Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to run correctly.
Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it hard for our professionals to perform furnace repair.
Annual furnace maintenance is essential to keep your system operating well. A regularly serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could lower your heating expenses.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us discover problems before they start. This could help reduce future repair bills and likely prolong the life of your system.
So how much clearance should your equipment really have?
How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?
If you’re remodeling your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer specifications and Manassas ordinances for clearance rules.
As a general suggestion, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service professionals to conveniently repair it.
You also need to make sure the area has ample 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 surrounding location. If there’s inadequate air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.
If your furnace is located in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to install 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 up-to-date, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your system uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to add air.
Keep Hazardous 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 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 deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the stinky odors around your home.
You should also routinely vacuum near your furnace to block dust from developing.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you want furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Manassas, Fire & Ice HVAC can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any furnace model or brand.
Call us at 703-365-0505 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment right away.
