Natural gas furnaces need sufficient space and airflow to heat right.

Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it hard for our professionals to perform furnace repair.

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your system working smoothly. An annually serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could reduce your utility costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover troubles before they become expensive. This could help lower future repair bills and likely lengthen the life of your system.

So how much area should your system really have?

How Much Space Should My Furnace Have?

If you’re updating your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should research manufacturer specifications and Troy statutes for clearance requirements.

As a general recommendation, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service technicians to comfortably repair it.

You also need to ensure the area has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an older furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This kind of furnace pulls combustion air from the surrounding area. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to install more openings. This could consist of 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 newer, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your system uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to pull in air.

Keep Flammable Items A Safe Distance 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 spread the smelly odors all over your home.

You should also routinely sweep near 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 Troy, Edington Heating & Cooling Inc can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 937-558-9478 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment today.