Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to work right.

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it difficult for our professionals to accomplish furnace repair.

Annual furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your unit running well. A routinely serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could decrease your heating expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover problems before they start. This could help reduce future repair costs and possibly extend the life of your system.

So how much room should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re finishing your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Newton statutes for clearance rules.

As a general rule of thumb, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service technicians to conveniently work on it.

You also need to check the room has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This type of furnace needs combustion air from the adjacent area. If there’s inadequate air, hazardous gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to add extra 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 furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.

Keep Flammable Items Separate 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 elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the unpleasant odors around your home.

You should also routinely vacuum by your furnace to block dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Trust the Local Pros for Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Newton, Brookwood Inc can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 641-316-9803 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment now.