I need advice my old 20/25 yr old oil furnace – forced hot air. The other day had a 3 fold issue with the heater. Chimney flue partially blocked, bad nozzle and bad igniter. Service guy came out 3 times….first to clear the chimney – birds nest, then the furnace wouldn’t start on it’s own. Called back, service tech came back, said the nozzle was clogged and changed the nozzle. Not 5 min after he left…BOOM! a backfire, called him immediately back. He tested the ingiter and replaced the igniter. Now the heater is running, but there is still a bad odor of fumes comming from the vents. My question is, is it normal to have this odor after a backfire, and how long could it last? Also is it dangerous, my son has asthma, and I don’t want to in any way put him at risk of an attack. I have a Carbon Monoxide detector and that hasn’t gone off. Any info would be appreciated.
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The backfire may have sprayed oil around the furnace, and heating oil has a fairly strong & persistent odor, especially when heated, so it could smell for a few days until it all evaporates.
But there's also a danger that the backfire could have breached the heat exchanger, allowing combustion products into the airflow. If the odor is still as strong tomorrow you should insist that the service folks return and verify that the heat exchanger is not damaged.