Natural gas furnaces need adequate space and airflow to heat right.

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it difficult for our specialists to complete furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your equipment operating well. A routinely serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could reduce your utility bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they start. This could help lower future repair bills and likely prolong the life of your furnace.

So how much area should your system really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

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

As a general suggestion, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This lets our service professionals to comfortably work on it.

You also need to check the room 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 kind of furnace pulls combustion air from the surrounding area. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to install 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 newer, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your system uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to add air.

Keep Combustible Materials Separate 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, put your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the unpleasant odors throughout your home.

You should also routinely vacuum by your furnace to stop dust from building up.

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 Fredericksburg, Childress Heating & AC can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 540-675-4306 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment today.