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

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it difficult for our specialists to accomplish furnace repair.

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your equipment running well. An annually 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 troubles before they begin. This could help lower future repair bills and potentially lengthen the life of your system.

So how much room should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re remodeling your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should research manufacturer instructions and Booneville laws for clearance rules.

As a general recommendation, your heater 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You also need to ensure the area has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.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 surrounding location. If there’s inadequate air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a little 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 modern, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to pull in air.

Keep Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms function 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, situate your litter box somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the smelly odors around your home.

You should also routinely vacuum by your furnace to prevent dust from developing.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Booneville, Booneville Heating & Cooling can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 662-269-8716 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment now.