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

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

Regular furnace maintenance is important to keep your equipment operating well. A regularly serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could reduce your heating expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot problems before they become expensive. This could help lessen future repair costs and likely prolong the life of your unit.

So how much room should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re remodeling your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Dundas and Northfield laws 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 professionals to easily replace it.

You also need to ensure the space has plentiful 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 needs combustion air from the surrounding area. If there’s insufficient 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 install supplemental openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to consider airflow and ventilation as much if you have a up-to-date, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your system 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, put your litter box in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the smelly odors throughout your home.

You should also frequently clean around your furnace to stop dust from developing.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Dundas and Northfield, Better Air can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 507-663-1208 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment today.