Natural gas furnaces need sufficient space and airflow to work correctly.
Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it hard for our technicians to complete furnace repair.
Regular furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your system operating well. An annually serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could decrease your heating costs.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us discover troubles before they begin. This could help reduce future repair bills and potentially extend the life of your unit.
So how much clearance should your furnace really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re finishing your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer directions and Marshalltown 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 technicians to comfortably repair it.
You also need to ensure the room has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an aging furnace with a metal flue.
Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider
This model of furnace pulls combustion air from the nearby area. If there’s inadequate air, hazardous gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could leak into your home.
If your furnace is located in a tiny room with a gas water heater, you may need to install more openings. This could consist of a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.
You don’t need to think about airflow and ventilation as much if you have a up-to-date, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to add 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 elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the unpleasant odors all over your home.
You should also frequently clean around your furnace to block dust from accumulating.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you have to have furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Marshalltown, Kapaun & Brown can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any heating equipment model or brand.
Call us at 641-812-2028 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment now.