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

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

Annual furnace maintenance is essential to keep your unit operating smoothly. A regularly serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could reduce your energy expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover troubles before they begin. This could help lower future repair costs and possibly extend the life of your system.

So how much area should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re updating your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should research manufacturer directions and Reinholds ordinances for clearance requirements.

As a general recommendation, your heater should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service professionals to conveniently repair it.

You also need to ensure the space has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an older furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This type of furnace needs combustion air from the adjacent space. If there’s insufficient air, dangerous gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to install more openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to assess 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 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 create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the unpleasant odors all over your home.

You should also regularly sweep by your furnace to prevent dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Trust the Local Pros for Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Reinholds, County Line Mechanical LLC can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 717-216-0846 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment today.