Flue relining
Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
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 Flue Liner Replacement: The Austin Owner’s Guide
An Olympia Chimney flue liner replacement in Austin typically runs $1,800 to $3,400 installed, depending on liner diameter, length, and whether the existing liner fought us on the way out. We stock Olympia Chimney-compatible round rigid and flex liners on the truck, so in most cases we can complete the swap in a single visit. Most Austin homeowners discover their liner has failed during a routine sweep, when our camera finds a crack, a separated seam, or rust-through they had no way to see from the firebox.
What usually tipped you off before we even looked: a fireplace that suddenly drafts poorly, a smell like wet campfire coming down the chimney on humid days, or little flakes of metal showing up in the firebox. Sometimes it’s none of those. Sometimes the camera finds a problem at the top of the flue, and you’d have no reason to know until something worse happened. That’s actually the normal discovery path – not a dramatic failure, just a sweep that turned into a conversation.
Which Olympia Chimney Models This Applies To
Olympia Chimney has made two main liner families that show up in Austin homes: the older 6″ and 8″ round rigid stainless liners used in their manufactured and zero-clearance fireplace systems, and the flexible stainless reline kits sold through their dealer network for masonry retrofits. The rigid liners were factory-paired with specific Olympia fireboxes, so the replacement needs to match the inner diameter exactly – a 6″ firebox won’t draft correctly on an 8″ liner, and you can’t just sleeve a smaller one inside without creating a ridge that catches creosote.
The single biggest compatibility gotcha with Olympia Chimney: the locking seam profile on their rigid sections is proprietary to the brand, so sections from other manufacturers won’t interlock correctly. You either replace the full vertical run with genuine Olympia sections, or you convert the system to a properly sized flex liner with an adapter approved for your firebox collar. We carry both paths, and we’ll show you the camera footage and price difference before you choose. Alcott Chimney Austin is an independent service provider – we’re not affiliated with Olympia Chimney as a factory dealer – but we install their components and compatible equivalents from the same trade suppliers, not big-box substitutions.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Olympia Chimney Flue Liner Replacement Is Failing
- Flakes or granules of metal in the firebox. This is usually rust scale delaminating from the liner wall, and in an Austin climate it’s often worse near the top where morning humidity meets overnight cooling. Once you see flakes, there’s a breach somewhere.
- Draft problems that come and go. A cracked liner lets outside air in at the wrong point, which disrupts the pressure column the chimney depends on. You’ll notice smoke backing into the room on certain wind days or when it’s hot outside.
- A smell like a cold campfire. Creosote or soot has soaked into insulation or settled against a roughened liner wall. Rain and humidity activate that smell. It’s not harmless – it’s what incomplete venting leaves behind.
- Visible separation at the flue top or inside the attic chase. If you can safely see the liner where it exits the housing, gaps at a seam are a fire and carbon monoxide risk, full stop. This is a do-not-use situation until inspected.
- Staining on ceilings or walls near the chimney chase. Flue gases condensing in the wrong place leave yellowish water marks. It means the liner isn’t carrying exhaust all the way out, and moisture is finding its way into building materials instead.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
Here’s what we quote across Austin, from Mueller to Bee Cave to Round Rock:
- Round rigid section replacement (2-3 sections): $1,800-$2,400 installed
- Flexible stainless reline, under 25 feet: $2,200-$3,000 installed
- Flexible stainless reline, 25-40 feet: $2,800-$3,400 installed
- Chase cap or top plate, if the old one is rusted through: $300-$600 added
The spread comes from access (one-story vs. steep Austin hillside roof), liner length, and how much of the old liner needs to be cut out in sections rather than pulled whole. Every quote we give is a written line-item price before we touch anything, and it covers the liner, the labor, disposal of the old one, and a full camera re-inspection after install. Our repair work carries a written guarantee, and if the repair fails inside the coverage year, the second visit is free. No caveats on that – it’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s been our standard since 2002.
See the difference
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After
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
You can safely do the detective work before calling: look for flakes in the firebox, check the flue top with binoculars from the ground, and note whether the smell or drafting changes with the weather. What you shouldn’t do is attempt the liner replacement yourself. This is a tall, heavy, sharp-edged stainless component that lives inside a shaft you can’t fully see into, and a dropped section or an improper connection is a chimney fire or carbon monoxide risk that no savings is worth. Ruben Castellano’s rule on this one is simple: “Tell me what you’re seeing, and I’ll tell you what it actually means.” If the flue liner is part of the conversation, we’d rather be on the roof with the right gear than talk you through something that needs a real fix. Call (361) 420-8585 and we’ll get a live person scheduling your inspection.
FAQs
A stainless flue liner in an Austin chimney usually lasts 15 to 25 years, though the humid summers and heavy oak smoke in Central Texas can shorten that if the flue isn’t swept annually. The top three feet almost always fail first, because that’s where condensation sits. Call (361) 420-8585 and we’ll camera-inspect the full run – you’ll see exactly what’s left of your liner’s useful life before any quote is given.
Small pinholes at a single seam can sometimes be addressed with a stainless patch sleeve, but in our experience across Austin, by the time you can see rust flakes or smell creosote, the metal is gone in more than one spot and patching just moves the problem. We’ll tell you honestly if a patch buys you a few safe years, and we’ll show you the footage to back up the recommendation. Call (361) 420-8585 for a camera inspection and a straight answer.
Most Olympia Chimney liner replacements take four to six hours on-site in Austin, depending on roof access and how much of the old liner needs cutting out in pieces. We’re usually done the same day, and we leave the fireplace clean, camera-verified, and ready to use before we go. Call (361) 420-8585 to schedule, and we’ll give you a written price before any work starts.
We keep 6″ and 8″ Olympia-compatible rigid sections and the common round flex liner diameters on our Austin trucks, along with the adapters and top plates that usually fail alongside them. If your job needs an uncommon length or a specific rigid section profile, we can typically have it from our trade supplier within two to three business days. Call (361) 420-8585 with your model number if you have it, and we’ll confirm availability on the spot.
Call Alcott Chimney Austin For Your Olympia Chimney Liner Replacement
If your Olympia Chimney liner is suspect, don’t hope the next burn is fine. We’ll send a background-checked, identity-verified technician whose name and photo you receive before arrival – the Threshold Standard we’ve held since 2002. You’ll get a written price before work starts, a camera inspection you can watch with us, and a guarantee that covers the repair for a full year. Call (361) 420-8585 for a free estimate, and tell whoever answers what you’re seeing – we’ll take it from there.
Written by Ruben Castellano, Owner, Alcott Chimney Austin at Alcott Chimney Austin, serving Austin and nearby areas.