Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to heat correctly.
Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it difficult for our technicians to perform furnace repair.
Regular furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your equipment running trouble-free. A routinely serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could lower your energy bills.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us discover troubles before they start. This could help reduce future repair bills and likely lengthen the life of your system.
So how much area should your equipment really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re finishing your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should research manufacturer instructions and Pocatello ordinances for clearance rules.
As a general rule of thumb, your heater should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This lets our service professionals to conveniently repair it.
You also need to make sure the area 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 type of furnace pulls combustion air from the nearby area. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.
If your furnace is placed in a tiny room with a gas water heater, you may need to add more openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.
You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a newer, 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 frequently vacuum around your furnace to prevent dust from building up.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you need furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Pocatello, Vogts Heating & Air can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any heating equipment model or brand.
Call us at 208-621-0129 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment today.