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

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it challenging for our specialists to complete furnace repair.

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your equipment running smoothly. An annually serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could decrease your energy expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice issues before they start. This could help lower future repair bills and likely extend the life of your unit.

So how much area should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Should My Furnace Have?

If you’re updating your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer specifications and Saint Louis statutes for clearance rules.

As a general rule of thumb, your heater should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This lets our service professionals to conveniently replace it.

You also need to check the room has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This model of furnace needs combustion air from the adjacent area. If there’s inadequate air, unsafe gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a little 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 assess 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 add air.

Keep Flammable Items A Safe Distance from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms are often also used for laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of things 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 deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could circulate the stinky odors throughout your home.

You should also routinely clean by your furnace to block 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 annual maintenance in Saint Louis, Morgner Inc. Air Conditioning & Heating can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 314-262-4541 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment now.