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

Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it challenging for our professionals to perform furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is important to keep your system working trouble-free. An annually serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could decrease your energy costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot problems before they start. This could help reduce future repair expenses and likely prolong the life of your furnace.

So how much room should your furnace 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 Neptune City ordinances for clearance requirements.

As a general rule of thumb, your heater should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This lets our service experts to conveniently work on it.

You also need to check the room 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 type of furnace draws combustion air from the nearby location. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to install more 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 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 clutter 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 in another room. 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 regularly vacuum near your furnace to prevent dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request a Free Quote for Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Neptune City, Aggressive Mechanical can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 732-806-5536 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment now.