Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to heat properly.

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

Routine furnace maintenance is important to keep your system running trouble-free. A regularly serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could reduce your energy costs.

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 likely lengthen the life of your unit.

So how much area should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re remodeling your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer directions and Wilmington statutes for clearance rules.

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

You also need to check the space has enough 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 surrounding location. If there’s inadequate air, hazardous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is located in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to install extra 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 Combustible Materials A Safe Distance from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms are often also used for 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 elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the unpleasant odors all over your home.

You should also regularly vacuum around your furnace to stop 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 annual maintenance in Wilmington, Ambience HVAC, Inc. can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 302-239-HVAC (4822) or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment today.