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 Los Angeles: What to Know First
An Olympia Chimney chimney inspection in Los Angeles typically runs $189 – $349 for a Level 1 or Level 2, and most homes we look at haven’t had their flue checked in years. We’re an independent Olympia Chimney service provider, which means we work on their products every week but we don’t answer to the manufacturer. We answer to you. If you own a home in Los Angeles with an Olympia Chimney liner, cap, or damper, and you want a straight answer about whether it’s safe to light a fire, call us at (213) 652-7061.
How Olympia Chimney Products Fail, and What We Fix
Olympia Chimney builds solid components, but they fail in predictable ways here. Nathan Corliss has pulled apart enough of these systems across Los Angeles to know exactly where to look first.
- Olympia stainless steel liners (typically the 316L alloy line) pitting near the top. Salt air from the Pacific and the temperature swings between Santa Ana afternoons and cold January nights create condensation inside the flue. That acidic condensate sits on the liner wall and starts eating at the metal. Most inspectors miss it because the damage starts on the interior seam. We run a camera the full length and know to pause at the upper third.
- Olympia Chimney caps with rusted mounting brackets. The caps are fine. The hardware isn’t. On older Olympia cap installations, the brackets were galvanized rather than stainless, and Los Angeles rain seasons eventually rot them out. You’ll see a cap wobbling in a strong wind, or worse, lifting off entirely. We replace the hardware with stainless and re-secure the cap to the liner.
- Damper assemblies on Olympia fireplace systems that have seized from disuse. This isn’t an Olympia defect, it’s a Los Angeles habit. People stop using their fireplaces for three or four years, and the damper plate rust-welds itself to the frame. We don’t force it, because a broken damper handle mid-inspection turns a $249 job into a repair you didn’t ask for. We show you what’s happening on camera and let you decide.
- Olympia clay flue tile systems with spalling at the smoke shelf. Older Olympia Chimney masonry setups in neighborhoods like Eagle Rock and Highland Park often show spalled tile faces just above the smoke chamber. That’s from decades of hot fires followed by damp marine-layer mornings. The tile face flakes off and blocks the flue opening. A Level 2 inspection finds it. A Level 1 wouldn’t.
- Improperly sized Olympia liner for a converted gas appliance. We frequently see homes where the old wood-burning fireplace was converted to gas, but the Olympia liner was never resized. Oversized liners don’t pull draft properly, and combustion gases linger, causing corrosion and backdrafting into the room. This is the one failure mode that can actually hurt people, so we check the liner-to-appliance ratio on every inspection where gas is involved.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Olympia Chimney Chimney Inspection Process
- 1
Call and talk to a person. You reach a live human at (213) 652-7061, day or night. Tell us what kind of Olympia system you have and what’s been going on. We book a window and give you a written price before the tech crosses your threshold.
- 2
Arrive and walk the system. Our tech goes to the roof first, checks the cap, crown, and flashing. Then the firebox, damper, and hearth. We’re looking at the whole path smoke takes from firebox to flue exit.
- 3
Run the camera. Every inspection here gets a camera run down the full length of the Olympia liner, from top to smoke chamber. You see the footage with us. No verdict without video.
- 4
Call it like it is. If it’s clean and safe, Nathan will tell you that and write it down. If there’s a problem, we show you the exact spot on the screen, explain what it means, and quote the repair separately, in writing, with the Kingswell Guarantee attached.
- 5
Clean up and document. We leave the firebox cleaner than we found it. You get a written inspection report plus photos or video stills so you have a record for your insurance, your real estate file, or your own peace of mind.
- 6
Stand behind it. If we missed something we should have seen, the 365-Day Done Right Promise covers it. We come back at no charge.
See the difference
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AfterWhat Olympia Chimney Chimney Inspection Costs in Los Angeles
Most Olympia Chimney chimney inspections in Los Angeles fall into these ranges:
| Inspection Type | Typical Price | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (visual) | $189 – $249 | Accessible areas of the flue, firebox, and cap, no camera, for systems in regular use with no changes. |
| Level 2 (with camera) | $289 – $349 | Full camera scan of the Olympia liner, real estate transfers, after storms, or any system that hasn’t been swept in 3+ years. |
| Level 3 (invasive) | $500+ depending on access | Required when Level 2 finds a serious problem needing wall or masonry access. Rare, usually involved with major smoke or odor issues. |
What moves the price: roof pitch and height, whether the home is a two-story or has a steep Spanish-tile roof, and whether multiple flues need scanning. Chimney sweeps are part of the same visit in most cases and run $150 – $250 extra if the flue has heavy buildup. Call (213) 652-7061 and we’ll give you a written quote before anything gets scheduled.
Why Los Angeles Homeowners Call Ashby Chimney Los Angeles for Olympia Chimney Work
Los Angeles has no shortage of chimney companies. It has a shortage of ones that answer the phone and show up. We’ve been operating since 2002, and we run our business under the Kingswell Guarantee: say the price, show up in the window, leave it cleaner, put the guarantee in writing, come back if it fails. Nathan Corliss grew up in Atwater Village and has been inspecting flues across the LA basin for going on eighteen years. When an Olympia product needs attention, we know the weak points. When an Olympia part isn’t the right call, we stock alternatives from DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco, so you’re never stuck waiting on a single supplier. Background-checked, uniformed techs. Written guarantee on every repair. Free second visit if it fails. That’s the whole deal.
FAQs
As an independent Olympia Chimney service provider, we don’t process manufacturer warranty claims, but we document everything in writing so you can file one. If the issue is a failed Olympia component still under warranty, we’ll give you the evidence you need, and we can usually help you source the replacement part directly.
Once a year, even if you only burn fires in November and December. Los Angeles has two things working against your chimney: salt air rusting exterior components and infrequent use letting dampers and liners sit with trapped moisture. Annual inspection catches both before they become repairs.
Yes. We run the camera, show you the footage, and tell you plainly. Nathan’s rule is simple: if it’s not cracked through or corroded past 25% of the wall thickness, it can usually wait. We don’t recommend liners to hit a sales number. We recommend them when the flue is actually compromised.
Yes. A Level 2 inspection with camera documentation is the standard for real estate closings here, and we provide a written report that works for lenders, buyers, and sellers. Schedule it early, because escrow doesn’t wait for a chimney company that can’t return a voicemail.
Sometimes, yes. If it’s a simple fix like a rusted bracket, a cap resecure, or a damper lubrication, and the parts are on the van, we can usually handle it the same day. If it’s a liner replacement or a crown rebuild, we schedule a dedicated repair visit with a written quote before any work starts.
Say the price first, put the promise in writing, and leave the firebox cleaner than you found it. If you need an Olympia Chimney inspection in Los Angeles, call us at (213) 652-7061. A live person answers, and the estimate is free.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner, Ashby Chimney Los Angeles at Ashby Chimney Los Angeles, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.