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

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

Regular furnace maintenance is crucial to keep your unit working well. A regularly serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could reduce your heating expenses.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover problems before they start. This could help lessen future repair costs and likely prolong the life of your furnace.

So how much area should your system really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re updating your basement or enclosing your furnace room, you should consult manufacturer specifications and Cedar Rapids statutes for clearance rules.

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

You also need to ensure the space has enough 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 needs combustion air from the surrounding area. If there’s insufficient air, unsafe gas fumes and poisonous carbon monoxide could back draft into your home.

If your furnace is positioned in a small room with a gas water heater, you may need to put in extra 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 up-to-date, high-efficiency furnace with PVC piping. Your unit uses one pipe as an exhaust vent and the other to draw in air.

Keep Hazardous Items Separate 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 in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could corrode your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the smelly odors all over your home.

You should also frequently clean near your furnace to block dust from accumulating.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you have to have furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Cedar Rapids, Ilten's can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can repair any HVAC model or brand.

Call us at 319-208-2351 or use our online scheduler to set up an appointment now.