Natural gas furnaces need sufficient space and airflow to heat right.

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it difficult for our specialists to accomplish furnace repair.

Annual furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your system running well. An annually serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could decrease your energy costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot troubles before they begin. This could help reduce future repair costs and potentially prolong the life of your furnace.

So how much room should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Will a Furnace Take Up?

If you’re updating your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should research manufacturer directions and The Bay Area laws for clearance rules.

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

You also need to ensure the area 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 pulls combustion air from the surrounding area. If there’s not enough air, unsafe gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

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

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

Keep Flammable 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, situate your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the unpleasant odors throughout your home.

You should also routinely vacuum around your furnace to block dust from developing.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in The Bay Area, Contra Costa Heating & AC can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 510-343-9841 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment now.