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 Alpharetta Owner’s Guide
We stock and install Olympia Chimney-compatible flue liner replacements for Alpharetta homes, with most jobs running between $1,850 and $3,400 installed depending on liner length, diameter, and whether we’re working through an existing chase or opening the wall. Most homeowners discover the liner has failed during a routine sweep, when we spot flaking metal, rust-through, or loose seams on camera. What starts as a slightly smoky fireplace or a faint metallic smell near the chase usually turns out to be a liner that’s quietly been degrading for several Georgia heating seasons. The good news: we carry Olympia Chimney-series flexible liners and rigid sections on the truck, so most Alpharetta replacements are done in a single visit.
The thing about Olympia Chimney liners is they’re built to a 304 or 316 stainless spec depending on the series, and they fail at the seams and the flat-lock crimps before they fail anywhere else. In Alpharetta, where we get humid summers that pull moisture into the flue and then cold snaps that freeze that moisture against the liner wall, we see corrosion start at the joints faster than homeowners expect. A liner that looks fine from the top can be paper-thin three feet down. If you’re noticing a brittle smell when the fireplace runs, or you see rust stains on the chase exterior, don’t wait for the next burn season, call (762) 225-2593 and we’ll put a camera up there and show you exactly what’s happening.
Which Olympia Chimney Models This Applies To
Olympia Chimney makes liner systems under a few series names that show up regularly in Alpharetta: the Flexi-Liner and the Dura-Vent-compatible Olympia Pro series are the two we see most often in wood-burning and gas-converted fireplaces from the 1990s through the 2010s. The model label is usually on the interior of the appliance door frame or on the firebox floor, and it’ll read something like “Olympia Chimney, Model OL-6” followed by a diameter and gauge number. If the label is faded or gone, we measure the existing liner inside the flue, but here’s the gotcha: Olympia Chimney’s 6-inch liners are true 6-inch ID, and some aftermarket equivalents are 5.5-inch ID with thicker wall. That half inch matters for draft and for matching the existing termination cap, so we verify against the original specification before quoting the job.
We install genuine Olympia Chimney liners when the home already has an Olympia system, and we also carry DuraFlex and Gelco equivalents where an aftermarket option makes sense for the homeowner’s budget. The honest split is this: a genuine Olympia Chimney replacement makes sense if you’re keeping the fireplace long-term and the chase is in good shape. An aftermarket 316L liner from DuraFlex will often cost $250 to $400 less and perform identically for Alpharetta’s burn seasons, but it won’t match Olympia’s original termination cap threading exactly, which means a small adapter may be needed. We’ll walk you through that decision on the phone before we ever book the visit, and you’ll get a written price either way.
Styles & brands we work with





Signs Your Olympia Chimney Flue Liner Replacement Is Failing
Here’s what we see, walking through Alpharetta homes with Olympia Chimney systems that need a new liner. If you’re seeing any of these, we should look:
- Rust flakes on the smoke shelf or firebox floor. This is the most common sign. The liner is shedding from the inside out, and those flakes are the inner wall of the flue landing where you can see them. By the time you see rust, the liner has likely been compromised for at least one full season.
- A metallic or chemical smell when the fireplace heats up. Heating a failing stainless liner releases an acrid smell that people describe as a burning metal or a chemical sharpness. That smell means the liner is oxidizing under heat, and it won’t go away on its own.
- Smoke spilling into the room during start-up or in windy conditions. Cracks and seam failures change the draft characteristics of the flue. Your chimney goes from pulling air to pushing air unpredictably, and the first thing you’ll notice is a puff of smoke when the fire catches.
- Visible gaps or dark staining at the liner seams during a flashlight check from the top or through the cleanout. If you can see a seam opening, even a hairline gap, that flue is no longer a closed system. Carbon monoxide and creosote vapor can exit through that seam into the chase cavity.
- Water staining on the ceiling near the chimney chase after heavy rain. A failing liner is often the starting point for moisture intrusion. Rain enters through the deteriorating cap or top plate, and once it’s past the flashing, the liner is the next thing it touches on the way down.
None of these signs mean panic, but they all mean the same thing: the liner is past its useful life and should be replaced before the next burn season. We’re happy to confirm any of these with a camera inspection, and we’ll show you the footage before we recommend anything.
See the difference
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After
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After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For Alpharetta homes with a standard single-story chase and an Olympia Chimney liner, a complete replacement typically runs between $1,850 and $2,600 installed for a 6-inch flex liner up to 25 feet. Two-story homes with longer liners, or jobs that require a new top plate, rain cap, or chase work, usually land between $2,400 and $3,400. The range depends on three things: the liner length and diameter, whether we’re replacing the termination cap and flashing at the same time, and whether the chase top needs sealing. Every quote includes the liner, all connectors and adapters, the top plate and rain cap if needed, labor, and the Cedarwell Care Promise, which means drop cloths down, nothing moved without asking, a written price before the first tool comes out, and a photo of the clean-up before the crew packs up.
We don’t do open-ended pricing on liner work. The number you approve is the number you pay, unless we find something genuinely unsafe that changes the scope, and in that case we stop and call you with photos before touching anything else. Every Olympia Chimney flue liner replacement we do is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the liner doesn’t draft correctly or anything about the install isn’t right, we fix it. Danny Cortes has been doing this long enough to know that a liner that drafts poorly is worse than no liner at all, so we test the draft before we call the job finished.
Here’s the Alpharetta price picture in plain numbers:
- 6-inch Olympia Chimney-compatible flex liner, up to 25 ft: $1,850 – $2,600 installed
- 6-inch liner with new top plate and rain cap: $2,300 – $2,900 installed
- Two-story or extended-run liner (26 – 40 ft): $2,600 – $3,400 installed
- Camera inspection only, no liner work: $189, applied in full to any liner replacement we do within 60 days
We carry genuine Olympia Chimney sections and DuraFlex equivalents on the truck when we come to Alpharetta, so we’re not sending you a quote, waiting on a part, and then asking you to reschedule. Most liner replacements are done the same day we open the chase.
DIY or Call Us?
You can absolutely check a few things from the ground: look for rust flakes in the firebox, shine a flashlight up from the smoke shelf to catch obvious seam gaps, and note any smell when the fireplace runs. Those observations help us understand what’s happening before we even arrive. What you shouldn’t do is try to pull or replace a liner yourself. A flue liner lives inside a vertical chase that’s often 20 to 35 feet tall, and working at height on a roof in Alpharetta, with the slope and the Georgia heat, is where this goes from a bad idea to a genuinely dangerous one. The liner also has to be sized, connected, and pulled under tension, and a liner kinked during installation will draft poorly and strand you with a fireplace you can’t safely use. That’s a job for a crew with the right rigging and the right insurance.
We also don’t recommend the homeowner act as their own inspector when monoxide is in play. A liner that’s compromised at the seams can be moving carbon monoxide into the chase cavity and then into the house through a tiny gap in the framing. If you’re seeing rust or smelling metal, let us put the camera up and tell you plainly whether the liner is done or can wait. The call is easy: (762) 225-2593. A real person answers, and you’ll get a straight answer, not a sales pitch.
FAQs
In Alpharetta’s climate, a 304 stainless Olympia Chimney flue liner typically lasts 15 to 20 years before seam corrosion becomes measurable; a 316 liner usually gives you 20 to 25. The wild card is how often you burn and whether the chimney is low or high on the home’s roof plane, because a shaded, damp chase will shorten any liner’s life. If you burn three to four cords a year, expect to replace sooner than if the fireplace is occasional. We can tell you the exact age and condition of yours with a camera inspection, and we’ll show you the footage before we quote anything.
Small seam tears in a liner that’s otherwise sound can sometimes be patched with a stainless wrap or a poured ceramic sealant, but honestly, a liner that’s failing at multiple seams or showing rust-through is done. Patches on a flue liner are like patches on a tire sidewall, they hold until they don’t, and this is a fire-safety component, not a cosmetic one. We won’t patch a liner to make a sale or to avoid one. If it’s patchable, we’ll tell you and quote it honestly; if it’s past its life, we’ll show you why on camera and let you decide.
Most single-story Alpharetta liner replacements take us four to six hours from arrival to final draft test and clean-up photo. A two-story job or one where the chase top needs sealing might run a full day, but we’ll tell you the window upfront and we’ll arrive when we say we will. You’ll have the fireplace back the same day, fully operational.
We keep genuine Olympia Chimney 6-inch and 8-inch liner sections on the truck along with DuraFlex and Gelco equivalents, so in most Alpharetta jobs there’s no wait at all. If your fireplace needs a non-standard diameter or a rigid Olympia section we don’t have on hand, we source it directly and schedule the install as soon as the part lands, typically within four to five business days. Call (762) 225-2593 with your model number and we’ll confirm stock before you ever book.
Kindling Chimney Alpharetta is not affiliated with Olympia Chimney; we’re an independent service provider that stocks and installs their systems because they’re a solid product line we trust. We also keep parts for DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco systems on hand for the same reason.
If your fireplace is running rough or you’ve seen rust where rust shouldn’t be, call us at (762) 225-2593 for a free estimate. Danny Cortes will walk you through what we find, what it costs, and what we’ll do to protect your floors, your air, and your family while we fix it. A clean flue is a quiet house, and quiet is exactly what a family should hear on a cold night.
Written by Danny Cortes, Owner, Kindling Chimney Alpharetta at Kindling Chimney Alpharetta, serving Alpharetta and nearby areas.