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

Your furnace can shut down if it doesn’t have enough room. It also makes it challenging for our technicians to accomplish furnace repair.

Annual furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your equipment working trouble-free. An annually serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could decrease your heating costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot troubles before they become expensive. This could help lessen future repair bills and likely extend the life of your unit.

So how much clearance should your furnace really have?

How Much Space Should My Furnace Have?

If you’re finishing your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer directions and Manassas laws for clearance guidelines.

As a general suggestion, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service professionals to comfortably work on it.

You also need to ensure the area has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an outdated furnace with a metal flue.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 surrounding location. If there’s insufficient air, hazardous gas fumes and toxic carbon monoxide could leak into your home.

If your furnace is located in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to add more openings. This could involve 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 up-to-date, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to pull in air.

Keep Combustible Materials A Safe Distance from Your Furnace

Although furnace rooms function 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, put your litter box elsewhere. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the smelly odors throughout your home.

You should also frequently sweep by your furnace to block dust from developing.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Trust the Local Pros for Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or routine maintenance in Manassas, Air-Right Energy Design can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 703-260-1148 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment right away.