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

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

Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your system operating trouble-free. An annually serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could decrease your heating expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they become expensive. This could help reduce future repair expenses and likely extend the life of your furnace.

So how much clearance should your system really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re finishing your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer directions and Oxford laws for clearance rules.

As a general recommendation, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service experts to easily work on it.

You also need to check the space 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 model of furnace pulls combustion air from the nearby space. If there’s inadequate air, hazardous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in supplemental openings. This could involve a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a modern, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.

Keep Hazardous Items A Safe Distance 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, situate your litter box in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the smelly odors all over your home.

You should also frequently vacuum by your furnace to block dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Oxford, Franklin's Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 662-281-1231 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment today.