Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to work properly.
Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it challenging for our specialists to perform furnace repair.
Routine furnace maintenance is important to keep your unit running trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could reduce your energy costs.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us spot troubles before they start. This could help lessen future repair costs and potentially extend the life of your system.
So how much room should your equipment really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re remodeling your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer instructions and Huntsville laws for clearance guidelines.
As a general rule of thumb, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service technicians to easily repair it.
You also need to check the space 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 model of furnace draws combustion air from the adjacent location. 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 more openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.
You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a up-to-date, 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 double as 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, put your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the unpleasant odors all over your home.
You should also frequently vacuum by your furnace to stop dust from developing.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you need furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Huntsville, All Weather Heating & Air Conditioning Inc can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any furnace model or brand.
Call us at 256-801-4701 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment right away.