Learn How Your Furnace Could Start A Fire In Your Montgomery Home

1/16/2019 (Permalink)

Let SERVPRO's certified technicians be the first to restore your home from fire and smoke damage.

Puffback Residue is a Form of Fire Damage Affecting Many Homes in Montgomery

Keeping your family comfortable during the winter means you take measures to weatherize your home by sealing cracks around doors and windows. Making sure that your exterior walls contain enough insulation also keeps heating costs as low as possible while keeping your house cozily warm.

Many homeowners in Montgomery know that fire damage can result from overloaded electrical circuits and burning cigarettes. The majority also know that they should check the furnace every Fall to make sure that it does not need repairs and that it should last throughout the season. Few people want to find themselves without heat during the winter because of a furnace that quit working in the middle of the night.

Puffback is a problem that can develop in your furnace that allows it to continue heating your home. Telltale signs include a loud bang when the furnace is starting its heat cycle. You also might begin to notice a darkening around the furnace's housing and around heat vents. Most homes continue to stay warm, with little or no noticeable change.

These deposits around your vents and the furnace indicate a buildup of creosote inside the ducts and the interior of the furnace. Creosote is very flammable and can catch fire easily. The loud bang or boom heard is when the furnace misfires and a buildup of fuel ignites at once. This small explosion pushes partially combusted fuel out of the furnace and into the ducts, where it and the creosote gets stuck along the way.

The entire interior of the duct becomes capable of catching fire, causing your entire home to burn. When your furnace starts showing signs of puffback, you need to replace your furnace and get the creosote deposits cleaned up and removed, just like you would any other type of fire damage. You may have never seen the fire caused by this because it remains hidden inside the furnace and the ducts.

Merely replacing the defective furnace with a newer model only partially protects your family and home from risks. Also, the creosote can disintegrate and make your home full of a distinct and unpleasant odor. SERVPRO technicians can get all of this fire damage residue cleaned up, making your home safe again, ”Like it never even happened.” Once eliminated from ducts and surfaces, odors significantly diminish, also.

SERVPRO of Montgomery is always ready to send IICRC-certified technicians to your Chisholm of Arrowhead home to help mitigate fire damage caused by malfunctioning furnaces or other appliances. We also serve homeowners in the areas around both Gunter and Maxwell Air Force Bases. Call us at (334) 273-0992, and we can explain more about how our services can help you and your family.

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