Natural gas furnaces need sufficient space and airflow to heat right.

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

Regular furnace maintenance is essential to keep your unit working smoothly. An annually serviced furnace may run more efficiently, which could decrease your energy costs.

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

Maintenance often helps us discover issues before they start. This could help lower future repair expenses and possibly lengthen the life of your system.

So how much room should your equipment really have?

How Much Space Does My Furnace Need?

If you’re remodeling your basement or sealing off your furnace room, you should research manufacturer instructions and Lodi statutes for clearance requirements.

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

You also need to make sure the space has ample airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an aging furnace with a metal flue.

Related: Furnace Service or Furnace Replacement: What to Consider

This type of furnace pulls combustion air from the adjacent location. If there’s inadequate air, unsafe gas fumes and deadly carbon monoxide could back draft 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 consider airflow and ventilation as much if you have a newer, 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 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, place your litter box in another room. Cat urine contains ammonia, which could deteriorate your furnace’s heat exchanger. Plus, the furnace could move the unpleasant odors around your home.

You should also frequently clean around your furnace to stop dust from building up.

Related: Is it Time for Furnace Service or Replacement?

Request Expert Furnace Service

Whether you want furnace replacement or annual maintenance in Lodi, Tokay can expertly handle your needs. Our highly trained technicians can fix any furnace model or brand.

Call us at 209-257-3156 or use our online scheduler to request an appointment right away.