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

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it hard for our technicians to complete furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is essential to keep your unit operating trouble-free. A routinely serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could lower your utility bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot problems before they begin. This could help reduce future repair costs and likely extend the life of your furnace.

So how much clearance should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re updating your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer instructions and Belton ordinances for clearance requirements.

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

You also need to check the area has plentiful airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This type of furnace needs combustion air from the nearby area. If there’s inadequate air, unsafe gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

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

Keep Hazardous Items Separate from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms function 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 circulate the smelly odors throughout your home.

You should also routinely vacuum around your furnace to block dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Belton, Myers Furnace Company can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 816-249-1619 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment today.