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

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it challenging for our technicians to perform furnace repair.

Regular furnace maintenance is important to keep your equipment operating trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could decrease your energy bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot problems before they become expensive. This could help reduce future repair expenses and potentially extend the life of your furnace.

So how much area should your system really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re updating your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Laurel ordinances for clearance guidelines.

As a general suggestion, your furnace should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service technicians to comfortably work on it.

You also need to ensure the area has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This type of furnace needs combustion air from the nearby location. If there’s insufficient air, hazardous gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to add extra openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

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

Keep Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms are often also used for 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 move the smelly odors throughout your home.

You should also routinely clean by your furnace to stop dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Laurel, H&C Heating and Cooling can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 301-960-3247 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment today.