Debate: metal brush vs poly brush for heavy creosote

Old timer Joe from down the street swears by metal brushes for tough buildup, but I used one last month on a chimney in Denver and it scratched the liner bad. Which side do you all fall on for stubborn jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

rose_murray2h ago

Yeah, I feel you on that. Scratching a liner is such a gut punch, especially when you thought you were doing the right thing. I've been leaning towards poly more and more for that exact reason.

wrenh792h ago

You said "it scratched the liner bad" and that's EXACTLY what happened to me a few years ago. I used to be on team metal all the way because I thought they were the ONLY thing that could handle heavy creosote. But after I wrecked a stainless steel liner on a job in Denver too, I completely changed my tune. Poly brushes are just safer on modern liners, flat out. I still use metal for unreinforced clay flues if the buildup is really baked on, but I'm SUPER careful and only do a couple passes. These days I'd rather take an extra pass or two with a poly brush than risk cracking or scratching a liner again.