Natural gas furnaces need adequate space and airflow to work properly.

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

Routine furnace maintenance is essential to keep your unit working trouble-free. A routinely serviced furnace may heat more efficiently, which could reduce your energy costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us notice problems before they become expensive. This could help lessen future repair expenses and potentially lengthen the life of your unit.

So how much area should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Should My Furnace Have?

If you’re updating your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should take a look at manufacturer specifications and Cedar Rapids statutes 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 professionals 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 adjacent area. If there’s not enough air, dangerous gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could flow back into your home.

If your furnace is placed in a tiny room with a gas water heater, you may need to install more openings. This could involve a fully louvered door or vents in the walls.

You don’t need to assess airflow and ventilation as much if you have a up-to-date, 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 A Safe Distance 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, put your litter box somewhere else. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could create wear on your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the stinky odors around your home.

You should also regularly vacuum near your furnace to stop dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request a Free Quote for Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or regular maintenance in Cedar Rapids, Ilten's can expertly take care of your needs. Our highly trained technicians can work on any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 319-208-2351 or use our online scheduler to get an appointment right away.