Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to run properly.

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it challenging for our professionals to accomplish furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your equipment working well. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could lower your heating costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice issues before they start. This could help lessen future repair expenses and possibly extend the life of your unit.

So how much room should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Should My Furnace Have?

If you’re finishing your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer specifications and Carpentersville ordinances 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 experts to conveniently work on it.

You also need to check the space has plentiful 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 draws combustion air from the adjacent space. If there’s inadequate air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous 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 install extra 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 furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.

Keep Hazardous Items Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms function as laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of things 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 deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the smelly odors around your home.

You should also routinely sweep by your furnace to block dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Carpentersville, Controlled Comfort HVAC can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 224-412-8308 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment today.