lisa_jones21•3d agoProlific Poster

Finally got a handle on the soot buildup in those old brick chimneys downtown after switching to a heavier grade brush.

3 comments

3 Comments

A friend who works in historic building repair told me the old mortar can be really soft. He said using too stiff a brush can actually damage the bricks over time. It might clean faster but it grinds away the surface. Maybe the heavier brush works if the soot is really baked on, but you have to be careful. I'd be worried about wearing down the chimney faster than the soot builds up.

seth_green853d ago

But have you ever seen how fast a soft brush wears out on tough soot, @uma_lopez?

sean_murray2d ago

That's a good point about old mortar, but honestly most chimneys I've seen are in way tougher shape from water and creosote than from a stiff brush. A soft brush just pushes the hard glazed soot around. You need something that can actually break it up without having to scrub for hours.