Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to work properly.
Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it hard for our specialists to perform furnace repair.
Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your unit working smoothly. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could lower your heating expenses.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us spot issues before they begin. This could help lessen future repair costs and likely prolong the life of your furnace.
So how much room should your furnace really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re finishing your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Elk River laws for clearance rules.
As a general rule of thumb, your heater should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service experts to conveniently work on it.
You also need to ensure the room has ample 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 location. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.
If your furnace is placed in a little 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 unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.
Keep Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace
Although furnace rooms double as laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of clutter 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 circulate the unpleasant odors all over your home.
You should also frequently vacuum 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 Elk River, Home Comfort Heating & Air can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any furnace model or brand.
Call us at 763-276-0617 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment today.
