Steel brush vs. poly brush on clay liners. Big mistake on my end.

Tried a steel wire brush on a clay flue liner last Tuesday in an old house near Elm Street. Gouged the hell out of it. Switched to a poly brush for the next job and it was way smoother. No damage, cleaned just as good. Anyone else wreck a liner with the wrong brush?

2 comments

2 Comments

josephl671mo ago

Dude that sucks. I did the same thing last month on a rental property flue, used a wire brush and it left deep scratches all the way down. Felt like such a rookie move. Poly brushes are the way to go for sure, they clean just as good without the horror show.

susana661mo ago

Hang on, you sure poly brushes are the way to go? From what I've seen, they can melt or gum up on a hot flue if you're not careful. And they don't clean as good on heavy creosote deposits, that's a fact. I had a buddy use one on a rental and it left a sticky mess, just a heads up. Might be worth double checking that before you recommend it.