Natural gas furnaces need adequate space and airflow to heat correctly.

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

Regular furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your unit operating well. An annually serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could decrease your utility costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice problems before they become expensive. This could help lessen future repair bills and possibly 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 remodeling your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should research manufacturer instructions and Philadelphia laws for clearance rules.

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

You also need to make sure the area 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 draws combustion air from the adjacent area. If there’s inadequate air, hazardous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is located in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in supplemental openings. This could involve a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a modern, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your system uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.

Keep Hazardous Items Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms double 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 somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the stinky odors throughout your home.

You should also routinely clean around your furnace to stop dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Trust the Local Pros for Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Philadelphia, Retro HVAC Service & Installation can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 267-277-3851 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment now.