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

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

Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your unit operating smoothly. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could decrease your utility 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 expenses and potentially lengthen the life of your furnace.

So how much room should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re finishing your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should research manufacturer instructions and Huntsville ordinances for clearance requirements.

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

You also need to make sure the space has plentiful airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an aging furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This type of furnace draws combustion air from the nearby area. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is located in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to install 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 newer, 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 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, situate your litter box in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the stinky odors around your home.

You should also regularly sweep around your furnace to block dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Huntsville, All Weather Heating & Air Conditioning Inc can expertly meet 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 request an appointment now.