Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to heat right.
Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it difficult for our technicians to perform furnace repair.
Routine furnace maintenance is essential to keep your unit running trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could reduce your heating costs.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us discover troubles before they start. This could help lessen future repair expenses and likely 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 updating your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should research manufacturer directions and Bloomfield statutes for clearance guidelines.
As a general suggestion, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This lets our service technicians to easily work on it.
You also need to check 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 type of furnace needs combustion air from the surrounding location. If there’s inadequate air, unsafe gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.
If your furnace is located in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in supplemental openings. This could involve a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.
Not sure if your furnace or water heater has adequate ventilation? We can assist you!
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You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a newer, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to pull 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 somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the stinky odors around your home.
You should also regularly clean around your furnace to prevent dust from accumulating.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you have to have furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Bloomfield, Stanford Heating & Cooling can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any furnace model or brand.
Call us at 812-825-8695 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment today.