Hot take: Weather sealed brushes are overhyped for routine chimney work

Last Tuesday I spent six hours on a creosote-heavy job in Manchester using my standard nylon brush in the rain, and it held up fine while my buddy's expensive sealed one frayed on the second flue.

2 comments

2 Comments

terry_barnes1mo ago

Last season I had a similar thing happen with a brush I thought was "heavy duty" - started shedding bristles after three jobs. @taylor.paige is right about that trapped moisture thing, I rinse mine in the driveway and let it sit out in the sun for a day before packing it up. Never had a sealing issue with my old nylon one.

taylor.paige1mo ago

And honestly, the real issue is that "weather sealed" just means they trap moisture inside the bristles instead of letting it drain out. If you're rinsing your brush properly between jobs, that trapped wetness actually accelerates the breakdown of the binding materials. It's kind of like putting a raincoat on a sponge - you're solving the wrong problem.