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 challenging for our specialists to complete furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is important to keep your system operating trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could reduce your utility bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice issues before they begin. This could help lower future repair costs and potentially prolong the life of your system.

So how much room should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re updating your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Arlington laws for clearance requirements.

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

You also need to make sure the space has enough 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 nearby area. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and deadly 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 put in 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 draw in air.

Keep Flammable Items A Safe Distance from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms function as laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of items 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 elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the unpleasant odors throughout your home.

You should also regularly vacuum by your furnace to stop dust from developing.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Arlington, Service Max Heating & Air Conditioning can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 360-255-5857 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment today.