Natural gas furnaces need adequate space and airflow to heat correctly.
Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it hard for our specialists to perform furnace repair.
Annual furnace maintenance is important to keep your system operating trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could lower your energy expenses.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us notice issues before they start. This could help lower future repair expenses and potentially extend the life of your furnace.
So how much clearance should your furnace really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re remodeling your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer specifications and Plover ordinances for clearance guidelines.
As a general suggestion, your system 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 area has plentiful 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 nearby space. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.
If your furnace is placed in a small 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 consider airflow and ventilation as much if you have a modern, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to pull in air.
Keep Combustible Materials Away 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, 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 all over your home.
You should also regularly vacuum by your furnace to block dust from building up.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you want furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Plover, Point Heating & Cooling can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any furnace model or brand.
Call us at 715-504-0533 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment now.