I keep going back and forth on poly vs wire brush for clay flue tiles

Did a job last Thursday on a house in Arlington where the old clay liner was in decent shape but had some crusty buildup. I swear by poly brushes for less mess, but my partner says wire is the only way to really scrape off the baked on creosote. I used a poly brush on the first flue and it was clean but still felt a little slick. Switched to a wire on the second one and it kicked up dust everywhere but the tiles looked almost new. Which side do you guys lean on for clay liners? Does it depend on the age of the house or the type of wood they burn?

2 comments

2 Comments

emery8791d ago

Honestly, does it really matter that much if the tiles are still letting smoke through? I think people overthink this whole brush debate.

james_ramirez20h ago

Start using a wire brush when it's actually crusty and save the poly for the routine cleanings. Feels like everything in life has that tradeoff between taking the easy way and doing it the hard way once to get it right. How do you decide which flue gets which treatment when you're on the clock?