Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to run right.
Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it challenging for our technicians to perform furnace repair.
Regular furnace maintenance is important to keep your system operating well. A regularly serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could lower your heating bills.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us spot problems before they become expensive. This could help lessen future repair bills and potentially 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 enclosing your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Eastland statutes for clearance rules.
As a general suggestion, your furnace should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service professionals to easily replace it.
You also need to ensure the area has plentiful airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an older furnace with a metal flue.
Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider
This model of furnace needs combustion air from the nearby space. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.
If your furnace is placed in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in supplemental openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.
Unsure if your furnace or water heater has enough ventilation? We can assist you!
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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 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, place your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the stinky odors throughout your home.
You should also frequently vacuum near your furnace to block dust from developing.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you need furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Eastland, J & J Air Conditioning can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any HVAC model or brand.
Call us at 254-355-3833 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment now.