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

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it difficult for our professionals to accomplish furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is important to keep your unit running trouble-free. A routinely serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could reduce your heating costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they become expensive. This could help lower future repair bills and possibly extend the life of your furnace.

So how much clearance should your system really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re updating your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer specifications and Huntsville ordinances for clearance guidelines.

As a general recommendation, your furnace should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This lets our service experts to conveniently repair it.

You also need to ensure the room 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 model of furnace draws combustion air from the nearby area. If there’s inadequate air, dangerous gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is located in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to add extra 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 furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.

Keep Hazardous Items Separate from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms function 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, place your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the smelly odors around your home.

You should also regularly sweep near your furnace to stop dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Trust the Local Pros for Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Huntsville, All Weather Heating & Air Conditioning Inc can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 256-801-4701 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment today.