Natural gas furnaces need sufficient space and airflow to work right.
Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it difficult for our specialists to complete furnace repair.
Routine furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your system running smoothly. An annually serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could lower your energy bills.
Related: How Does Furnace Maintenance Impact the Energy Efficiency of Your Home?
Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they become expensive. This could help lower future repair costs and potentially prolong the life of your unit.
So how much room should your equipment really have?
How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?
If you’re finishing your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer specifications and Phoenix statutes for clearance rules.
As a general recommendation, your heater should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service professionals to conveniently work on it.
You also need to ensure the space has plentiful airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.
Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider
This kind of furnace needs combustion air from the surrounding space. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.
If your furnace is placed in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to install supplemental openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.
Uncertain if your furnace or water heater has enough ventilation? We can help!
Contact us
You don’t need to think about 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 pull in air.
Keep Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace
Although furnace rooms double as 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 move the stinky odors all over your home.
You should also routinely clean by your furnace to stop dust from building up.
Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?
Request Expert Furnace Service
Whether you need furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Phoenix, Dial One Mears Air Conditioning & Heating Inc can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any HVAC model or brand.
Call us at 602-832-7808 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment now.