Natural gas furnaces need adequate space and airflow to run correctly.

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it challenging for our professionals to perform furnace repair.

Annual furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your equipment operating trouble-free. An annually serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could reduce your energy expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice troubles before they become expensive. This could help lower future repair costs and possibly lengthen the life of your furnace.

So how much room should your system really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re finishing your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer instructions and Brookfield ordinances for clearance requirements.

As a general recommendation, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service professionals to conveniently repair it.

You also need to ensure the room has plentiful 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 adjacent space. If there’s insufficient air, unsafe gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to add 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 modern, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to add air.

Keep Hazardous Items Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms double 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, place your litter box somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the unpleasant odors throughout your home.

You should also routinely sweep near your furnace to block dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request a Free Quote for Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Brookfield, Central Air LLC can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 203-357-5913 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment now.