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

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it difficult for our technicians to complete furnace repair.

Regular furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your system operating trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could decrease your utility expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice troubles before they begin. This could help lower future repair bills and possibly lengthen the life of your furnace.

So how much room should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Should My Furnace Have?

If you’re remodeling your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer instructions and Georgetown ordinances for clearance rules.

As a general rule of thumb, your furnace 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 room 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 nearby area. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is located in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to add more 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 modern, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to add air.

Keep Flammable Items Separate 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 in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the unpleasant odors all over your home.

You should also routinely clean near your furnace to stop dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Georgetown, Miller Climate Control LLC can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 512-937-2001 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment today.