A small explosion inside the combustion chamber when unburned oil that has pooled there ignites all at once. The blast pushes soot and smoke out through every gap in the burner, the smoke pipe and, on a furnace, the ducts.

Can I turn the burner back on after a puffback?

No. Leave it off at the emergency switch and call. The cause is still there, and the chamber may be cracked. The burner goes back into service only after the technician has repaired the fault and tested it.

Do you clean the soot out of the house?

No. Domino repairs the burner, the chamber and the controls so it cannot happen again. Soot cleanup in the house is a separate restoration job, and many homeowners insurance policies cover it, so check with your insurer.

What causes a puffback?

Unburned oil pooling in the chamber. That comes from delayed ignition, a worn nozzle, an oil valve that lets oil drip after shutdown, a clogged nozzle or filter, poor draft, or the reset button pressed again and again on a burner that will not light.

How much does a puffback repair cost?

The service call is $189 plus the parts that failed, each priced before it goes in. A chamber that has cracked costs more than a nozzle and electrodes, and the technician gives you the number on the spot.

How do I prevent another puffback?

A yearly tune-up, which replaces the nozzle and checks the ignition and the chamber, and one press of the reset button, never more. Most puffbacks follow several resets on a burner that was already misfiring.

Puffback Repair Long Island | Oil Burner Soot Blowback

Puffback Repair Long Island

Soot through the house and a bang from the basement means the burner fired on a chamber full of oil. Leave it off and call. Domino finds the fault, repairs it and tests the burner before it runs again, the same day in most cases.

24 hours a day · Parts on the truck · No contracts

★★★★★

First Steps After a Puffback

Turn the burner off at the red emergency switch, the plate switch at the top of the basement stairs or beside the unit, and leave it off. Open windows if the smell is heavy. Do not press the reset button, because the fault that caused the puffback is still there and the chamber may be damaged. Then call (631) 867-2231; the phone is answered 24 hours a day and a puffback is treated as a same-day call.

If the furnace or boiler is still running when you find the soot, shut it down the same way. A burner that puffs once will puff again, and the second one is often worse.

Causes of a Puffback on an Oil Burner

Every puffback starts the same way: oil sprayed into the chamber that did not burn, then a spark. The reasons the oil did not burn are a short list:

Delayed ignition from worn or cracked electrodes, a weak ignition transformer or electrodes out of position. The oil sprays for a second or two before it lights, and that oil pools.
A worn nozzle spraying a poor pattern, or a nozzle partly clogged so the spray is uneven.
An oil valve that lets oil drip into the chamber after the burner shuts down. The dual or delayed oil valve exists to stop exactly this.
A clogged oil filter or pump strainer starving the flame so it stumbles and goes out mid-cycle.
Poor draft from a blocked flue, a stuck draft regulator or a chimney that needs cleaning, which leaves unburned vapor in the chamber.
The reset button pressed over and over on a burner that would not light. Each press adds another shot of oil to the chamber, and this is the most common cause of all.

The reset button guide explains why the button gets pressed once and only once.

Puffback Repair: Burner, Chamber and Controls

The technician starts with the burner. The nozzle and electrodes are replaced, the ignition transformer or igniter is tested, the oil valve is checked for after-drip, and the oil filter and pump strainer are replaced if they are the reason the flame stumbled. Pump pressure is set with a gauge.

Then the combustion chamber. The blast often cracks or dislodges the chamber liner, and a damaged chamber lets the flame play on bare metal. It is patched when the damage is small and replaced when it is not. The draft is read at the smoke pipe and the flue is checked for the soot the puffback left behind, because a flue choked with soot will cause the next one.

The burner is fired and watched through full cycles before the technician leaves. The parts that fail most ride on every truck, so most puffback repairs are finished on the first visit. The parts repair and replacement page lists every part involved.

Soot Cleanup Is a Separate Job

Domino repairs the heating system. The soot on the walls, the furniture and inside the ducts is a restoration job for a cleanup company, and it is worth doing properly, because puffback soot is oily and smears if it is wiped with ordinary cleaners. Many homeowners insurance policies cover puffback cleanup, so call your insurer before anyone starts cleaning and ask what they need documented.

On a warm-air furnace the ducts carry soot to every room, so the duct system should be part of the cleanup. On a boiler the soot usually stays in the basement and the rooms nearest the chimney.

Puffback Repair Cost on Long Island

The service call is $189 plus parts, with each part priced before it is installed. A puffback that only needs a nozzle, electrodes and a filter is at the low end. A cracked chamber or a damaged burner housing costs more, and when the burner itself is beyond repair the technician gives you the price of a new burner assembly next to the repair.

Calls outside regular hours carry an additional charge that is quoted before the technician is sent. There is no contract, and the price is the same for a first-time caller. Every price is on the pricing page.

Preventing the Next Puffback

A yearly oil burner tune-up replaces the nozzle, checks the electrodes and ignition, cleans the flue passages and inspects the chamber, which removes nearly every cause on the list above. The other half is habit: when the burner will not light, press reset once, and if it locks out again, leave it and call. A burner that needed two resets this week is a burner that needs a technician, not a third press.

Call for Puffback Repair Now

Leave the burner off and call (631) 867-2231. A NORA-certified technician comes out the same day in most cases anywhere in Suffolk County, Nassau County or Queens, with the parts on the truck and the price quoted before the repair starts.