Tried using a cheaper brush on a tough flue and it actually worked better

I was cleaning a heavy creosote buildup in a 100 year old chimney over in Oakdale last week and my normal wire brush wasn't cutting it. Switched to a poly brush I picked up for $15 and it ripped through that stuff in half the time. Anyone else find certain brushes work better on specific types of buildup?

3 comments

3 Comments

noahmartin1mo ago

Waste of money paying $40 for a brush that just tickles the creosote.

seanjackson1mo ago

And one thing I haven't seen brought up is that a softer brush can actually be easier on old flue tiles that are already cracking or chipping. If your wire brush is heavy handed it might be doing more harm than good by knocking loose pieces of the liner. A cheap poly brush might just be the safer option on something that fragile.

smith.anna1mo ago

Wait, $15 poly brush actually cut through heavy creosote in a 100 year old flue? That's wild. I've always figured you needed something with serious metal bristles for that kind of buildup, especially in old brickwork that's got decades of gunk baked in. I spent like $40 on my wire brush and it barely touched a similar job last month in a house from the 1920s. Maybe I'm just being stubborn about trying cheaper stuff but honestly that kind of blows my mind.