Natural gas furnaces need adequate space and airflow to work properly.

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it hard for our technicians to accomplish furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your unit operating smoothly. A routinely 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 discover issues before they begin. This could help lessen future repair bills and likely prolong the life of your unit.

So how much room should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Should My Furnace Have?

If you’re remodeling your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should research manufacturer specifications and Tomball ordinances for clearance rules.

As a general suggestion, your furnace should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service experts to conveniently work on it.

You also need to check the space has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an aging furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This model of furnace draws combustion air from the surrounding location. If there’s insufficient air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous 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 put in more openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to consider 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 A Safe Distance 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 in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the smelly odors around your home.

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

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Tomball, Premium Air Services LLC can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 713-364-9957 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment now.