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.
Olympia Chimney Crown Repair: The Allentown Owner’s Guide
Olympia Chimney crown repair in Allentown typically runs $340-$780 installed, depending on whether we’re sealing cracks or pouring a new cast-in-place crown. We stock Olympia Chimney-compatible crown sealants and forms on our trucks, and most crown jobs in the West Park and South Side neighborhoods are completed in a single visit. The chimney doesn’t care what it looks like from the street. We check what’s inside.
Most Allentown homeowners discover crown trouble during a routine sweep or after spotting water stains on the ceiling near the fireplace. The crown sits at the very top of your chimney, sloped to shed rain and snowmelt. When it cracks or spalls, water gets behind the brick face, freezes through our Lehigh Valley winters, and opens the damage wider. Russell Haines and our crew have replaced dozens of these on homes from the 1920s near West Park to newer builds in Hanover Township. The pattern is always the same: a small crack ignored becomes a saturated chimney stack by spring.
Which Olympia Chimney Models This Applies To
Olympia Chimney manufactures stainless steel chimney liner systems, caps, and termination components rather than traditional masonry crowns. If your home has an Olympia Chimney liner installed, the “crown” in question is likely the top-sealing termination plate or the concrete wash that seals around the liner where it exits the chimney stack. We see this most often on Olympia’s 316Ti flexible liner systems in 5.5-inch and 6-inch diameters, common in Allentown’s pre-1940s homes with narrowed flue passages.
To identify your part, look for the Olympia Chimney stamp on the termination cap or the metal tag attached to the liner itself, usually visible from the firebox. The critical measurement is the liner outer diameter and the chimney top opening dimension. OEM Olympia termination plates run about 30% higher than quality aftermarket equivalents from Gelco or Famco, which we also stock. For most Allentown installations, the aftermarket plate seals as well and carries the same 10-year corrosion warranty. We match the part to your existing liner series before we order anything. Hearthstone Chimney Co. is an independent service provider, not affiliated with Olympia Chimney.
Signs Your Olympia Chimney Crown Repair Is Failing
- Water dripping down the liner or into the firebox during rain. This means the termination plate seal or crown wash has separated from the liner pipe. Water follows the path of least resistance, and in Allentown’s freeze-thaw climate, that gap widens every winter.
- White efflorescence staining the exterior brick below the crown. Salt deposits mean moisture is migrating through the masonry. The crown is no longer shedding water, and the brick is acting like a wick.
- Cracks visible on the concrete wash or gaps around the metal plate. Hairline cracks grow. We’ve seen crowns in Allentown’s older homes crack completely through after just three hard winters when the original pour was too thin.
- Rust streaks down the chimney face from the cap. The termination hardware is corroding because water is pooling instead of draining. Olympia’s stainless components resist rust, but constant wetting overwhelms even 316Ti steel.
- Damp or musty odor from the fireplace in summer. Trapped moisture breeds mold in the smoke chamber. This is the symptom homeowners notice last, and it means water has been entering for a while.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
| Service | Price Range (Allentown) |
|---|---|
| Crown crack sealing (minor, < 1/4 inch) | $340-$480 |
| Partial crown rebuild with bonding agent | $520-$680 |
| Full cast-in-place crown replacement | $680-$780 |
| Olympia termination plate replacement (parts + labor) | $420-$590 |
The range depends on chimney height, access difficulty, and whether we need to remove the existing cap assembly. Every estimate includes our Level-2 camera inspection, photos you can see, and a plain-English verdict. We use professional-grade crown mixes and sealants from Olympia Chimney, Gelco, and Copperfield. No builder-grade substitutes. The 90-Day Done Right Promise covers all crown work in writing, no arguing. The number on the estimate is the number on the invoice.
DIY or Call Us?
An owner can safely check for visible cracks from the ground with binoculars and confirm water entry by taping a paper towel inside the firebox before rain. That’s the limit of what we’d recommend.
Crown repair involves working at height on a wet, sloped surface with mortar or sealant that must cure in specific temperature ranges. The concrete wash on an Olympia-lined chimney must slope precisely to shed water without pooling around the liner termination. Get the pitch wrong, and water runs toward the flue instead of away. We’ve been called to redo DIY crown jobs in Allentown where the homeowner used standard concrete mix instead of a freeze-thaw rated crown compound. The repair lasted one winter. For the height risk alone, this is work for a trained technician with proper ladder staging and fall protection. Call (610) 632-1394 and we’ll give you a straight assessment of what you’re dealing with.
FAQs
A properly poured cast-in-place crown with freeze-thaw rated compound lasts 15-25 years in the Lehigh Valley climate. Sealed minor cracks buy you 3-5 years. Call (610) 632-1394 for an exact quote - estimates are free.
Cracks under 1/4 inch with no underlying spalling can be routed, sealed, and coated. If the concrete is crumbling or the reinforcement mesh is exposed, replacement is the only sound option. We’ll show you the camera footage and explain which category you’re in.
Most crown repairs are completed in 3-5 hours. Full replacements require a return visit after the pour cures, typically 48 hours later. Our technicians arrive background-checked and uniformed, and we schedule to minimize disruption.
We carry Olympia-compatible termination plates, crown bonding agents, and cast-in-place forms on our trucks. For specialized Olympia liner diameters outside the common 5.5-inch and 6-inch range, we can have the part within 24 hours. A live person answers our phones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to confirm availability.
Ready to stop the leak? Call Hearthstone Chimney Co. at (610) 632-1394 for a free estimate on your Olympia Chimney crown repair in Allentown. We’ll be there when we say. Done right - and we stand behind it.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner, Hearthstone Chimney Co. at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Allentown and nearby areas.





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