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

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

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your system working smoothly. A regularly serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could lower your heating expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they start. This could help lower future repair expenses and possibly extend the life of your system.

So how much area should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Should My Furnace Have?

If you’re finishing your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer directions and Odessa statutes for clearance guidelines.

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

You also need to ensure the room has plentiful airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an older 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 inadequate air, dangerous gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to install supplemental openings. This could consist of 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 furnace uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.

Keep Flammable Items Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms are often also used for 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, place your litter box in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the unpleasant odors around your home.

You should also regularly sweep by your furnace to block dust from developing.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Trust the Local Pros for Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Odessa, Redhawk Heating & Air Conditioning can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 432-237-0168 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment today.