Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to heat correctly.
Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it challenging for our professionals to complete furnace repair.
Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your system operating smoothly. A regularly serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could lower your heating expenses.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they start. This could help lower future repair expenses and likely extend the life of your system.
So how much area should your furnace really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re finishing your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should research manufacturer directions and Columbus ordinances for clearance guidelines.
As a general suggestion, your heater should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service professionals to comfortably replace it.
You also need to check the space has enough 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 needs combustion air from the nearby space. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.
If your furnace is located in a small 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.
Uncertain if your furnace or water heater has adequate ventilation? We can take a look!
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You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a modern, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.
Keep Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace
Although furnace rooms are often also used for 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, situate your litter box in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the unpleasant odors throughout your home.
You should also regularly sweep around your furnace to stop dust from developing.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Columbus, Wolfe & Sons Heating and Cooling can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any heating equipment model or brand.
Call us at 614-451-0846 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment right away.