The sweep who told me to skip the brush on old tile liners has it backwards | Chimney Sweeps

James Black · 2026-10-02T05:10:03.884644+00:00

I was doing a job in a 1910 house near Schenectady two weeks ago and the homeowner had me look at the flue before I even unloaded. It was a square clay tile liner, pretty common for that age, and the guy before me had tagged it as fine with just a drop light and a quick rod. Here is where I part ways with the popular take around here: I keep hearing sweeps say tile liners basically take care of themselves and you only need the poly brush, no need to fuss. I ran my 6 inch round wire brush down it and came back with a coffee can worth of glazed creosote that the poly just polished instead of cutting. That glaze is what starts Stage 3 chimney fires, and I have pulled it out of at least a dozen liners in Albany County this season alone. I get the logic, wire can scuff tile if you get stupid with the drill, but a hand rod and a light touch gets the job done without cracking anything. Am I the only one who thinks the poly-only crowd is leaving fire fuel in the flue?

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The sweep who told me to skip the brush on old tile liners has it backwards | Chimney Sweeps - The Design Community Hub