Natural gas furnaces need sufficient space and airflow to run properly.

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it challenging for our technicians to complete furnace repair.

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your system running trouble-free. A routinely serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could decrease your energy expenses.

Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?

Maintenance often helps us notice problems before they become expensive. This could help lessen future repair costs and potentially prolong the life of your unit.

So how much clearance should your system really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re updating your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer instructions and Branchville laws for clearance guidelines.

As a general rule of thumb, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service professionals to easily replace it.

You also need to make sure the room has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an aging furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This kind of furnace needs combustion air from the adjacent area. If there’s inadequate air, unsafe gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to add extra openings. This could consist of a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a newer, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.

Keep Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms are often also used for laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of things that could be fire hazards.

This includes:

  • Clotheslines
  • Cleaning or laundry products
  • Gasoline, paint or paint thinner
  • Rags and papers
  • Wood scraps and sawdust
  • Used filters

If you have a cat, situate your litter box in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the unpleasant odors around your home.

You should also regularly vacuum by your furnace to block dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Branchville, Willco Air Conditioning, Refrigeration & Heating Inc. can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 862-345-6896 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment today.