A puff back is a misfire in a furnace that can send soot throughout your home and requires extensive cleaning and restoration in addition to repairs on your heating system.
A puff back can happen when an oil burner does not ignite immediately. This allows vapors to build up before ignition and ultimately results in an explosion similar to the backfiring of a car! While a buildup of debris can also create an excessive explosion at ignition, in either case, the explosion can shoot soot and debris through the furnace exhaust system and into your home. And if you have a forced air system, well the problem will most likely be worse as the heating ducts spread the soot with the same efficiency that they spread heat!
Cleaning the soot off of your walls and ceilings may seem like the immediate problem, but this discharge of soot actually points to a larger and underlying problem with the entire heating system. If this is the case, you’ll want to call a fire and water restoration company, like Mihalko’s, right away. Luckily, we’ve been dealing with problems like these in the Johnstown, Latrobe, and Altoona, PA general area for over 34 years and therefore have the experience necessary to get your heating system fixed up in no time!
