My old boss told me to stop brushing liners and just vacuum them, and now I'm second guessing 12 years of work

Grace Cooper · 2026-10-11T11:30:03.721843+00:00

So I was at the supply house in Dayton last Tuesday picking up a new 6 inch poly brush and ran into my old boss from my first sweep job. We got to talking and he asked how I handle clay tile liners after a sweep. I said I always run the brush then hit it with the vacuum from the top. He laughed and said he hasn't brushed a liner in 8 years, just drops the vac hose and lets it eat everything, then does a visual with the camera. I stood there holding my brush feeling like a chump. The thing is, I've pulled chunks out of flues with a brush that I know a vacuum alone would have left behind, especially on that glazed creosote that bakes on. But he's been at this 30 years and I trust him. Now I'm wondering if I've been wasting 20 minutes a job this whole time for nothing. Any of you guys gone vacuum-only on liners, and did you ever get called back for a mess you missed?

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My old boss told me to stop brushing liners and just vacuum them, and now I'm second guessing 12 years of work | Chimney Sweeps - Thought Shares