Home Heating Oil And The Dangers Of Puff Back

Although puff back actually sounds quite harmless it could cause a lot of damage in your home. A misfire in your boiler can result in soot shooting out from it. The soot which is expelled from your boiler could end up causing a lot of damage depending on the scale of the event. If you have expensive furniture in the vicinity it could end up costing you quite a bit of money. This soot can spread through the rest of the house given time.

What Causes Puff Back?

The reason why a puff back occurs is that the ignition in your boiler has failed to work as it should. It has not ignited straight away and this has allowed a build up of oil vapours. And when it does actually light it can cause a little explosion which can force the soot out of the boiler. These explosions are generally not life threatening and are quite similar to how a car exhaust back fires. But there can be a lot of damage caused from the soot that shoots out of your boiler depending on how grand the explosion is and where the boiler is placed in your home. You may not even notice these little explosions if you are not actually aware of them as they may not have a lot of soot shooting out.

But if they continue to happen it could mean a lot of damage. Often a lot of damage builds up before the owner actually begins to notice a problem.

Can Puff Back Be Prevented


One of the most common causes of puff back is a faulty ignition switch in your boiler. That is why it is advisable for you to make sure you call for professional help the minute you notice any soot. But if you get your boiler serviced regularly you should be able to avoid this event altogether.

Getting the home heated up during winter can be very expensive. Electricity and gas prices are very high and show no signs of coming down any time soon. Many individuals are now changing over to cheaper home heating oil though. After the changeover they have to make sure that the storage tanks are always full of cheapest heating oil ensuring they can always heat their home in winter.

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