Talked to a veteran sweep yesterday who said I was overcleaning liners and making them wear out faster

He told me after 30 years in the trade he only does two passes max with a poly brush unless there's heavy creosote, and that changed how I look at my whole routine - anyone else ever gotten told they're too aggressive with their cleaning?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron8961mo ago

Nah I gotta push back on that. I've been cleaning for 15 years and I hit every liner with a stiff brush at least 5 times per section, especially if there's any buildup. Poly brushes are tough enough to handle it, and if you're not getting down to bare metal you're leaving a layer that will trap moisture and cause rust way faster than any brush wear. My mentor taught me that a clean liner is a happy liner, and I've seen too many guys baby their brushes only to call me in for a reline job 2 years later. The guy with 30 years is probably just set in his ways from the old days when brushes were softer and liners were thicker.

taylor_flores1mo ago

A clean liner is a happy liner" - I've heard that exact line from my old man too, and he's been doing this since before poly brushes were even a thing. But I think you're onto something about the bare metal thing. If you leave even a thin film of old liner, that moisture finding its way underneath is almost guaranteed. I've seen guys do the light scrub and then wonder why their fresh coatings start peeling in high-traffic spots. Plus, a brush that's worn down from a few extra passes is a lot cheaper than redoing an entire section because of trapped moisture.