 is the national standard for chimneys, fireplaces, vents and solid-fuel appliances. It defines three inspection levels and what each must cover. We follow it as our working standard, so the scope of your inspection is set by a published document rather than by how busy the day is.
What does a chimney sweep actually do during a visit?
The hearth is covered, the firebox and damper are checked, and brushes or rotary rods sized to the flue remove soot and creosote while a vacuum holds dust at the opening. The smoke chamber, smoke shelf and cap are cleared, and the accessible parts of the system are examined for damage before the fireplace is released for use.
Which towns does the Crown Point crew travel to?
NWI Chimney Sweep is based in Crown Point and works in sixteen Northwest Indiana communities: Munster, Highland, Schererville, St. John, Crown Point, Cedar Lake, Brunswick, Ross, Merrillville, Hobart, Lake Station, Portage, South Haven, Valparaiso, Winfield and Lakes of the Four Seasons. Each has its own page linked from the service area guide.
Will sweeping the chimney leave soot in my living room?
It should not. Soot is fine enough to float, so the method matters: drop cloths over the hearth and floor, a vacuum running at the firebox opening for the entire time brushes are moving, and the damper area sealed off when work is done from the roof.
Do you clean dryer vents too?
Yes. Dryer vent cleaning is a standing service: NWI Chimney Sweep clears lint along the whole exhaust run, from the wall connection to the exterior hood, and checks the duct length and elbows against IRC M1502. A clogged vent is both a fire risk and the reason loads take two cycles to dry.
Smoke, smell, stain or just overdue? Call Mark’s crew.
NWI Chimney Sweep picks up the phone from 7am to 9pm, all seven days of the week.
Call (219) 203-9797