TIL my old way of cleaning a flue was actually making things worse

For months I was using a stiff wire brush on this old brick chimney in my town, and the creosote just seemed to build up faster every time. I switched to a poly brush last week and the difference after just one sweep was crazy, like a whole new pipe. Has anyone else had a brush type totally change their results?

2 comments

2 Comments

gray_nelson5d ago

Yeah, I had the same thing happen with my wood stove pipe. The metal brush was just packing it in tighter. Switched to one of those nylon ones and it actually pulls the gunk out.

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brookefox5d ago

Wait, you can actually get the creosote out with a nylon brush? I always figured you needed the heavy metal ones to really scrape it clean. That's a game changer, I've been fighting with packed-in gunk for years. Might have to give the plastic kind a shot next time I clean my chimney.