Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to run right.

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

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your unit working smoothly. A routinely serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could lower your heating bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice issues before they begin. This could help lessen future repair costs and possibly lengthen the life of your unit.

So how much room should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re updating your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer specifications and Genoa statutes 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 experts to easily replace it.

You also need to make sure the area has plentiful airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.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 model of furnace draws combustion air from the nearby area. If there’s insufficient air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a tiny 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 consider 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 add air.

Keep Hazardous Items Separate 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 elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the stinky odors all over your home.

You should also routinely clean by your furnace to block dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Trust the Local Pros for Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Genoa, Assured Appliance & Heating & Air can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 847-306-8990 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment right away.