What To Do Following a Furnace Puffback in Your Commercial Building
8/23/2022 (Permalink)
What to Do If Your Commercial Building Experiences a Furnace Puffback
A commercial heating system keeps your employees warm during the frigid winter months in Oak Tree, OK. However, a malfunctioning oil furnace can cause major harm to your property. A broken HVAC system may spark a fire that necessitates emergency restoration services.
You may also have to deal with puffback damage to your property. The furnace could spray sticky soot all over the building. The soot could land inside closets and drawers and spread through the duct work.
Because the spread of sticky soot is often extensive, you should not attempt to clean up furnace puffback on your own. Instead, follow the below steps after the disaster.
1. Assess the Damage
Start by taking a tour of your building to see how far the soot spread. Do not forget to check behind closed doors or underneath furniture.
2. Call Your Insurer
Most commercial insurance policies cover puffback damage. Talk to your claims adjuster to find out the extent of your coverage.
3. Contact the Experts
You can use the insurance money to pay for the repairs to your property. Have a trained HVAC technician fix the broken furnace.
Then, contact restoration professionals. They will have the proper cleaning agents and tools to remove the soot from the property. They should eliminate odors and contaminants, as well. Depending on the extent of the damage, the process may include additional repairs to the structure of the premises.
You may be tempted to address the puffback on your own. However, soot is difficult to clean and may hide in hard-to-reach areas of your commercial property. Removing this soot thus requires special expertise. Failure to use the proper techniques could just make the puffback damage worse.
Therefore, you should let your local HVAC professionals and your preferred restoration company handle the repairs. If you have proper insurance, the out-of-pocket cost of the remediation may be minimal.