If You Have an Oil Furnace, Boiler or Hot Water Heater in Your Fishkill Home, Learn What a Puffback Is!

1/27/2020 (Permalink)

Puff backs can be dangerous to breathe in, call the experts at SERVPRO to get it cleaned up right!

Have you ever seen a car backfire and there’s a dark plume of smoke behind it when that happens? That’s similar to what can occur to your oil furnace, it’s when the burners don’t ignite upon start up and cause excess oil fumes to combust, or an explosion of un-burned oil. This reaction can produce a large amount of smoke that will cause soot and debris to spread throughout your house, called a Puff Back.

Maybe you’ve noticed oily, black-looking webs on your ceiling? Those are soot webs, exactly the bi-product of a puff-back. If you think it’s only going to found in the areas where the vents might be, think again. The only thing soot is good at, is traveling and hiding. Closed kitchen cabinets? Yup, it probably got in there. Guest bath down the hall? Most likely you’ll feel an oily film or see blackish spots in there too. Forced air systems will do their job and force the air everywhere along with whatever soot is hitching a ride.

Inhaling soot can be dangerous to your health, as it contains dirt, dust, chemicals, acids, and other harmful items. Inhaling those particles can lead to serious health issues. As much as you want to grab a sponge and get to work, most household cleaners can’t remove soot. the absolute best and easiest course of action is to contact a professional restoration company.

Some Quick “Now What Do I Do and Don't?”:

-Turn off the furnace. Don’t touch the soot and limit movement in the house. This also means don’t open windows or turn on fans.

-Don’t stay in the home if you really don’t need to. Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth if you must go inside for any reason. (Same for pets!)

-Do call your insurance company and file a claim.

-Call an HVAC specialist to fix the furnace.

-Call SERVPRO of Western Dutchess County 24/7. Our trained experts will walk you through every step, get that damage cleaned up and work directly with your insurance company to get this taken care of quickly and efficiently.

We’re always here to help at (845)831-3600.