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

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it challenging for our technicians to complete furnace repair.

Annual furnace maintenance is essential to keep your system working smoothly. A regularly serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could lower your heating costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they begin. This could help lessen future repair bills and likely prolong the life of your unit.

So how much clearance should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re finishing your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer instructions and Greensburg statutes for clearance rules.

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

You also need to make sure 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 kind of furnace needs combustion air from the nearby location. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to add 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 pull in air.

Keep Flammable Items Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms double 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, situate your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the smelly odors throughout your home.

You should also routinely vacuum around your furnace to block dust from developing.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Trust the Local Pros for Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Greensburg, Wallpe Heating & Cooling can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 812-663-7252 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment now.