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

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

Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your system working well. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could decrease your heating bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice troubles before they start. This could help lower future repair costs and potentially prolong the life of your unit.

So how much clearance should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re finishing your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should research manufacturer directions and Temple/Belton statutes 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 easily work on it.

You also need to ensure the room 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 model of furnace needs combustion air from the adjacent location. If there’s inadequate air, unsafe gas fumes and poisonous 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 install more openings. This could consist of 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 newer, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your furnace 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, place your litter box in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the smelly odors all over your home.

You should also frequently vacuum near your furnace to block dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Temple/Belton , Bell Air Conditioning Inc can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 254-307-9572 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment now.