Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to heat right.
Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it hard for our technicians to perform furnace repair.
Routine furnace maintenance is essential to keep your equipment working trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could decrease your energy bills.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they begin. This could help reduce future repair costs and possibly lengthen the life of your furnace.
So how much area should your equipment really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re updating your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should research manufacturer specifications and Mechanicsburg laws for clearance requirements.
As a general rule of thumb, your furnace should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service technicians to conveniently repair it.
You also need to make sure the space has plentiful airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.
Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider
This type of furnace needs combustion air from the adjacent area. If there’s inadequate air, hazardous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could leak into your home.
If your furnace is positioned in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in more openings. This could involve a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.
Unsure if your furnace or water heater has proper ventilation? We can help!
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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 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 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 move the stinky odors throughout your home.
You should also frequently clean 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 annual maintenance in Mechanicsburg, H & H Service Company can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any heating equipment model or brand.
Call us at 717-220-4502 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment today.