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

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

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your equipment operating 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 begin. This could help lower future repair costs and potentially extend the life of your system.

So how much area should your system really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re finishing your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Dresden ordinances for clearance requirements.

As a general rule of thumb, 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 make sure the room has enough 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 nearby space. If there’s not enough air, hazardous gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a tiny room with a gas water heater, you may need to add extra openings. This could consist of 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 pull in air.

Keep Combustible Materials Away 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 deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the smelly odors around your home.

You should also frequently clean by your furnace to stop dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Dresden, McFadden Heating & Cooling can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 1-866-781-0111 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment right away.