Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to work correctly.

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

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your equipment operating smoothly. A routinely serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could reduce your utility bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice issues before they begin. This could help reduce future repair bills and likely extend the life of your unit.

So how much clearance should your system 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 directions and Florissant laws for clearance guidelines.

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

You also need to make sure the room 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 type of furnace pulls combustion air from the nearby location. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is placed 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 assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a modern, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your system uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to add air.

Keep Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms function as laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of clutter 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 in another room. 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 routinely sweep around your furnace to block dust from developing.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Florissant, B & B Heating & Cooling can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 314-325-7552 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment right away.