Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to heat right.
Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it difficult for our professionals to accomplish furnace repair.
Routine furnace maintenance is essential to keep your equipment running trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could lower your heating expenses.
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 expenses and likely prolong the life of your unit.
So how much clearance 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 take a look at manufacturer specifications and West Jefferson ordinances for clearance rules.
As a general recommendation, your furnace should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service experts to conveniently repair it.
You also need to ensure the space 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 type of furnace needs combustion air from the nearby space. If there’s inadequate air, dangerous gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.
If your furnace is positioned in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to install more openings. This could involve a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.
Not sure if your furnace or water heater has adequate ventilation? We can help!
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You don’t need to think about airflow and ventilation as much if you have a up-to-date, 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 are often also used for 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, put your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the stinky odors around your home.
You should also frequently vacuum by your furnace to prevent dust from developing.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you want furnace replacement or routine maintenance in West Jefferson, West Jefferson Plumbing and Heating, Inc. can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any furnace model or brand.
Call us at 614-879-9091 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment right away.