Natural gas furnaces need sufficient space and airflow to run correctly.
Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it hard for our professionals to accomplish furnace repair.
Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your system working trouble-free. An annually serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could reduce your utility costs.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us discover troubles before they start. This could help reduce future repair expenses and potentially extend the life of your furnace.
So how much room should your equipment really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re finishing your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer directions and Woodbridge laws for clearance guidelines.
As a general rule of thumb, your furnace should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This lets our service professionals to easily replace it.
You also need to check the space has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an older furnace with a metal flue.
Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider
This model of furnace needs combustion air from the surrounding area. If there’s inadequate air, unsafe gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could leak into your home.
If your furnace is placed in a tiny room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in supplemental 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 up-to-date, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your system uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.
Keep Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace
Although furnace rooms function as 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 circulate the unpleasant odors throughout your home.
You should also routinely sweep by your furnace to stop dust from developing.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you need furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Woodbridge, Fire & Ice HVAC can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any furnace model or brand.
Call us at 703-595-4157 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment now.