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Had a job out in Saratoga Springs last fall that made me switch to wire brushes only
I was cleaning out a 150 year old chimney at this big Victorian house near the race track. The owner insisted I use those heavy duty chemical soot removers, said it was the only way. After I finished, the next sweep job I did a week later had a cracked flue liner that looked like it was from those same chemicals eating away at the mortar. I stopped using anything but wire brushes on brick and terra cotta after that. Has anyone else seen long term damage from those chemical cleaners?
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the_olivia2mo ago
Yeah chems wreck masonry long term.
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charles6782mo ago
Nah I gotta push back on "long term" being the issue here. Actually in my experience chems usually do way less damage than people think if you prep right beforehand. Like if the brick is sealed properly or you use a mild acid wash it's fine for years. Saw a job my buddy did back in 2018 with a heavy duty cleaner and the joints still look solid. The real problem is people buying cheap acids or scrubbing too hard. Get the good stuff and the masonry holds up.
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