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

Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it hard for our technicians to complete furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is important to keep your equipment running smoothly. An annually serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could reduce your heating bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice problems before they become expensive. This could help lower future repair costs and likely prolong the life of your system.

So how much clearance should your system really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re updating your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer instructions and Derby laws for clearance guidelines.

As a general suggestion, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service technicians to easily replace it.

You also need to ensure the area has ample 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 pulls combustion air from the adjacent location. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a tiny 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 consider 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 Separate from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms double as laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of items 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 create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the unpleasant odors all over your home.

You should also routinely vacuum near your furnace to block 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 Derby, Giordanos Heating and Air Conditioning can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 203-772-8319 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment now.