Olympia Chimney Chimney Cap Installation Nationwide

Olympia Chimney Chimney Cap Installation: The Tacoma Owner’s Guide

We stock and install Olympia Chimney-compatible chimney caps across Tacoma, with most residential jobs running $340-$680 installed depending on flue diameter, cap style, and whether your crown needs resealing. Single-flue galvanized caps start lower; multi-flue stainless or copper caps with integrated dampers run higher. We carry common Olympia Chimney cap sizes on every truck and can usually match your model same-day.

Call (253) 447-5982

Most Tacoma homeowners figure out their cap is failing after a storm. Water shows up in the firebox, or they hear something rattling up top and find the cap tilted, rusted through, or missing entirely. In the North End, we’ve pulled caps off that were more hole than metal after ten years of salt air off Puget Sound.

Which Olympia Chimney Models This Applies To

Olympia Chimney produces caps across several product lines, and the right match depends on your flue type and existing top-sealing setup. Their round slip-in caps fit standard terracotta flue tiles from 8″ to 13″ inside diameter. Rectangular caps cover multi-flue configurations, typically 9″ x 13″ up to 14″ x 20″ for larger Tacoma fireplaces common in pre-war homes. If you’ve got an Olympia Chimney factory-built metal chimney, you’ll need a cap specific to that series - the collar and locking mechanism differ from masonry adaptations.

Check the stamp on your existing cap or the flue tile itself. Olympia Chimney marks model numbers on the underside of factory caps. For aftermarket replacement, we measure the flue opening and overhang requirements on-site. The OEM cap guarantees exact fit; quality aftermarket equivalents from Gelco or Famco often match at lower cost and carry comparable stainless warranties. We source both through Haven’s buying network and will show you the part before we quote.

Signs Your Olympia Chimney Chimney Cap Installation Is Failing

• Rust staining down the chimney face. Galvanized caps in Tacoma’s marine climate typically show surface rust within 7-10 years. Once rust migrates past the surface into the cap body, water drips through seams and leaves orange streaks on brick or siding. We see this pattern constantly in waterfront neighborhoods like Browns Point.
• Water in the firebox after rain. A properly seated cap blocks direct rainfall and deflects wind-driven water. If you’re finding puddles or damp ash, the cap is either misaligned, missing its mesh screen, or the crown seal beneath it has cracked. The camera doesn’t guess. Neither do we - we run a scope to confirm whether it’s the cap, the crown, or both.
• Debris or animal nesting material. Caps with damaged or missing mesh screens let squirrels, birds, and raccoons enter. In Tacoma’s wooded areas - particularly around Point Defiance and Wapato Park - this happens fast. A cap with ⅝” mesh is code-compliant; anything larger or torn is an entry point.
• Cap is loose, tilted, or missing after wind. Spring storms off the Sound generate gusts that lift poorly secured caps. If your cap sits on a friction fit without screws or adhesive, it’s vulnerable. We anchor replacements with stainless concrete screws into the crown, plus a bead of crown sealant.
• Draft problems or smoke spillage. A cap with clogged mesh or an undersized opening restricts airflow. This shows up as slow startup, smoke rolling into the room on light-off, or a persistent fuel smell. We measure draft pressure before and after cap replacement to verify the fix.

Before

After

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

Every installed cap includes removal of the failed unit, crown surface prep, new cap with stainless fasteners, bead seal around the base, and a camera inspection of the flue top to confirm no debris or damage below. We deliver a written price before work starts - Haven Standard Clause 1 - and document the finished installation with photos under Clause 4. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers labor and installation integrity.

DIY or Call Us?

There’s safe checking, and then there’s work on a roof.

You can verify your cap’s condition from the ground with binoculars: look for tilt, missing mesh, rust holes, or gaps between cap and crown. Note the approximate flue dimensions if the cap is labeled. That’s the useful boundary of owner-level work.

Actually replacing a chimney cap means working at roofline height, often on a slope, with tools and a new cap in hand. The old cap may be seized or wind-damaged in ways that require prying. One misstep on wet composite or cedar shake is an ER visit. More importantly, a cap seated wrong - cocked, unsealed, or mismatched to flue diameter - funnels water into the flue instead of away from it. We’ve re-done DIY cap jobs in Tacoma where the owner accidentally blocked draft entirely and filled the house with smoke on first fire.

Call (253) 447-5982. We’ll measure, match, and install with the right fasteners and seal. Written price first. Photos after.

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