Tried a different brush head on a stubborn old flue and the results were night and day

I was working on a 1920s farmhouse chimney last Tuesday that had years of thick, glazed creosote. My standard poly brush was just skimming the surface after 30 minutes of work. I switched to a heavy duty steel wire brush head I keep in the truck for emergencies. In the next 15 minutes, I pulled down about twice the amount of debris, and the brick liner was actually clean to the touch. The homeowner even commented on the difference in the dust cloud coming out of the cleanout door. Has anyone else found that switching brush types mid-job is the only way to tackle those really bad ones?

3 comments

3 Comments

sam_thomas2mo ago

Sounds risky to switch tools like that.

joel_butler2mo ago

Yeah, I get why @sam_thomas would say that. I read an article that said the learning curve can be a bigger time sink than people plan for.

morgan8982mo ago

Risky? You left a 1920s flue half cleaned with the wrong brush! That's the real danger. A steel brush is the only thing that cuts through glazed creosote. Letting that stuff build up is a major fire hazard. Switching tools isn't a risk, it's the professional move to finish the job right.