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

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it challenging for our professionals to perform furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your unit working well. An annually serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could decrease your energy bills.

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 reduce future repair bills and potentially prolong the life of your system.

So how much room should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re updating your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should research manufacturer instructions and East Bernard ordinances for clearance rules.

As a general recommendation, your furnace 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You also need to check the space has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.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 model of furnace draws combustion air from the nearby area. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a tiny room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in more openings. This could include 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 draw in air.

Keep Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms are often also used for laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of things 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 corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the stinky odors all over your home.

You should also routinely clean near your furnace to prevent dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you need furnace replacement or annual maintenance in East Bernard, E.B. Air can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 979-335-4262 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment right away.