Natural gas furnaces need adequate space and airflow to work correctly.

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

Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your equipment running trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could lower your utility costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover problems before they begin. This could help lessen future repair expenses and possibly prolong the life of your furnace.

So how much clearance should your system really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re remodeling your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and New Castle statutes for clearance guidelines.

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

You also need to ensure the area has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an aging furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This kind of furnace needs combustion air from the surrounding space. If there’s inadequate air, dangerous gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in supplemental openings. This could involve 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 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, place your litter box somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the smelly odors throughout your home.

You should also frequently sweep around your furnace to stop dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request a Free Quote for Furnace Service

Whether you need furnace replacement or annual maintenance in New Castle, Central Heating & Plumbing can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 724-401-1843 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment right away.