My house has a new natural gas furnace in a room tht is about 6ft wide, 14 long and 3-5 feet high. The room has an entry door, and a large 2x2ft vent going to the furnace and and exhaust pipe out the roof. There is plenty of extra space around the furnace and I am wondering if it would be safe to store stuff up there, like boxes and a table. Any special packing materials? Anything I should not store up there besides the obvious like combustible liquids?
2006-09-25 03:30:18 · 5 answers · asked by Didgeridude 4 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
Any furnace technician will advise you not to store anything within 5 feet of your furnace, but this is not indicated in the building code, or any other code I have seen. The biggest reason for this "rule of thumb" is that should your furnace have an urgent problem, you shouldn't have to spend an hour making a path to access it.
Common sense says to keep all flammable/combustible products a further distance away, as you stated. I use the space to store extra furnace filters, and 2 small bins with basic plumbing and electrical supplies that I keep on hand "in case".
Depending on your system, it's possible that some water or condensation can sometimes be created, so cardboard boxes aren't really the best choice. Because of the smell that often develops in the furnace room, I would avoid storing any furniture in there that you might ever want to use again -- wood, fabric, and many other materials can absorb odours.
2006-09-25 05:26:05 · answer #1 · answered by interior designer 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are going to get some scary answers about deadly mold spores that are about to kill you. These are the same molds that your ancestors survived so don't panic. The mold has to have moisture to survive, where is it coming from? Why isn't the drain doing it's job and draining of the moisture ? A cup and half of bleach will kill it in an hour or so but it will come back if the area stays wet and warm. I'm not familiar with furnaces as I live in Florida but we get the same thing on air conditioner drains. I answered to rebuff the scaremongers that may answer. Edit, good so far the two K guys gave practical answers :)
2016-03-18 01:06:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, as long as you provide adequate clearance all the way around the unit. Put nothing on top! Also, did you think to read the disclaimer badge present on all furnaces? This is the law for the manufacturers to provide sensible do's and don'ts for the consumer. I personally would NOT put anything directly on the duct-work as it will cause leaks as weight is placed upon it, not to mention the potential for fire hazard. Peace.
2006-09-25 03:37:28 · answer #3 · answered by rasputin 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My fiance ( who is an HVAC installer) says to store nothing flamable, and keep it at least 3 feet away from the furnace.
2006-09-25 03:38:11 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well.. you will get replies saying DO NOT store anything but in my opinion, you are on the right track.. no problem except ANYTHING that is combustible at very low flash points, i.e. gasoline, paints, paint thinners, etc
2006-09-25 03:33:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋