Do I 'need' to use a poly brush in my stainless liner?

[Andropolis]

Why can't I use a wire brush in my stainless liner? I don't care if the inside of the liner gets scratched... and I don't think scratching it would make it rust because the liner is 100% stainless through and through... not electroplating that will wear a good finish off. And.. it's not like I would wear a hole through the liner...

So... Why can't I use a metal wire sweep brush like I can buy at Lowes in my stainless liner?

There may be a logical explanation but I don't know it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[jjbaer]

Why can't I use a wire brush in my stainless liner? I don't care if the inside of the liner gets scratched... and I don't think scratching it would make it rust because the liner is 100% stainless through and through... not electroplating that will wear a good finish off. And.. it's not like I would wear a hole through the liner...

So... Why can't I use a metal wire sweep brush like I can buy at Lowes in my stainless liner?

There may be a logical explanation but I don't know it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I believe because the metal brush leaves sites where corrosion can occur and many makers of liners recommend the poly brush for that reason.....

 

[Eric Johnson]

Cast is right. Just because the liner is stainless steel doesn't mean that it's immune to corrosion. Scratches will turn into weak spots that will make the liner susceptible to premature failure.

That said, if you still want to use a steel brush, get one that's one size smaller than your liner and you should be OK, unless you use it more than a couple times a year.

 

[jjbaer]

Why can't I use a wire brush in my stainless liner? I don't care if the inside of the liner gets scratched... and I don't think scratching it would make it rust because the liner is 100% stainless through and through... not electroplating that will wear a good finish off. And.. it's not like I would wear a hole through the liner...

So... Why can't I use a metal wire sweep brush like I can buy at Lowes in my stainless liner?

There may be a logical explanation but I don't know it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I believe because the metal brush leaves sites where corrosion can occur and many makers of liners recommend the poly brush for that reason.....

Poly brush about $50 and your liner (depending on length) $400 - $1500 so it's cheap insurance to get a poly brush.....priceless...LOL

 

[BrotherBart]

Poly brushes are fourteen bucks at ACE Hardaware. Order it online and they send it to a store near ya for free.

 

[jjbaer]

Poly brushes are fourteen bucks at ACE Hardaware. Order it online and they send it to a store near ya for free.

good to know....I also need one. Thanks BB.

 

[mikeathens]

I had always throught that scratching the stainless created more sites for creosote buildup? I might have read that somewhere, but maybe I'm just imagining it. I use a poly brush in mine. And, yes, ACE hardware stores carry them and the fiberglass rod sections. I picked mine up with the brush and about 20 feet of rod for something like $50 ten years ago...I doubt that it's much more expensive now.

 

[Bill]

Poly brush is $6 at Menards if I remember correctly, but under $10 for sure. I talked to a hvac mechanic and he told me the wire brush leaves pieces of steel in the liner that start corrosion. I returned my steel brush and replaced it with the poly. I remember seeing a cheap stainless sink that had rust pits in it. So I guess for me I am taking the safe route.

 

[titan]

If you were to scratch a piece of stainless steel with any ferrous metal-it would soon rust.Anytime I welded stainless it was always cleaned with a stainless bristled brush or wheel.That was the rule-and the welds didn't rust.

 

[Andropolis]

Thanks for all the help. Everyone convinced me to get a poly brush. I did order one to an Ace Hardware locally. There aren't any Menards around here unfortunately. It's the cost of the rods that get ya. Thanks for all the help!

Andropolis

 

[drizler]

If you can somehow chuck that poly brush onto a cordless or otherwise drill I bet it would clean that puppy out nicer than the best of the best steel ones. Just like brushin your teeth with an electric tooth brush, more rpm's get er done quicker..................... Thats what I do for my P-vent but of course it breaks down with a twist and gets tossed under the bench for the summer. If I need a tad of heat now and again I just blow it out the otherwise capped flue. Anyways if you put some rpm's on that poly brush it will work wonders. Same principal works on copper pipe (if you can afford it now days). Just cut the end off the 3/4" pipe cleaner and chuck it in the drill. It cleans that pipe to a shine in the inside in about 2 seconds. For the outside a piece of sandpaper or steel wool does the same.

 

[Hogwildz]

My steel brush states right on the box, "For clay or S.S. liners".

 

[Eric Johnson]

...meaning neither one will hurt the brush!

 

[RonB]

I need to buy a new brush for my new poured liner of cement. I'm just about afraid to ask you guys which one to use. Poly or steel? Steel might scratch the concrete, but then again, the cement might scratch the poly brush. Wow! Who said burning wood wasn't rocket science? This is getting tough.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I'd ask the people who poured the liner, but I think either one would be fine for a poured masonry liner.

 

[babalu87]

I dont think it would matter what I have for a chimney , personally I would go with a poly brush. If you have stuff thats caked on that bad its time for a little chimney fire

 

[raybonz]

Recently I've been researching flexible SS liners and the vast majority say to use a poly brush. I believe the metal is relatively thin and the metal brushes would weaken them over time. My clay 8x8 liner is vertically cracked directly where my flue pipe enters the chimney. I did speak to a certified chimney company and they said this could have been caused by a chimney fire "event" and if so my home insurance would cover this.. They will be inspecting my chimney tomorrow and will give an estimate at this time and to determine if indeed I had a chimney fire.. I found this crack when cleaning the chimney last week and it was a real eye opener for me.. Ive heard that Mass. requires a SS liner for a new stove install and also for a "new to me" stove.. Mass. also requires a liner even if the house is brand new but I could be wrong on this.. BTW the sweep only uses Ventinox SS liners and they are seam welded and from the research I've done very few are welded.. If anyone has a Ventinox liner I'd like to hear what you think about it..

http://www.protechinfo.com/c269/Ventinox-c9.html

Ray

 

[kenny chaos]

Forty years with the same pipe and wire brush. Maybe it's different ss than today?

 

[BrotherBart]

Forty years with the same pipe and wire brush. Maybe it's different ss than today?

We are talking liners Kenny. Not solid pipe. They ain't been making flex liners for forty years.

 

[kenny chaos]

Forty years with the same pipe and wire brush. Maybe it's different ss than today?

We are talking liners Kenny. Not solid pipe. They ain't been making flex liners for forty years.

Sorry. :-/

 

[98dingo]

I sweep chimneys almost every day and I very rarely use steel brushes. My poly brushes do well for most jobs. I would never send a metal brush down a SS liner. The liner material is not that strong and tears relatively easy. I have had to rip out liners that customers have torn with wire brushes.

 

[burleymike]

Z-flex says either is fine for their liners. Here is a caption from their manual.
http://www.novaflex.com/information_centre/zflex/04All Fuel Flex Liner Kit/Z-Flex All Fuel Chimney Liner Installation Guide.pdf

 

[BrotherBart]

I have talked to a chimney liner professional on this site that everybody swears by, and not at, and he says that they have been cleaning the flex liners they sell and install for 13 years with steel brushes and not a one has failed.

Personally I use a soft poly brush made for pre-fab chimneys because I shoved a steel brush into a section of stainless liner and it left grooves in it. And a regular poly brush did the same thing. What the hell, I am only sweeping out fine soot. A knotted rag would probably do just at well.

 

[pen]

I have talked to a chimney liner professional on this site that everybody swears by, and not at, and he says that they have been cleaning the flex liners they sell and install for 13 years with steel brushes and not a one has failed.

Personally I use a soft poly brush made for pre-fab chimneys because I shoved a steel brush into a section of stainless liner and it left grooves in it. And a regular poly brush did the same thing. What the hell, I am only sweeping out fine soot. A knotted rag would probably do just at well.

The popular thing in my area is to use old tire chains in a burlap bag for cleaning the chimney. Many people here don't use brushes.

When I installed my liner, I purchased a poly brush. I have never found a person to say that a poly brush could hurt it. But there is at the very least healthy debate about the safety of using the metal brush. As such, why not just spend the 14 bux and be certain that you don't hurt something.

pen