Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to heat correctly.
Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it difficult for our technicians to accomplish furnace repair.
Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your system operating trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could reduce your energy bills.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us discover problems before they start. This could help lower future repair bills and likely extend the life of your system.
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 take a look at manufacturer specifications and Rock Hill laws for clearance guidelines.
As a general recommendation, your heater should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service professionals to conveniently repair it.
You also need to check the area has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.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 needs combustion air from the surrounding location. If there’s inadequate air, hazardous gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.
If your furnace is placed in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to install extra openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.
Unsure if your furnace or water heater has adequate ventilation? We can assist you!
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You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a newer, 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 are often also used for 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, 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 move the smelly odors throughout your home.
You should also frequently vacuum near your furnace to block dust from developing.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you need furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Rock Hill, US Air Heating and Cooling can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any heating equipment model or brand.
Call us at 803-220-0761 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment today.