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

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

Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your equipment running well. An annually serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could reduce your utility bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they begin. This could help reduce future repair expenses and potentially prolong the life of your furnace.

So how much area should your system really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re updating your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should research manufacturer specifications and Pella statutes for clearance rules.

As a general recommendation, your furnace should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This lets our service experts to easily replace it.

You also need to make sure the area has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an older furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This kind of furnace draws combustion air from the nearby area. If there’s inadequate air, unsafe gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could leak 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 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 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 Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms function 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 corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the stinky odors all over your home.

You should also routinely 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 want furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Pella, Van Haaften Plumbing & Heating can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 641-628-3621 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment now.