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 Cap Installation: The Houston Owner’s Guide
If you’ve got an Olympia Chimney cap that’s rusted through, dented from a hailstorm, or blown clean off the chase, here’s the straight answer: we stock Olympia Chimney-compatible chimney caps and install them throughout Houston, with most jobs running between $380 and $780 including parts and labor. The install itself takes about 90 minutes for a single-flue cap. Most Houston homeowners discover the problem the same way: they see water stains on the ceiling near the fireplace, or they spot a rust streak running down the chimney chase from the street.
Hank Delano, our owner, learned early that a chimney cap isn’t decorative. It’s the first line of defense against Houston’s two biggest enemies for your flue: rain and birds. When it fails, everything below it starts taking damage. We’ll walk you through exactly what you need to know before you spend a dollar.
Which Olympia Chimney Models This Applies To
Olympia Chimney builds caps for their pre-fabricated fireplace and venting systems, and the catch is this: the cap has to match the flue diameter and the chase top dimensions, not just the brand name. We regularly work with Olympia Chimney’s stainless steel and galvanized cap lines, but the quickest way to confirm fit is to measure the inner flue diameter with a tape measure. If there’s a data plate on the fireplace, it’ll list the model series, which makes matching a lot faster. On the truck we carry caps for Olympia Chimney systems with common flue sizes, plus galvanized-to-stainless upgrade options for owners who want the longer lifespan.
OEM Olympia Chimney caps are built to exact factory tolerances, but a good quality aftermarket cap made from 430 stainless will often outlast the factory galvanized cap in Houston’s humidity. The real compatibility gotcha is the flue extension height. If your cap sits too low on the flue, rain comes in around the base. Too tall, and wind shear across the cap becomes a problem during spring storms. We spec the right fit before we quote a price.
Styles & brands we work with





Signs Your Olympia Chimney Chimney Cap Installation Is Failing
- Water stains on the ceiling or wall near the fireplace. This is the most common first sign. The cap’s lost its seal or the mesh screen has rusted out, and rain is finding its way down the flue. In Houston’s rainy season, you’ll see the stain spread week to week.
- Rust streaks down the chimney chase or flue. Galvanized caps eventually lose their coating, especially in Houston’s humidity and salt air. Once the bare metal shows, the cap has maybe two or three years left before it starts to separate at the seams.
- You hear birds during the morning, and it sounds like they’re inside the house. The mesh sidewall screen on Olympia Chimney caps can tear or pull away with age. Birds don’t need much of a gap to get into a flue, and once they nest, you’ve got a live animal problem plus a fire hazard.
- A cap that’s physically missing after a storm. Houston sees real wind. If you can see daylight where the cap used to be, you’re running an open flue. Every week it’s uncovered, rain and wildlife are getting inside.
- Creosote bypassing the cap and building up faster than normal. When the spark arrestor mesh clogs with debris or gets bent, airflow through the cap changes. You’ll notice your chimney smells worse between sweeps, and you might see visible smoke spill inside during startup.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For Houston homeowners, a typical Olympia Chimney-compatible chimney cap installation runs $380 to $780 installed. The range comes down to three variables: the flue size, whether you need galvanized or stainless steel, and whether we’re also sealing the flue tile or chase top while we’re up there. Some Houston homes with old masonry chimneys have irregular flue sizes that require a custom-sized cap, which lands on the upper end of that range.
Every job gets a written price before any work starts. You’ll see the cap cost separated from the labor, and the number on the invoice matches the number we quoted. The cap itself is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, and our labor carries the written 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the install isn’t right, we come back and make it right at no charge for a full year.
DIY or Call Us?
You can do the diagnosis from the ground. Walk outside, take a photo with your phone, and look for obvious rust, missing mesh, or a cap that’s shifted off center. That tells us a lot before we ever come out. What you shouldn’t do is climb up to the roofline and try to swap an Olympia Chimney cap yourself. The cap sits at the top of the flue, and getting to it almost always means working off a ladder while reaching over the roofline or chase top. Around Houston, roof pitches plus humidity plus a heavy chimney cap in one hand is how people end up in the emergency room.
If the flue is taller than you are and the ladder is on anything softer than a concrete pad, call us at (325) 750-6259. We’ll give you an honest price, and you’ll have it in writing before any work starts.
FAQs
In Houston’s climate, a galvanized Olympia Chimney cap typically lasts 8 to 12 years, while a 430 stainless cap can run 15 to 20. The humidity and rain cycles accelerate rust on galvanized metal, which is why we stock both options and let you choose based on your budget and how long you plan to stay in the house. If you’re unsure which to pick, call (325) 750-6259 and we’ll walk you through the difference.
If the problem is a torn mesh screen or surface rust, sometimes a patch or screen replacement gets you a few more years. But if the seams are rusted through or the cap is dented enough to shift, replacement is cheaper than trying to save it. We’ll show you the damage up close before we quote, so you’re never taking our word on faith.
Most Olympia Chimney chimney cap installations in Houston take about 90 minutes from setup to final inspection. If we’re also sealing the flue tile or replacing a rusted chase cover, it can push to two and a half hours. We’ll tell you the exact time window when we give you the written quote.
We keep Olympia Chimney-compatible caps in common flue sizes on the truck, so most Houston jobs get done the same visit. If you need a custom-size cap, we order it and schedule the install once it arrives. We also stock and install chimney parts from DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco, so we can match the right part to your system without drilling you on brand loyalty.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner, Flint Chimney Co Houston at Flint Chimney Co Houston, serving Houston and nearby areas.