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

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

Routine furnace maintenance is essential to keep your unit working trouble-free. A routinely serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could decrease your heating expenses.

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

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

So how much area 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 Marshalltown laws for clearance requirements.

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

You also need to check the room 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 model of furnace pulls combustion air from the surrounding location. If there’s not enough air, hazardous gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is located in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in more openings. This could consist of a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to think about 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 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, place your litter box in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the smelly odors all over your home.

You should also routinely 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 Marshalltown, B & G HVAC can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 641-316-3360 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment right away.