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 Cleaning & Sweep in Reading: What to Know First
We clean and sweep Olympia Chimney systems throughout Reading, PA, and the work is usually wrapped up in a single visit. A standard Olympia Chimney cleaning runs $189 to $289, and you’ll know that number before we touch a ladder because we price the job on the phone, not at the door. No surprise add-ons, no “while we’re here” upsells.
This page is for homeowners in Reading whose fireplace or stove is built around an Olympia Chimney system and who want a straight answer about what it costs, how it’s done, and whether the chimney actually needs the work. If you’re not sure what model you have, that’s fine. Most people aren’t. Call (484) 209-0837 and we’ll figure it out together.
How Olympia Chimney Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
Olympia Chimney builds a solid product. Most of the calls we take in Reading aren’t product failures at all. They’re maintenance that got skipped for a few seasons, or an installation shortcut from the previous owner’s contractor. Here’s what we find most often when we open one up.
- Creosote glazing in the Olympia Excel line. The Excel stainless steel flue liners handle heat well, but when fires burn cooler than they should in Reading’s damp January weather, creosote builds fast and glazes hard on the interior wall. A standard brush can’t always pull third-degree glaze off. We carry rotary cleaning heads specifically for that, and we’ve done it enough times on Excel systems that we know exactly how much pressure the liner takes before it complains.
- Firestop plate gaps on the Olympia DuraTech series. This one shows up in older installations around Reading where the pipe passes through the second floor. The firestop plate shifts over time as the house settles, leaves a gap around the pipe, and warm air pulls attic dust and insulation toward the chase. We reseal around the plate, correct the clearance, and confirm the pipe isn’t touching anything it shouldn’t be.
- Rain cap bird strikes on Olympia Chimney caps. Reading has a healthy starling population, and we’ve pulled enough birds out of chimney caps to fill a notebook. When the cap mesh gets bent or a corner lifts, birds get in and build nests in the flue. The sweep usually reveals the nest material packed right below the cap. We remove it, repair the cap or order the right Olympia replacement, and the problem’s done.
- Condensation streaks on the Ventinox liner series. Ventinox liners like being properly sized to the appliance. When they’re oversized for a smaller woodstove, the flue gas cools too quickly, condensation runs down the interior, and you get streaking and acidic residue on the connector pipe. We see that mostly in older Reading rowhomes where a previous owner upgraded the stove but left the original liner in place. Fix means resizing or relining, and we’ll show you the camera footage before we quote a dollar.
- Chase top rust-through on Olympia chimney systems with factory chase pans. Chimney cleaning on these often reveals rust pinholes in the chase pan, especially after a few Reading winters with snow sitting up top. Water drips into the chase, soaks the insulation wrap, and that damp smell works its way into the house. We clean what’s cleanable, then tell you plainly whether the chase pan needs sealed, patched, or replaced. We don’t push the replacement if the pan still has years left.
Our Olympia Chimney Chimney Cleaning & Sweep Process
Here’s how a typical Olympia Chimney job goes from the first call to the last pass with a broom.
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Call and price. You call (484) 209-0837, tell us what kind of fireplace or stove you have, and we give you the price right then. That’s the price.
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Arrival and floor protection. Wendell or one of his crew shows up in uniform with a real arrival window. Drop cloths go down before anything comes off the truck. Your floors stay your floors.
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Level 1 inspection. We inspect the firebox, damper, flue liner, and chimney exterior. With Olympia Chimney systems, we pay extra attention to the firestop plate areas and the cap, since those are the common trouble spots around Reading.
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Camera inspection. Before we put a brush up, we run a camera through the flue. You’ll see the footage with us, and we’ll give you a plain-English verdict. If the chimney only needs a light sweep, that’s what you’ll hear. If it doesn’t need anything, Wendell will be the first one to tell you.
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Cleaning and debris removal. We brush the flue top-down or bottom-up depending on the system, with rotary cleaning if the creosote’s glazed. Every bit of debris comes out through the firebox or cleanout door, then gets vacuumed up with a HEPA vac. No mess left behind.
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Final check and the 90-Day Done Right Promise. We run the camera once more after the sweep so you can see the difference, put the system back together, and hand you the report. Every olympia chimney cleaning comes with our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
What Olympia Chimney Chimney Cleaning & Sweep Costs in Reading
Here’s the straight number, no guessing.
- Standard Olympia Chimney cleaning with Level 1 inspection: $189 to $289, depending on flue height and the amount of creosote built up. Most single-story Reading homes land around $219.
- Rotary cleaning for glazed creosote: adds $80 to $150, and we’ll tell you before we do it if the brush alone won’t cut it.
- Level 2 camera inspection: $159 to $249 when it’s a standalone service, but it’s included whenever we find something on the Level 1 that needs a closer look during the sweep. We’d rather show you the video than hand you a guess.
- Bird or animal nest removal: $75 to $200 depending on how packed in it is and what the cap looks like afterward.
What moves the price in Reading is mostly flue height and creosote condition. A tall two-story chase takes longer than a ranch. A flue that hasn’t been swept in six years takes longer than one swept last fall. Call (484) 209-0837 for an exact quote before we come out. Estimates are free, and there’s no trip charge inside the county.
Why Reading Homeowners Call Top Hat Chimney for Olympia Chimney Work
Wendell Pike has been running crews through Reading neighborhoods since 1999. That’s over 29 years of sweeps, inspections, and repairs in these same rowhomes, colonials, and split-levels. When you call, a live person answers. Around the clock. Sometimes that person is Wendell himself, and if he doesn’t pick up, one of his crew does. You won’t get a call center in another state.
We’re locally owned and owner-operated, which means the person who quotes your Olympia Chimney job is the same person accountable for getting it right. We install and service other major brands too, including DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco, so if we find something Olympia-specific that needs a second set of eyes, we know what we’re looking at. Every job gets the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not right, one call brings us back. No fine print, no argument.
Ask anyone on your street. Chances are someone’s already had us out.
FAQs
We do both. When we find a bad cap, a warped firestop plate, or a section of pipe that’s done its last season, we replace it. We use Olympia Chimney OEM parts whenever the warranty or the fit calls for it, and we’ll tell you honestly when a quality aftermarket part does the same job for less. You get the choice with a straight recommendation.
No. We are an independent Olympia Chimney service provider, not an authorized dealer, but a professional cleaning and inspection won’t void your warranty. In fact, skipping annual maintenance is the fastest way to lose warranty coverage. We document every job, and when we use OEM Olympia Chimney parts for a repair, those carry their own manufacturer warranty.
Once a year, burn or no burn. Chimneys break in the off-season too. Reading’s freeze-thaw cycles and summer humidity do their own damage, and a small problem found in June is cheaper than a discovered one in December. If you burn more than three cords of wood a season, we usually recommend an extra sweep mid-winter.
You need it, and we don’t charge extra for it during a sweep. If we’re putting a brush up your flue, we’re running a camera up first. Plenty of Olympia Chimney liners in Reading look fine from the top and have glaze you’d never see without the lens. The camera footage and a plain-English verdict, every time, no exceptions. If you don’t want to see the screen, we’ll just tell you what we found.
First-degree creosote is a brush job. Third-degree is a glaze, and that’s where the risk lives. Glazed creosote burns hot, and a chimney fire doesn’t announce itself politely. Even without a fire, a skipped sweep means birds, nests, and water getting places it shouldn’t. The honest answer: one skipped year is usually forgivable. Three skipped years is usually expensive. Call (484) 209-0837 and we’ll tell you what you’re actually dealing with.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner, Top Hat Chimney at Top Hat Chimney, serving Reading and nearby areas.