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

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it hard for our technicians to perform furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is important to keep your system working trouble-free. An annually serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could reduce your energy costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot issues before they begin. This could help lessen future repair bills and potentially extend the life of your system.

So how much area should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re remodeling your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer specifications and Moline ordinances for clearance guidelines.

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

You also need to make sure the space 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 kind of furnace draws combustion air from the surrounding location. If there’s insufficient air, unsafe gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to install more openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a up-to-date, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your system 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 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, put your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the unpleasant odors all over your home.

You should also regularly sweep near your furnace to prevent dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request a Free Quote for Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Moline, Freed Heating & Air Conditioning can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 309-323-9584 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment today.