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

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

Routine furnace maintenance is essential to keep your unit running well. An annually serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could decrease your heating expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they become expensive. This could help reduce future repair expenses and possibly extend the life of your unit.

So how much area should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re updating your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should research manufacturer directions and Hudsonville laws for clearance rules.

As a general rule of thumb, your heater 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You also need to ensure the area has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This kind of furnace needs combustion air from the adjacent space. If there’s not enough air, hazardous gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a tiny room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in more openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to consider airflow and ventilation as much if you have a newer, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.

Keep Flammable Items A Safe Distance from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms are often also used for 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, place your litter box somewhere else. 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 routinely sweep near your furnace to block dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Trust the Local Pros for Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Hudsonville, West Michigan Heating & Air Conditioning Services can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at (616) 319-1436 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment right away.