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 Sweep in San Jose: What to Know First
If you own a fireplace with Olympia Chimney components, you need a sweep who knows those parts specifically – and we do. Ashby Chimney San Jose performs independent Olympia Chimney chimney sweeps throughout San Jose, usually in a single visit of two to three hours. A standard sweep on an Olympia system in this area runs between $189 and $289, and you’ll get that number in writing before we touch anything.
This page is for San Jose homeowners with Olympia Chimney flue liners, caps, dampers, or chase covers who want the sweep done right without a surprise invoice at the end. Call (669) 266-5073 and a live person answers – 24/7, no voicemail loop.
How Olympia Chimney Products Fail – and How We Fix Them
Olympia Chimney builds solid stainless steel components, but no brand escapes the physics of fire and Bay Area air. Here’s what we actually see on San Jose rooftops and inside San Jose flues:
- Olympia stainless liners glazed with Stage 3 creosote. On older Olympia rigid liners, we routinely find a hard, shiny buildup the consistency of road tar. San Jose’s damp winters push homeowners toward longer burn seasons, and that slow, cooler burning is exactly what creates glaze. We remove it with rotary whip heads sized for liner’s inner diameter, not wire brushes that scar the steel. Chemical treatment afterward slows the return.
- Olympia rain caps packed with soot from coastal overnight burn cycles. The cap’s mesh screen does its job – until it doesn’t. In neighborhoods like Almaden and Evergreen, we find caps choking on fine particulate because fires get stoked at night when the marine layer sits over the valley. The symptom is smoke rollout when you open the door for a reload. We pull the cap during the sweep, clean it manually, and check the spark arrestor mesh for pinholing before it rusts through.
- Olympia dampers that stop seating after a few seasons. The cast or stainless damper plate on Olympia throat dampers can warp slightly from heat cycling. Owners report a damper that drags against the frame or won’t close tight, which kills your draft and sends conditioned air up the flue all year. During a sweep, we wire-brush the seating surfaces, check the plate for warpage, and replace the plate or the assembly if it’s beyond adjustment. We use genuine Olympia replacement parts when they make sense, or Copperfield or Gelco equivalents when OEM is on backorder – and we’ll tell you which we’re using and why before we install anything.
- Olympia chimney caps that loosen in high wind. San Jose gets real wind through the pass in the spring, and Olympia slip-in caps can work loose if they weren’t screwed or sealed at install. We find caps listing sideways, letting rain into the chase. Bats and birds follow the rust. We reseat or replace the cap during a sweep and reseal the flue tile crown if erosion has started.
- Galvanized chase covers with rust-through at the seams. This is less an Olympia brand failure than a steel reality, but we replace more chase covers on systems with Olympia pipe than any other brand in San Jose – because Olympia’s direct-vent and wood flue systems are common in mid-1990s through mid-2000s builds here. A rusted chase cover lets water into the chase and down onto the firebox. We fabricate and install a stainless replacement cover, seal it, and note it on your inspection report so the guarantee is in writing.
Styles & brands we work with





Our Olympia Chimney Chimney Sweep Process
Every Olympia job gets the same methodical approach. Nathan Corliss would rather spend twenty extra minutes explaining what he found than hand you a report you can’t interpret, and his crew works the same way.
- 1
Call and book. A live person answers (669) 266-5073, asks about your fireplace and any symptoms, and gives you a real arrival window, not “sometime Tuesday.”
- 2
Walk-through and written price. The technician looks at your setup, confirms the scope, and hands you a flat price in writing before the tarp comes off the truck. No bait price at the door.
- 3
Protect and prep. Drop cloths go down around the hearth, over nearby furniture if needed, and a HEPA vacuum goes on. You’ll see the floor again, cleaner than we found it.
- 4
Inspect, then sweep. We run a camera or a visual check of the flue first – looking at the liner, the crown, the cap, and the damper – then sweep with brushes sized to your Olympia liner. We never sweep blind.
- 5
Report and guarantee. You get a clear explanation of what we found and what we did, plus a written guarantee on any repair work. If it fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
See the difference
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After
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AfterWhat Olympia Chimney Chimney Sweep Costs in San Jose
Most Olympia Chimney sweeps in San Jose run between $189 and $289 depending on flue height, creosote stage, and whether the cap or damper needs extra work. Here’s the line-item breakdown you can expect:
- Standard sweep (single flue, Stage 1 or Stage 2 creosote): $189 – $239
- Glazed creosote removal (Stage 3, rotary treatment): $275 – $375
- Cap cleaning and reseating (including sealant): $45 – $85
- Damper plate replacement: $120 – $240 depending on parts
- Level 2 camera inspection (if you want the full picture after a sweep): $150 – $250
What moves the price is creosote stage and access. A steep roof in the Santa Cruz Mountains foothills takes longer than a ranch in Willow Glen. Tell us your cross streets when you call and we’ll give you a tighter number. Estimates are free, and the price we quote is the price on the invoice.
Why San Jose Homeowners Call Ashby Chimney San Jose for Olympia Chimney Work
We’ve been doing this since 2002, and Nathan Corliss has spent the better part of two decades working chimneys up and down California – from older ranch homes near Willow Glen to newer builds closer to downtown San Jose. The crew knows Olympia parts by sight, not by flipping through a catalog.
Every job gets a written price before work begins and a written guarantee when it’s done. If a covered repair fails, we return at no charge – the 365-Day Done Right Promise, backed by the Kingswell Guarantee. Our techs are background-checked and uniformed, so you know exactly who’s walking into your home. And when an Olympia part is discontinued or on backorder, we don’t shrug – we source from DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Famco, and Copperfield, and we tell you what we’re using before we use it.
Say the price first, explain the work, put the promise in writing. That’s the Kingswell Way, and it’s the only way we work.
FAQs
No. Olympia Chimney’s warranty covers manufacturing defects, not normal maintenance. Regular sweeping is actually required to keep a wood-burning system safe and functional, and documented sweeps can help if you ever file a warranty claim about early rust or a defective part. Keep your sweep records. We note what we used and what we cleaned on every invoice, so you have a paper trail. Call (669) 266-5073 if you want us to take a look at what you have.
When an Olympia part is available and it’s the right choice, we use genuine Olympia. When OEM parts are on extended backorder – which happens – we’ll recommend quality aftermarket equivalents from Copperfield, Gelco, or Famco. We’ll tell you what we’re using, why we chose it, and what it costs before any work starts. You’re never guessing.
Once a year, minimum, if you burn wood regularly. San Jose’s damp winters and coastal air mean many homeowners burn a few nights a week from November through February, and that’s enough to build creosote. If you burn soft woods or unseasoned fuel, you may need two sweeps a season. If you’re not sure, call and we’ll give you a straight answer, not a scare pitch.
Yes, and we’ll show you the proof. During the sweep we inspect the liner with a camera or a visual check, and you’ll see exactly what we see before we recommend anything. We don’t recommend liner replacement off a guess, and we don’t earn a commission off selling you steel. If your liner needs replacement, we’ll say so and show you why. If it’s fine, we’ll say that too. For an exact evaluation, call (669) 266-5073.
Usually within a few days to a week, depending on the season. Fall and early winter are the busiest months for sweeps in San Jose, so calling before October is the smart move. But even in peak season, a live person answers the phone 24/7, and you’ll get a real arrival window when you book, not a four-hour gap and a hope.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner, Ashby Chimney San Jose at Ashby Chimney San Jose, serving San Jose and nearby areas.