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

Your furnace can overheat if it doesn’t have enough space. It also makes it challenging for our specialists to accomplish furnace repair.

Routine furnace maintenance is essential to keep your unit working smoothly. A routinely serviced furnace may work more efficiently, which could decrease your utility expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us spot problems before they become expensive. This could help lower future repair expenses and potentially extend the life of your unit.

So how much area should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re updating your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer instructions and West Valley City ordinances for clearance requirements.

As a general rule of thumb, your system should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This permits our service experts to easily work on it.

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

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This kind of furnace needs combustion air from the surrounding area. If there’s not enough air, hazardous gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a little 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.

You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a modern, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your furnace 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 somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could spread the stinky odors around your home.

You should also regularly clean near 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 regular maintenance in West Valley City, Select Comfort Systems can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 801-305-4777 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment today.