Had a job out in Saratoga Springs last fall that made me switch to wire brushes only

I was cleaning out a 150 year old chimney at this big Victorian house near the race track. The owner insisted I use those heavy duty chemical soot removers, said it was the only way. After I finished, the next sweep job I did a week later had a cracked flue liner that looked like it was from those same chemicals eating away at the mortar. I stopped using anything but wire brushes on brick and terra cotta after that. Has anyone else seen long term damage from those chemical cleaners?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_olivia11d ago

Yeah chems wreck masonry long term.

charles67811d ago

Nah I gotta push back on "long term" being the issue here. Actually in my experience chems usually do way less damage than people think if you prep right beforehand. Like if the brick is sealed properly or you use a mild acid wash it's fine for years. Saw a job my buddy did back in 2018 with a heavy duty cleaner and the joints still look solid. The real problem is people buying cheap acids or scrubbing too hard. Get the good stuff and the masonry holds up.