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

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

Regular furnace maintenance is important to keep your system running trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could reduce your utility expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover problems before they start. This could help lessen future repair bills and likely prolong the life of your furnace.

So how much area should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Should My Furnace Have?

If you’re remodeling your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Redmond laws for clearance requirements.

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

You also need to ensure the area 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 type of furnace needs combustion air from the nearby location. If there’s insufficient air, hazardous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to add extra 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 up-to-date, 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 Separate from Your Furnace

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

You should also regularly sweep near your furnace to prevent dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request a Free Quote for Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Redmond, Just Komfort Heating & Cooling can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 458-206-0216 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment today.