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

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

Annual furnace maintenance is essential to keep your unit operating trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could decrease your energy costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover troubles before they become expensive. This could help lower future repair bills and possibly lengthen the life of your unit.

So how much clearance should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re updating your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer specifications and Milledgeville and Middle Georgia statutes for clearance guidelines.

As a general suggestion, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service technicians to conveniently repair it.

You also need to make sure the space has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This type of furnace pulls combustion air from the adjacent space. If there’s inadequate 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 put in supplemental 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 furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to pull 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 elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the unpleasant odors throughout your home.

You should also regularly clean by your furnace to block dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you need furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Milledgeville and Middle Georgia, Air Concepts of Middle Georgia can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 478-200-5689 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment now.