Stop using wire brushes on stainless steel flues

I keep seeing guys at job sites scrubbing stainless liners with regular steel wire brushes. Did 3 cleanings last month where I had to tell homeowners their $600 liner was rusting because of that. It causes pitting and corrosion that you won't see for a year. Has anyone else run into this or am I the only one carrying nylon brushes?

2 comments

2 Comments

linda_mason8211d ago

Jumped into this mindset myself a few years back. Used to think a wire brush was a wire brush, grabbed whatever was cheapest at the supply house. Then my buddy had to replace a liner after less than two years because of pitting from a steel brush. Saw the damage under a bright light and it was like someone took a tiny ice pick to the metal. Now I won't touch anything but nylon on stainless, even if it takes an extra pass to get the soot off.

butler.shane10d ago

Read an article from a boiler tech a while back that called steel brushes on stainless a slow death sentence. Said the microscopic particles get embedded and then rust starts creeping out from the inside. @linda_mason82 your buddy's liner story kinda proves that point. It's wild how something that seems harmless can quietly wreck a good setup over a few seasons.