What is a Furnace “puffback” and How Does it Make a Sooty Mess

2/19/2020 (Permalink)

A puffback is a result of serious damage in a homes heating equipment, which many homeowners can be unaware of.  Below is some valuable information regarding puffbacks and how to help prevent heavy potential losses.

What is a furnace puff-back?

The term “puff back” represents technical damage that usually occurs in oil fired heating equipment.  It is an explosion of un-burned oil, taking place in the combustion chamber of the furnace, water-heater or boiler.  Based on the amount of oil being ignited, the puffback may radically damage the boiler, leading to soot spread all through the premises. Though most puffbacks are seen in oil-fired heating systems, the extent of damage is bigger in boilers and furnaces that are fueled by gas, since the explosion here is usually of larger in scale.

The Causes & Spread of Sooty Mess

The puffback explosion occurs due to the ignition of unburned oil lying in the bottom of the heating equipment combustion chamber. The degree of this explosion and its impacts on the building differ on the basis of:

• Amount of ignited oil
• Heater type
• Design of the equipment
• Heating conditions
• Building construction and spaces
• Doorways
• Ductworks, etc

Puffbacks may also result due to a partly cracked or clogged nozzle, inaccurate nozzle angle, cracked electrodes, improper adjustment of air-fuel mixture, a faulty spark transformer, low-grade or dirty fuel or shorted ignition cables.

Before a puff back occurs, most heating equipment systems start to show signs of a potential issue. Common indications include unpleasant odors and soot and smoke in your home. In addition, if you are hearing noises when the oil burner begins each run cycle, maybe a small “bang” or louder “puff” means that unburned oil is being ignited.

If you observe black debris or soot on the top of your furnace, boiler or water heater, and black soot streaks on walls or ceilings in your home’s furnace room, boiler room or living areas, it means you have a poorly maintained system that requires immediate attention and repair. The Puffback is not the main problem in itself, it’s the aftermath. Ceilings, walls, furniture, curtains and carpets, all are coated with a thin film of oil residue and soot. Generally, the damage becomes worse with a forced central air conditioning or air heating system, since the duck work gives a route for the soot to travel through the house, even into closets.

How can you avoid a puffback?

The best means to avoid dangerous and damaging oil burner puffbacks are:

• Have all your heating equipment serviced on a regular basis, preferably twice a year. Obtain the services of your home heating oil provider, licensed HVAC repair service or a home restoration company to do smoke damage cleaning and inspection.
• Stay alert for all noises, odors, soot in the furnace room, boiler room or anywhere in the home. Call professionals for inspection and diagnosis if any unusual condition is observed.
• Take preventive measures to avoid oil leaks on the oil piping systems and in the oil burner. Oil leaks may also cause air leaks.

Lack of timely inspection and regular service of oil-fired heating appliances will bring enormous risks such as loss of heat and related damages in your Long Island home, black walls and sooty mess all around, and the potential for more dangerous puffbacks in the future. If you are encountering any of these problems, call our home restoration emergency professionals at SERVPRO of East Meadow/Westbury (516-334-2927) right away, to get your system checked and repaired.