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

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it challenging for our specialists to complete furnace repair.

Regular furnace maintenance is important to keep your unit running trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could reduce your heating expenses.

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

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

So how much clearance should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re remodeling your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer instructions and Huntsville laws for clearance guidelines.

As a general suggestion, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service experts to comfortably replace it.

You also need to ensure the area has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an aging furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This kind of furnace needs combustion air from the adjacent space. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is located in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in supplemental openings. This could consist of 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 pull in air.

Keep Flammable 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, situate your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the stinky odors around your home.

You should also routinely clean by your furnace to block 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 routine maintenance in Huntsville, All Weather Heating & Air Conditioning Inc can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any heating equipment model or brand.

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