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

Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it challenging for our specialists to accomplish furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is essential to keep your equipment operating well. A routinely serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could decrease your utility bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover problems before they become expensive. This could help lower future repair expenses and potentially extend the life of your unit.

So how much clearance should your furnace 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 Norco and surrounding parishes laws for clearance guidelines.

As a general rule of thumb, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service technicians to conveniently work on it.

You also need to make sure the space has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This model of furnace pulls combustion air from the nearby location. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to add supplemental openings. This could involve a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to consider airflow and ventilation as much if you have a up-to-date, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to pull in air.

Keep Hazardous Items A Safe Distance 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, situate your litter box in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the unpleasant odors all over your home.

You should also frequently sweep by your furnace to prevent dust from developing.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Norco and surrounding parishes, Mayeuxs AC & Heating can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at (985) 764-2426 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment today.