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Had to pick between a regular brush and a poly brush for a tough job
I was cleaning a big old chimney in a house from the 1920s last Tuesday. The flue was full of hard, glazed creosote. My boss gave me a choice: use our heavy duty steel wire brush or try a new poly brush he just got. I went with the poly one, thinking it would be gentler on the old clay liner. It took me about an hour longer, but it got the job done without any damage. Has anyone else used a poly brush on a really bad creosote build up?
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ray_morgan7mo ago
My uncle's been a mason for forty years and swears by steel brushes on old clay. He says if you're gentle and use the right technique, the damage risk is way overblown. I've seen his work, and the liners look fine. Sometimes the new tool is just a slower version of the old one.
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wyatt527mo ago
Poly brushes are a total game changer for old liners... I used one on a glazed-up farmhouse chimney last fall. The steel brush felt like it was grinding the clay to dust, but the poly just wore down the creosote. It takes more elbow grease and time, for sure. But you're right, no cracks, no damage... worth the extra hour.
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