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 San Jose Owner’s Guide
We stock and install Olympia Chimney-compatible chimney caps throughout San Jose, and most cap replacements run between $285 and $520 installed, depending on size, material, and roof access. Most swaps take under an hour once we’re on the roof. Homeowners usually find out their cap has failed the hard way: a rusted cap sheds pieces into the yard after a winter storm, water stains show up on the ceiling near the flue, or birds start nesting in the chimney because the mesh got torn away.
Which Olympia Chimney Models This Applies To
Olympia Chimney caps fit their stainless steel and galvanized flue systems, including the common 6-inch, 7-inch, and 8-inch round flue sizes used in most San Jose fireplaces and wood stoves. The compatibility issue we see most often in San Jose is homeowners guessing the flue diameter: an 8-inch cap will not seat properly on a 7-inch flue, and the wobble lets rain and embers through. Look for the Olympia label stamped on the existing cap or measure the outer diameter of the flue tile, not the inner opening. If the label is gone, we bring a set of sizing rings to the job and match it on the spot. Olympia OEM caps are solid stainless steel with a welded mesh spark screen; we also carry quality aftermarket equivalents that meet the same fitment spec, but for Olympia systems with unusual offsets or multi-flue setups, OEM is usually the safer call.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Olympia Chimney Chimney Cap Installation Is Failing
- Rust streaks or flaking metal on the cap itself. Galvanized caps in San Jose’s damp winters start showing rust at the weld points within 5 to 8 years. Once the protective coating is gone, the cap thins fast and can blow off in a strong wind.
- Water dripping or condensation inside the firebox. A cap with a cracked crown or separated seams lets rain run straight down the flue. You’ll see rust on the damper or a damp, musty smell in the firebox a day or two after a storm.
- Birds, squirrels, or bees getting in. Torn or missing mesh is an open door. We’ve pulled nests out of flues in Willow Glen and Almaden that started with a dime-sized hole in the spark screen.
- Embers or sparks landing on the roof. A cap with worn mesh or missing bars can’t trap embers, and in San Jose’s dry summer months that’s a fire hazard, not a cosmetic issue.
- The cap is leaning or visibly loose. High winds off the Santa Cruz Mountains loosen mounting brackets over time. A tilted cap lets rain in on one side and stresses the flue tile underneath.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
In San Jose, an Olympia Chimney-compatible chimney cap install typically runs between $285 and $520. The range comes down to three things: flue size (6-inch caps cost less than 8-inch), material (stainless steel runs higher than galvanized but lasts twice as long), and roof access (a steep pitch or a two-story job takes more time). The written price we give you before we start covers the cap, the install, any bracket or mounting hardware needed, and cleanup of the old cap. We don’t add a line item for “roof access” or “fuel surcharge” after the fact. Every cap install is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the cap fails, loosens, or lets water in during the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge.
DIY or Call Us?
If you just need to know what size cap you have, you can measure the outer flue diameter from the roof with a tape measure. That’s safe and quick. Beyond that, we recommend letting a trained technician handle the swap. The main risk is the roof itself: San Jose’s tile and composition roofs get slick with morning dew, and a fall from even a single-story roof is a serious injury. We’ve also seen DIY installs where the cap was set on but not mechanically fastened, and the first winter windstorm sent it into a neighbor’s yard. If you’d rather not spend your Saturday on a ladder, call (669) 266-5073 and we’ll bring the right cap and the right brackets to do it once, in writing.
FAQs
An Olympia stainless steel cap in the San Jose climate typically lasts 8 to 12 years before the mesh or welds start to show wear. Galvanized caps run 5 to 8 years. Coastal-adjacent areas with more salt in the air, like parts of Milpitas on a foggy morning, can shorten that by a year or two. Call (669) 266-5073 and we can tell you whether the cap you have is worth keeping.
Sometimes, but usually not once rust has set in. A torn mesh screen can be re-screened, and a loose bracket can be re-tightened, but pitted metal and failed welds are structural, and patching them doesn’t last. We’ll show you the cap up close and tell you plainly if a repair will hold or if replacement is the honest call.
Most single-flue Olympia Chimney cap replacements take 45 to 60 minutes once the technician is set up on the roof. Multi-flue or custom-fit jobs can run up to two hours. We’ll give you a real arrival window and a written time estimate before we start.
Yes. Our vans carry the common 6-inch, 7-inch, and 8-inch Olympia Chimney-compatible stainless caps, plus galvanized equivalents, along with the standard mounting brackets. If your flue is an uncommon size or you need the specific OEM Olympia finish, we order it and schedule a return visit, usually within a few business days. Call (669) 266-5073 and we’ll confirm what’s on the truck for your size.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner, Ashby Chimney San Jose at Ashby Chimney San Jose, serving San Jose and nearby areas.