Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to work correctly.

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

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your system operating smoothly. A regularly serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could decrease your heating bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot issues before they become expensive. This could help lower future repair expenses and potentially prolong the life of your system.

So how much room should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re updating your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Greater Richmond statutes for clearance rules.

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

You also need to ensure the room has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.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 kind of furnace pulls combustion air from the adjacent location. If there’s insufficient air, dangerous gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to add extra openings. This could consist of 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 unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.

Keep Combustible Materials 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, put your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the smelly odors around your home.

You should also regularly sweep 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 Greater Richmond, Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 804-302-6657 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment now.