Hot take: My old steel brush versus the new poly one on a tough creosote job

I had a brick flue in an old farmhouse with about a quarter inch of hard, glazed creosote buildup. The steel brush just scratched the surface and took forever, but the poly brush with the stiff bristles cut right through it in half the time. Which brush do you all reach for first on a glazed chimney?

3 comments

3 Comments

paulnguyen14d ago

Oh man, that's a solid real-world test. I'd grab the poly brush first every time for that glazed stuff. The steel ones just skate over the top, but those stiff poly bristles seem to dig in and actually break it up. Saves your arms and a ton of time.

jana50914d ago

Yeah exactly, the poly brush just gets under that glaze layer like nothing else. Tried the steel brush on my patio last year and it was a total waste of energy. Even @averyc94's pressure washer idea can leave the slick part behind if you don't get super close, but the poly bristles shred it. My shoulders thanked me.

averyc9414d ago

Forget the brush, try a pressure washer on a low setting first.