Level 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.
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AfterOlympia Chimney Chimney Cap & Crown in Newark: What to Know First
An Olympia Chimney cap or crown in Newark typically runs between $180 and $650 depending on whether it’s a standard replacement, a multi-flue setup, or a custom fabrication for an older rowhouse flue. Most cap work is done in a single visit; crown repair usually runs a little longer because the old crown has to be chipped back and the new one needs a day to cure before weather hits it.
Top Hat Chimney has been an independent Olympia Chimney service provider since 1999, and we’ve worked on Olympia caps and crowns from the Ironbound to Forest Hill. This page is for Newark homeowners who already own an Olympia product and want to know what’s actually going wrong up top, what it costs to make right, and whether it can wait. If you’re seeing rust streaks down the flue, water pooling around the crown, or a cap that’s rusted through at the seams, call (848) 331-2638 and we’ll give you a straight read before any money changes hands.
How Olympia Chimney Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
Olympia builds solid flue liners and accessories. What fails up top is almost always the same story: water finds a seam and New Jersey winters do the rest. Here’s what we see on Olympia chimneys in Newark, season after season.
- Rust-through at the cap base on older Olympia round caps. The classic Olympia round cap uses a galvanized base ring that outlasts the mesh but not forever. Once the base ring starts flaking at the bolt points, the cap sits loose and wind catches it. We remove it, check the flue tile underneath, and set a new cap with stainless hardware. On Olympia flues we always match the cap diameter to the existing tile, not the old cap, because the old cap was often oversized.
- Crown spalling on chimneys with Olympia terra cotta caps. We see a lot of these on pre-war Newark rowhouses where the Olympia cap is original. Water gets into hairline cracks, freezes, and pops the surface off in chunks. We grind back the loose material, form the crown with a proper overhang, and coat it with a flexible crown sealer that moves with Newark’s freeze-thaw cycle. A crown that’s too far gone gets repoured, not patched.
- Mesh corrosion on Olympia screen-style caps. The stainless mesh on Olympia screen caps holds up, but the crimp points where mesh meets the frame collect soot and moisture. After five or six years those crimp points fail. We can replace the screen section on most Olympia units without pulling the entire cap, which saves you a hundred dollars or more versus a full replacement.
- Liner-to-cap fit issues on Olympia stainless liners. When Olympia liners are paired with aftermarket caps not sized for them, the cap sits crooked or gaps at the sides. Rain sneaks in around the edges and runs down the outside of the liner. We check the fit, shim or reseat where possible, and if the cap’s a lost cause we replace it with one sized to the liner, not the chimney opening.
- Wind-driven rain bypass on multi-flue Olympia setups. Newark buildings with two or three flues sharing one chimney see this constantly. An undersized single cap lets rain angle in during storms off the Passaic. We fabricate or order a multi-flue Olympia cap that spans all flues with proper drip edges, and we seal the crown underneath before it goes on.
Our Olympia Chimney Chimney Cap & Crown Process
Wendell Pike and his crew follow the same order of work on every Olympia job, whether it’s a Forest Hill single-family or a three-flue rowhouse off McCarter Highway.
- 1
We get on the roof and look. Photos are taken before anything is touched. If you’re not home, you still get the pictures.
- 2
We check the crown first. No cap works if the crown underneath is cracked or sinking. We inspect the crown for spalling, low spots, and cracks wider than a dime.
- 3
We test the flue fit. We measure the actual flue tile opening and compare it against the cap that’s on there. Mismatched sizes are the most common problem we see on Olympia chimneys.
- 4
We make the call on parts. Olympic OEM caps are good, but on chimneys over 25 years old a quality stainless aftermarket cap often fits better and lasts longer. We tell you the price difference and let you choose. No pressure either way.
- 5
We do the work and document it. New cap goes on with stainless hardware. Crown gets sealed or repoured as needed. You get before-and-after photos.
- 6
We stand behind it. Every job carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If something’s not right, one call brings us back.
What Olympia Chimney Chimney Cap & Crown Costs in Newark
No phone quote games. Here’s the reality of Olympia cap and crown pricing in Newark:
- Standard Olympia round cap replacement: $180 to $320 installed
- Multi-flue cap sized for a Newark rowhouse: $350 to $550 installed
- Custom cap for odd flue configurations: $450 to $650 installed
- Crown sealing with flexible coating: $250 to $400
- Full crown repour (when the old one’s too far gone): $500 to $800
What moves the price: roof access difficulty, whether we need to remove an old rusted cap that’s seized in place, and how much crown work is underneath. Every quote is flat-price and agreed before a tool comes off the truck. The number Wendell gives you on the phone is the number on the invoice. Call (848) 331-2638 for a free estimate. No trip charge inside our service county.
Why Newark Homeowners Call Top Hat Chimney for Olympia Chimney Work
We’ve been climbing Newark roofs since 1999, the same year we opened. Wendell Pike puts his name on every job, and his license number is published right on our paperwork. When you call, a live person answers, twenty-four hours a day. It might be Wendell himself.
We know Olympia products, and we also service the brands around them: DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco. If your Olympia liner is paired with a DuraFlex cap or a HeatShield repair was done by the previous owner, we can work with that. And we back everything with the 90-Day Done Right Promise. If it needs doing, we’ll do it. If it doesn’t, Wendell will tell you that instead.
FAQs
No. As an independent Olympia Chimney service provider, we’re clear about this: replacing a rusted cap or repairing a cracked crown does not void any Olympia warranty on your liner or other components. Olympia warranties cover their manufactured parts failing under normal use, not the cap wearing out from Newark weather. If we see anything that would be a legitimate warranty claim, we’ll tell you to contact Olympia directly before we touch it.
If the cap mesh is torn or the base ring is rusted through, replace it. If the cap is solid but you’re seeing water inside the flue, the problem is usually the crown or the seal at the cap base, not the cap itself. We’ll climb up and tell you which one it is. Call (848) 331-2638 and we’ll give you a camera-backed diagnosis.
Yes. We measure the flue tile, not the old cap, and find or fabricate a cap that fits. Older Newark rowhouses often have non-standard flue sizes that Olympia’s current catalog doesn’t cover, which is when a custom stainless cap makes more sense than forcing a universal one.
Most cap jobs are scheduled within a week, and we’ll call you the day before with a real arrival window. If the crew is already scheduled nearby, we can sometimes get there sooner. A live person answers when you call, so you’ll know exactly where you stand.
Water keeps working into the crack, and every freeze widens it. In a Newark winter that’s a lot of cycles. Eventually the crown chunks break loose and water reaches the flue and the masonry below. That turns a $300 seal job into an $800 repour, and sometimes a liner replacement on top of it. If you’ve got a crack wider than a pencil line, get it sealed before January. Call (848) 331-2638 for a free estimate and we’ll take a look.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner, Top Hat Chimney at Top Hat Chimney, serving Newark and nearby areas.