What a puff-back is
An oil furnace or boiler that misfires can ignite accumulated fuel in the combustion chamber with a small explosion that forces soot out through the system and, if the blower runs, through every duct in the house. Fireplaces and wood stoves that back-draft in a wind event or with a blocked flue do the same at smaller scale. Oil heat is less common in the Puget Sound region than it once was, but the older houses of Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Bremerton still have it, and wood stoves are everywhere east and south.
Why it is different
Fuel-oil soot is oily. It sticks, it smears, it webs in corners and on ceilings, and it travels through the duct system so that every room has it. Wiping it with a damp cloth drives it into paint and fabric. The sequence is dry removal, then degreasing, then the ducts, then textiles and odor.
The system
The furnace cabinet, heat exchanger area, blower and the entire duct run are cleaned and filters replaced, and the appliance is serviced by a heating contractor before it runs again. For fireplaces and stoves, the flue is inspected and cleaned.
On the claim
Puff-backs are generally covered as sudden events; cleanup, duct cleaning, textiles and any repainting are scoped in Xactimate and billed directly to your insurer on covered claims, with your deductible applying as your policy states.
