Natural gas furnaces need sufficient space and airflow to heat correctly.

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it hard for our technicians to accomplish furnace repair.

Regular furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your system working trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could decrease your heating 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 bills and potentially 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 research manufacturer specifications and Bishop ordinances for clearance rules.

As a general suggestion, your furnace 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 plentiful airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an aging furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This type of furnace draws combustion air from the surrounding area. If there’s insufficient air, unsafe 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 extra openings. This could involve 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 system uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to add air.

Keep Hazardous Items Separate from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms function as 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, put your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the unpleasant odors all over your home.

You should also regularly vacuum by your furnace to prevent dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you need furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Bishop, Bishop Heating & Air Conditioning can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 760-784-9034 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment right away.