What causes puff back in oil furnace?

A puffback occurs when a furnace or boiler does not ignite properly and allows oil or gas vapors to build up within the ignition/combustion chamber. When it does finally ignite, the excess fuel in the chamber causes this puffback scenario.

What is the most common cause of puff back?

Most puffbacks occur in oil-fired heating systems. In a furnace or boiler fueled with gas, the explosion is usually bigger and more damaging. A puffback can have many causes but can almost always be traced to a lack of maintenance or a failure to make needed repairs.

Can an oil furnace backfire?

Upon starting the heating appliance, this oil can ignite and cause an explosion or misfire inside the furnace. This oil burner backfire, called a “puff back,” forces soot or smoke through the heating exhaust system and into the owner’s property. Puff backs can occur in oil or gas furnaces, boilers or water heaters.

How do you clean the back of a puff?

If you choose to try to clean up the puff back on your own, you’ll roll up your sleeves and will most likely try dishwashing liquid, ammonia, distilled vinegar and baking soda, chemical sponges or vacuuming.

What causes a puff back in an oil burning furnace?

Puff backs occur when an oil-burning furnace doesn’t ignite when it should. Oil vapors build up in the ignition chamber, causing an explosion when the igniter finally triggers.

How can you tell if your furnace has a puffback?

Soot damage to the walls and floor following a furnace puffback Check for fuel leaks in and around the combustion chamber. Visible signs of leaking oil are a strong sign that a puffback has occurred, and that the leak and/or air in the oil line were the primary culprits. Check the exhaust/flue for clogs.

What causes a puffback explosion in a heating appliance?

The cause of this puffback explosion is the ignition of un-burned oil lying on or in the bottom of the heating appliance combustion chamber.

What does it mean when an oil burner backfires?

This oil burner backfire, called a “puff back,” forces soot or smoke through the heating exhaust system and into the owner’s property. A puff back may be an explosion that releases a large amount of soot into the building, or it can occur in small instances each time a furnace or boiler gets ignited.