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

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it hard for our professionals to accomplish furnace repair.

Annual furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your equipment working well. A regularly serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could decrease your heating bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot troubles before they start. This could help lower future repair expenses and possibly extend the life of your unit.

So how much area should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re finishing your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer specifications and Thedford ordinances for clearance guidelines.

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

You also need to make sure the area 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 surrounding area. If there’s inadequate air, dangerous gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to add supplemental 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 system 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, put your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the unpleasant odors around your home.

You should also regularly clean near your furnace to stop dust from developing.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Thedford, Taylor's Heating & Air Conditioning can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any heating equipment model or brand.

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