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

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

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your system operating smoothly. A routinely serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could decrease your energy costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice issues before they start. This could help lessen future repair costs and possibly lengthen the life of your furnace.

So how much area should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re remodeling your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should research manufacturer specifications and Albuquerque laws for clearance rules.

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

You also need to make sure the space has plentiful airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an older furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This model of furnace needs combustion air from the surrounding area. If there’s inadequate air, unsafe gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a tiny room with a gas water heater, you may need to install supplemental 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 Combustible Materials 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 in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the smelly odors throughout your home.

You should also regularly vacuum by your furnace to prevent 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 Albuquerque, Tru Air Systems LLC can expertly meet your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 505-226-3525 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment right away.