Switched from old wire brushes to poly whips for heavy creosote last winter

I used to beat myself up with stiff wire brushes on those tar-glazed fireboxes, but after a job in Brookline where I spent 45 minutes on one flue, I grabbed a poly whip kit and it cut my time by half. Any of you guys made the switch and noticed a difference on really baked-on stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee_bailey651mo ago

45 minutes on one flue with a wire brush? Man, that sounds like you were dealing with some serious glacier-level buildup. I get why youd grab for the poly whip after that, but I wonder if its really that much of a game changer or if the wire brush just wasnt aggressive enough for the job. Maybe the poly whip works better on softer crud, but for that rock-hard tar, I bet a good stainless steel brush with some muscle would have done the trick in half the time anyway. Seems like half the battle is just the right technique and not giving up too quick on the old tools.

roberts.jordan1mo ago

Actually read something recently from a chimney sweep association blog that talked about this exact thing. They mentioned poly whips are preferred for softer creosote because the chains flex and scrape without gouging the flue tiles like a stiff wire brush can. For that rock hard glazed stuff they said you almost need a chemical treatment first to break it down, otherwise no brush is gonna touch it without taking half the day. Your point about technique is solid though, I've seen videos where guys with years of experience make a wire brush look effortless compared to someone forcing it.