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

Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it challenging for our professionals to perform furnace repair.

Regular furnace maintenance is important to keep your unit running well. A routinely serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could reduce your utility expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they begin. This could help lower future repair expenses and likely prolong the life of your unit.

So how much clearance should your system really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re finishing your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should research manufacturer specifications and Kearney ordinances for clearance rules.

As a general recommendation, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service experts to comfortably repair it.

You also need to check the area 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 type of furnace needs combustion air from the adjacent space. If there’s insufficient air, dangerous gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in extra openings. This could include 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 newer, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your system uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to pull in air.

Keep Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms function as laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of clutter 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 somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the smelly odors all over your home.

You should also regularly vacuum near your furnace to prevent dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you need furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Kearney, Thurston Heating & Air Conditioning can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 308-624-3485 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment now.