I finally quit using the wire brush on clay flue tile after 12 years

Grant Green · 2026-10-18T19:45:04.043628+00:00

Had a customer in Modesto last month, older guy, retired firefighter, and he watched me pull out the wire brush and just shook his head. He told me his dad's chimney had been ruined by some sweep in the 80s who scrubbed the clay tile raw and left grooves that grabbed creosote like sandpaper. I argued with him for a bit, then he showed me the inside of his flue with a mirror and I could see exactly what he meant, smooth glaze worn down to the rough yellow clay. Switched to a poly brush on soft tile after that, and my last 6 jobs have cleaned up way better. Any of you run into this with older clay liners, or am I the last one to figure it out?

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I finally quit using the wire brush on clay flue tile after 12 years | Chimney Sweeps - The Community Guide