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Old timer at a supply house made me rethink nylon brushes
I used to swear by wire brushes for everything. Thought nylon was for amateurs who didn't want to scrub hard. Then I'm at County Line Supply in Denver picking up a 6-inch wire brush last spring, and this retired sweep named Frank stops me by the register. He says 'you're gonna scratch that flue liner all to hell with that thing.' I laughed it off at first, told him I'd been doing it this way for 10 years. He just shrugged and said 'your call, but I've pulled chunks of wire out of more chimneys than I can count.' I bought a nylon brush on a whim that day just to shut him up. Tried it on a job the next morning and honestly the soot came off way easier, no scratches on the liner. I ended up going back a week later to thank him and he was gone. Anyone else have a veteran sweep talk them out of a bad habit like that?
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the_lucas28d ago
My buddy Mike switched after finding three broken wire bristles in his customer's fireplace grate.
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Yeah but I gotta push back a LITTLE on Frank's advice there. Nylon brushes are GREAT for smooth metal liners and tile flues, but if you're dealing with an old clay flue that's got chips or rough spots, the nylon will just skip over the soot in those cracks and leave a mess. I've had jobs where I had to go back over with a wire brush anyway because the nylon just couldn't grab the stubborn baked-on creosote in those gouges. Point is, it ain't ONE brush for every job - Frank was right about not scratching up a nice smooth liner, but wire still has its place for the really beat up old ones.
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