Furnace PuffBack Clean up | PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services

Oooh baby, it’s getting cold outside! The heat waves from the summer are becoming a distant memory as we turn our minds to the harvest season. Around about now, furnaces across the North East are getting turned on for the first time as the colder weather descends.

: Furnace puff back causes problems in a Roebling, NJ home

And for an unfortunate few, fall furnace ignition problems with oil heat systems can result in incomplete combustion. Incomplete combustion can cause a small explosion in the system sending soot particles throughout the home. And that’s what is commonly referred to as a “puff back.”

: Puff back soot staining the ceiling in this Sicklerville, NJ home

To make matters worse, there are two kinds of puff backs: fast and slow.

The slow kind of puff back is more difficult to detect. But here’s your sign: if you find yourself cleaning an area of your home only to have what looks like a dark dust return in only a few hours, or if you find dust-like particles collect around the heating vents, or if you notice dark streaks on the ceiling or walls, you’ve probably have had a puff back.

The fast kind of puff back is more dramatic: everything in the home – including your pet’s fur – is covered in soot very quickly and the air may be difficult to breathe.

: A furnace puffback in Philadelphia – dangerous soot is spread everywhere!

With whatever speed it invades your house, unless the soot is removed quickly and completely, it’s sure to bring long lasting damage to your home – and here’s why:

The soot from a puff back is a sticky, greasy, grimy mess second to none. And, it can present a severe health hazard in the place that’s supposed to be a haven – your home.

All those miniscule, oil based particles embed themselves in curtains, carpets, and clothing while contaminating the air with known and dangerous carcinogens.

Running a vacuum over it only grinds the soot deeper and creates stains that will never come out. Wiping the soot from walls and ceilings creates a place where paint will no longer stick.

And, unless the soot is quickly and professionally removed, it can cause corrosion of metals on door knobs, faucets, and even electronic equipment throughout the home. (Oh no! Not the computers too! Yup! Even the computers!).

: Riverside, NJ home with soot stains from furnace puff back

Because every inch of the home is affected, a puff back is an overwhelming job to clean right. For homeowners, the best option is to contact a qualified property damage restoration professional like PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services . We specializes in fire and smoke damage clean up. We know what to do, and in what order to do it: from cleaning the vents, to sealing the walls and ceiling, to performing corrosion mitigation on all the surfaces in the home.

Of course, the best way to deal with a puff back is never to have one.

As grandma used to say: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

If you hear strange noises or smell unusual odors when your furnace is in use, turn it off and call your heating repair serviceman immediately.

But even if you don’t notice strange noises or odors, servicing your furnace before you turn it on is the best way to find problems in the system before they can do wide-spread damage to your home. The fall heating season is the best time to contact your furnace service repairman for evaluation and service, so you can enjoy the harvest season without the worry.