Natural gas furnaces need enough space and airflow to work right.

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it challenging for our technicians to accomplish furnace repair.

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your equipment working well. A regularly serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could lower your energy bills.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot troubles before they begin. This could help lessen future repair bills and likely lengthen the life of your system.

So how much clearance should your system really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re remodeling your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer directions and Cambridge ordinances for clearance guidelines.

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

You also need to make sure the area 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 type of furnace pulls combustion air from the adjacent space. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to add 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 add air.

Keep Hazardous Items Away 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, place your litter box somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on 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?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Cambridge, Pliescott HVAC Services LLC can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 410-228-4822 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment now.