3 Steps To Take After a Furnace Puffback

12/28/2020 (Permalink)

A furnace puff back can create an enormous mess in your building

Take These Steps To Deal With Puff Backs The Right Way

When a furnace isn’t working properly, fumes and fuel can accumulate in the combustion chamber and ignite, causing a small explosion that forces soot and smoke through the exhaust vents. This occurrence is known as a furnace puffback. A puffback is a cry for help from your building’s furnace, although you could be the one crying when you see the puffback damage to your building. Don’t try to clean this mess up yourself: Take these steps to deal with puff backs the right way.

1. Call a Repairman
Your first step should always be to call a Dahlonega, GA, HVAC professional to repair your building’s heating system. Puffbacks do not occur when furnaces are functioning correctly. Ignoring the problem will likely lead to more mess and possibly even a fire or explosion.

2. Call Your Insurance Company

Inspect the building thoroughly to assess the damage. Soot from a puffback can travel a surprising distance and cover a huge area. It can spread even further by traveling through your building’s ductwork. Puffbacks can leave large black streaks or a fine layer of soot on just about everything, including inside drawers or behind closed doors. Your property insurance may cover the cost to clean up the puffback damage.

3. Call a Professional Cleanup Crew
Never try to clean up the mess from a puffback yourself. Soot is a unique substance that does not simply wipe away like dust. The sticky, oily soot from an oil furnace is particularly challenging to remove, and without professional equipment and training, your cleanup efforts could end up causing more damage. Contact a reliable restoration service with experience dealing with soot damage. These professionals will use the correct cleaning agents and techniques to fully remove soot and soot odor from your building.
A furnace puffback can create an enormous mess in your building. Dealing with puffback damage is frustrating, but restoration professionals have the tools to get your building looking “Like it never even happened.”