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

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

Routine furnace maintenance is important to keep your system operating smoothly. An annually serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could decrease your utility expenses.

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 costs and possibly extend the life of your furnace.

So how much room should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Should My Furnace Have?

If you’re remodeling your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Milledgeville and Middle Georgia ordinances for clearance guidelines.

As a general suggestion, your furnace should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service experts to easily replace 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 pulls combustion air from the nearby area. If there’s insufficient air, dangerous gas fumes and deadly 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 add extra openings. This could involve a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to consider airflow and ventilation as much if you have a up-to-date, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to add air.

Keep Hazardous Items A Safe Distance from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms double as 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, situate 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 all over your home.

You should also frequently clean around 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 routine maintenance in Milledgeville and Middle Georgia, Air Concepts of Middle Georgia can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any furnace model or brand.

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