Natural gas furnaces need adequate space and airflow to work correctly.
Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it difficult for our professionals to perform furnace repair.
Annual furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your system working trouble-free. A routinely serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could decrease your utility bills.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us spot issues before they begin. This could help lessen future repair bills and possibly extend the life of your furnace.
So how much clearance should your equipment really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re remodeling your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer directions and Odessa ordinances for clearance rules.
As a general suggestion, your furnace should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service technicians to conveniently replace it.
You also need to make sure the room 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 kind of furnace needs combustion air from the nearby location. If there’s insufficient air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.
If your furnace is located in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to add more 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 up-to-date, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.
Keep Combustible Materials Away 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, put your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the stinky odors all over your home.
You should also routinely clean by your furnace to prevent dust from accumulating.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you want furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Odessa, Redhawk Heating & Air Conditioning can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any furnace model or brand.
Call us at 432-237-0168 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment today.
