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

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it difficult for our professionals to complete furnace repair.

Regular furnace maintenance is important to keep your system operating well. 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 problems before they start. This could help lessen future repair costs and possibly prolong the life of your furnace.

So how much clearance should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re finishing your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should research manufacturer instructions and Justin statutes for clearance requirements.

As a general suggestion, your furnace 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 check 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 draws combustion air from the adjacent area. If there’s inadequate air, unsafe 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 put in more 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 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 Separate from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms are often also used for laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of items 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 somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the smelly odors around your home.

You should also routinely vacuum by your furnace to stop dust from building up.

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 Justin, Pepper AC & Heat can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 940-202-1184 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment right away.