Natural gas furnaces need adequate space and airflow to heat correctly.

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 important to keep your system running well. A routinely serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could decrease your utility 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 lower future repair bills and possibly prolong the life of your system.

So how much room 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 consult manufacturer specifications and Eastland statutes for clearance requirements.

As a general rule of thumb, your system 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 check the room 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 draws combustion air from the nearby area. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to add more openings. This could involve a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a newer, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to add 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, put your litter box somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the smelly odors throughout your home.

You should also regularly clean around your furnace to stop dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you need furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Eastland, J & J Air Conditioning can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 254-355-3833 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment today.