Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Olympia Chimney Chimney Inspection in Pasadena: What to Know First
An Olympia Chimney inspection in Pasadena typically runs $189 – $425 depending on level and takes about 45 to 90 minutes on site. We’re an independent Olympia Chimney service provider, which means we inspect, service, and repair Olympia Chimney products without being tied to the manufacturer’s pricing or parts channel. The written quote you get before we start is the number you pay, full stop.
This page is for Pasadena homeowners who own an Olympia Chimney system or are buying a home with one and want a straight answer about what an inspection actually covers. If you’re not sure what you’ve got, call (626) 657-5513 and we’ll help you figure it out.
How Olympia Chimney Products Fail – and How We Fix Them
Olympia Chimney builds solid products, but every chimney system has failure points. Here’s what we actually see in Pasadena homes, week after week.
- Olympia Chimney stainless steel liners: seam separation at the flue joints. The interlocking seams on Olympia’s stainless liners hold up well, but thermal cycling (the repeated heating and cooling from wood fires) can eventually pull them apart, especially on longer vertical runs. When a seam separates, creosote and moisture leak into the surrounding chase or masonry. We spot this during camera inspection, and the fix is usually a sectional replacement, not a full liner swap.
- Olympia Chimney anchor plates and caps: wind-driven corrosion near the coast-adjacent air. Pasadena isn’t right on the water, but marine air pushes inland through the San Gabriel Valley and accelerates rust on exposed steel. Anchor plates and caps are the first parts to go. We carry replacement anchor plates that match Olympia’s mounting pattern, and we always check the cap’s screen mesh for clogging from ash and nesting material.
- Olympia Chimney refractory panels: hairline cracking from moisture intrusion. The refractory cement panels inside Olympia fireboxes crack when water sneaks past the cap or crown. Owners often miss it because a hairline crack behind a grate isn’t visible from the hearth. We pull the grate, inspect all four panels, and seal minor cracks with a refractory-rated compound. If a panel is spalled (crumbling, not just cracked), it gets replaced.
- Olympia Chimney flue tiles: spalling at the top two courses. The exposed flue tiles at the very top of an Olympia masonry chimney take the brunt of Pasadena’s UV and rain. When the top courses start spalling, water gets between the tiles and the brick, and the freeze-thaw cycle does the rest. We rebuild the crown and replace damaged tiles before the flue loses structural integrity.
- Olympia Chimney dampers: warped frames and stuck throat plates. Throat dampers on Olympia fireplaces warp over time, especially if the fireplace was run hot without a proper chimney cap. A warped damper won’t seat completely, so heated air escapes in winter and downdrafts push smoke into the room in summer. We ofen recommend a top-sealing damper as a replacement, which mounts at the flue opening and seals with a gasket instead of a metal-on-metal fit.
Styles & brands we work with





Our Olympia Chimney Chimney Inspection Process
Every Olympia Chimney job follows the same sequence, whether it’s a Level 1 inspection on a well-maintained fireplace or a Level 3 where we suspect hidden damage. Here’s the process:
- 1
You call, you talk to a live person. Our phones are staffed 24/7. We set a two-hour arrival window, and the technician calls when he’s on his way.
- 2
We arrive, introduce ourselves, and walk the system with you. Before a single tool comes off the truck, we ask what you’ve noticed: smoke in the room, odd smells, animals, or just a gut feeling something’s off. Then we inspect the exterior first – cap, crown, chase, flashing.
- 3
We run the camera. For Level 2 inspections (and any inspection where you’re buying a home or suspect damage), we send a camera up the flue. You see the photos. We point out exactly what we’re looking at and what it means.
- 4
We make a parts decision with you, not for you. For Olympia Chimney jobs, we quote OEM parts where the warranty matters and the part is still in production. If Olympia no longer makes the part or the OEM version is backordered, we quote a direct aftermarket equivalent and say so clearly. We never install a part you didn’t approve.
- 5
We do the repair, test the draw, and show you the result. After any repair, we check the draft at the throat and at the flue opening. If the flue doesn’t draw, we don’t leave until we know why. As Hank Delano puts it: “The flue either draws or it doesn’t. Let’s find out which.”
- 6
We clean up, hand you the written guarantee, and go. Every repair carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if a covered repair fails within one year, we come back and fix it at no charge. No call tag, no argument.
See the difference
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After
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AfterWhat Olympia Chimney Chimney Inspection Costs in Pasadena
Here’s the honest price picture for Pasadena Olympia Chimney systems, as of the current season. These are real ranges we quote, not teaser prices:
- Level 1 inspection (no repair, accessible system): $189 – $245. Covers the accessible portions of the chimney interior and exterior, no camera work.
- Level 2 inspection (with camera): $325 – $425. Required for real estate transactions, after any structural event, or when you’ve changed fuel type. Includes a written photo report.
- Level 3 inspection (destructive access required): $600 – $1,100. We only recommend this when Level 2 camera work shows something that requires opening a wall chase or masonry to see clearly. We’ll say so if we think this is necessary.
- Common Olympia Chimney repairs found during inspection: Anchor plate and cap replacement runs $275 – $600. Refractory panel repair runs $150 – $500 per panel, depending on access and severity. Throat damper replacement runs $390 – $750, with top-sealing dampers at the higher end.
What moves the price: access difficulty (roof pitch, chase height), the condition of the existing parts, and whether Olympia OEM parts are still available for your model. Call (626) 657-5513 for a free estimate on any inspection. The quote is written, it doesn’t change at the door, and you approve it before any work starts.
Why Pasadena Homeowners Call Flint Chimney Co Pasadena for Olympia Chimney Work
We’ve been at this since 2002, and Hank Delano grew up in Los Angeles and learned the mechanical side through Los Angeles Trade-Technical College’s HVAC and sheet metal program. That’s almost eighteen years of chimneys now, from Craftsman bungalows near the Arroyo Seco to houses across the San Gabriel Valley.
Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed. You know exactly who’s walking through the door. Every Olympia Chimney job gets a written price before work starts, no exceptions, and every repair carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If a covered repair fails within a year, the return visit is free.
We stock and install professional-grade chimney materials: DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield. For Olympia Chimney-specific work, that means we can quote OEM parts where they make sense and a real aftermarket option where they don’t. No mystery parts, no margin-driven upselling. The flue either draws or it doesn’t, and we’ll show you which.
FAQs
We inspect and repair Olympia Chimney systems as an independent service provider, not as a warranty-authorized contractor. If your Olympia Chimney product is still under manufacturer warranty, we’ll document the condition of the system in writing and give you the photos and notes you need to file your claim. For repairs, we quote the work directly, and our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers everything we install, regardless of whose name is on the box.
A Level 1 inspection on an accessible Olympia Chimney system takes about 45 minutes. A Level 2 camera inspection takes 60 to 90 minutes. We keep a two-hour arrival window, and the technician calls when he’s en route. If you’re on a schedule, mention it when you call (626) 657-5513 and we’ll work with you.
Both. We quote Olympia OEM parts when they’re still in production and the warranty benefit justifies the cost. When Olympia has discontinued a part or the lead time is unreasonable, we quote a direct aftermarket equivalent and tell you the difference. You approve the part before it gets installed. We never quietly substitute one for the other.
A Level 2 inspection is required for real estate transactions, after a chimney fire, after an earthquake or other structural event, and when you’re switching fuel type (for example, converting a wood-burning fireplace to gas logs). We recommend a Level 3 only if the Level 2 camera work shows something that requires opening up a wall chase or masonry to see clearly. If we recommend Level 3, we’ll show you exactly what we saw and why we think it’s necessary. Call (626) 657-5513 and we’ll walk through what applies to your setup.
You run the system without knowing the condition of the flue liner, the damper, the cap, and the masonry. A cracked liner can vent hot gases into the house rather than up the chimney. A clogged or rusted cap can trap carbon monoxide. In Pasadena, where older homes often have masonry chimneys with decades of use, skipping the inspection means betting the house on a system you’ve never seen the inside of. An inspection is cheaper than any fire or CO event, and we document everything in writing. Call (626) 657-5513 and get the camera work done before burning season.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner, Flint Chimney Co Pasadena at Flint Chimney Co Pasadena, serving Pasadena and nearby areas.