Natural gas furnaces need sufficient space and airflow to work correctly.
Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it difficult for our technicians to accomplish furnace repair.
Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your system running well. A regularly serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could decrease your energy expenses.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they start. This could help reduce future repair costs and potentially extend the life of your system.
So how much room should your equipment really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re finishing your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should research manufacturer instructions and Bend statutes for clearance guidelines.
As a general rule of thumb, your heater 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You also need to check the space has plentiful airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.
Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider
This model of furnace needs combustion air from the adjacent space. If there’s inadequate air, unsafe gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could leak into your home.
If your furnace is positioned in a tiny room with a gas water heater, you may need to install extra openings. This could consist of a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.
Unsure if your furnace or water heater has proper ventilation? We can assist you!
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You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a modern, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your unit 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 things 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 somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the smelly odors throughout your home.
You should also frequently sweep near your furnace to block dust from accumulating.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you want furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Bend, Tri County Climate Control LLC can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any heating equipment model or brand.
Call us at 541-238-2797 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment now.