Natural gas furnaces need adequate space and airflow to heat properly.
Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it difficult for our technicians to perform furnace repair.
Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your unit working well. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could reduce your heating expenses.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they start. This could help reduce future repair bills and likely lengthen the life of your furnace.
So how much clearance should your system really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re updating your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Erie laws for clearance guidelines.
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 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You also need to ensure the area has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.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 kind of furnace needs combustion air from the surrounding space. If there’s inadequate air, hazardous gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.
If your furnace is placed in a tiny room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in supplemental openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.
Uncertain if your furnace or water heater has proper ventilation? We can take a look!
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You don’t need to assess 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 add 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, put your litter box somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the stinky odors all over your home.
You should also frequently vacuum near your furnace to prevent dust from accumulating.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Erie, Patterson & Stirling Inc can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any furnace model or brand.
Call us at 814-308-0416 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment right away.