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

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

Annual furnace maintenance is important to keep your equipment operating well. An annually serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could decrease your utility bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot problems before they begin. This could help reduce future repair costs and potentially lengthen the life of your furnace.

So how much area should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re finishing your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer instructions and Cottonwood & Prescott laws for clearance rules.

As a general rule of thumb, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This lets our service professionals to conveniently work on it.

You also need to check the space 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 draws combustion air from the surrounding area. If there’s not enough air, hazardous gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is located in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to install supplemental 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 newer, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your system uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to pull 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 clutter 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 somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the smelly odors all over your home.

You should also routinely sweep 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 Cottonwood & Prescott, Connolly Electric & Mechanical can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 928-251-4327 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment now.