My old mentor laughed at me for using too much water on flue tiles at a job in Cincinnati

I remember it clear as day - we were working on a 120 year old Victorian house in Mount Adams back in 2016. The owner had black soot weeping through the mortar joints and I kept spraying the flue tiles down before scrubbing. My mentor, Frank, who has been sweeping since the 70s, just shook his head and told me I was making the mess worse. He showed me how a damp rag and dry brushing does a better job because the water just pushes the soot deeper into the porous clay. I argued with him for about 10 minutes before I tried it his way on one section. The difference was night and day. Ever since then I only use a mist of water for sealing jobs, not for cleaning. Has anyone else found that less water actually gets better results on older flues?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sandra2h ago

Frank must have been sweeping chimneys back when I was still figuring out how to use a garden hose without flooding the yard. I had a similar lesson on a job in Covington where I basically turned a flue tile into a muddy slip n' slide before my partner told me to step away from the water bucket. He was right, the less water I used the better the soot came off without turning into that nasty black sludge that just smears everywhere. Now I just look at a spray bottle like it's a personal insult and reach for the dry brush instead.

palmer.jana2h ago

Wait, did you really flood a flue tile that bad? I've been there @the_sandra, it's so frustrating when you think more water helps but it just makes a sticky mess. I once spent a whole afternoon scrubbing a creosote nightmare on a job in Maysville cause I used too much water. My buddy walked in, shook his head, and handed me a dry rag. He was right, dry brushing is way faster. Now I barely wet my brush at all unless it's really caked on.