Had to choose between two different brushes for a tight flue in an old house in Savannah

I used a standard poly brush first and it just kept getting stuck, then switched to a smaller wire whip style. The whip cleared the creosote in half the time without any binding. What do you all use for those really narrow, old masonry flues?

3 comments

3 Comments

webb.dakota1d ago

Oh man, that whip brush is a lifesaver for those old flues. @terry_thomas is totally right about using the right tool, but I gotta say, I never even start with a poly brush on the really narrow ones anymore. It's just asking for a headache. The whip bends around all the old uneven brickwork and gets the job done fast. Learned that lesson the hard way a few years back.

terry_thomas2d ago

Your experience with the whip brush is a perfect example of the right tool for the job. It reminds me of how often we grab the standard, familiar tool first, only to waste time fighting it. Those old Savannah flues are a special kind of tight, and sometimes you just need that flexible, skinny whip to get in there and do the work without a fuss.

derekl7913h ago

Yeah, grabbing the poly brush first is like trying to park a dump truck in a compact spot. You just know it's gonna be a whole thing before you even start. The whip is the only way to not hate your life on those old flues.