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

Your furnace can get too hot if it doesn’t have enough clearance. It also makes it challenging for our technicians to complete furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is essential to keep your equipment working smoothly. A routinely serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could lower your heating costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover problems before they become expensive. This could help reduce future repair expenses and potentially extend the life of your furnace.

So how much clearance should your system really have?

How Much Space Should My Furnace Have?

If you’re updating your basement or closing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer instructions and Yukon laws for clearance requirements.

As a general suggestion, your system 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 room 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 type of furnace draws combustion air from the nearby space. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a little room with a gas water heater, you may need to add more openings. This could include a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to think about 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 add air.

Keep Combustible Materials Away from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms are often also used for laundry and storage space, you should keep yours free of clutter 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 circulate the smelly odors all over your home.

You should also routinely vacuum by your furnace to stop dust from developing.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Yukon, Comfort Concepts Heating & Air Conditioning can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any heating equipment model or brand.

Call us at 405-494-7444 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment now.