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PSA: Poly brush vs steel brush on clay flues
I went back and forth for years on which one to use and finally settled on poly after a job in an old house where the steel brush scratched up the flue liner bad. The poly brush got the creosote off just fine without gouging anything. Anybody else switched and never looked back?
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shah.evan6mo ago
Wait, did you actually see scratching from the steel brush or was it just surface marks? I've used poly for a few years now and it's definitely gentler but I feel like I have to run it more passes to get the same clean. Maybe I'm just impatient though.
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quinn_kim456mo ago
Yeah I ran it a few passes and could see tiny lines in the light. Not deep scratches but more like surface chatter. You're right though, poly takes more passes to get the same result. It's like using a soft sponge for a tough stain. You have to work harder but you get less damage. That's basically everything in life now. Washing dishes by hand takes forever but the dishwasher leaves spots. Taking the stairs is better for you but the elevator gets you there faster. Pick your poison I guess.
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phoenix8454mo ago
I actually think the steel brush is way better than poly for this stuff. People get scared of a few surface marks but those lines buff out in seconds with a little polish. Poly just smears stuff around and leaves this weird haze that takes forever to fix. I've done both and the steel brush gives you a cleaner finish faster if you know what you're doing. The whole "gentler is better" thing is overblown. A little aggression saves time and the results speak for themselves.
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