Natural gas furnaces need sufficient space and airflow to work correctly.

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it difficult for our technicians to accomplish furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is essential to keep your equipment operating well. A regularly serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could reduce your utility expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice troubles before they start. This could help lessen future repair bills and potentially extend the life of your furnace.

So how much area should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re updating your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer instructions and Thedford 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 lets our service professionals to comfortably work on it.

You also need to make sure the room has plentiful 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 adjacent space. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous 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 put in more openings. This could involve 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 modern, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to pull in air.

Keep Flammable Items A Safe Distance from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms are often also used for laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of items 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, place your litter box somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the unpleasant odors throughout your home.

You should also routinely sweep by your furnace to prevent 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 annual maintenance in Thedford, Taylor's Heating & Air Conditioning can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 519-296-4437 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment right away.