6
Figure 2. Combustion Air Drawn from a Crawl
Space or Vented Attic
Water
Heater
Vent or
Chimney
- - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - -
Furnace
Ventilation Louvers For
Unheated Crawl Space
- - - - - - - - -
Inlet Air
Ventilation Louvers
(each end of attic)
NOTE:
Air openings shall
each have a free area of
not less than one square
inch per 4,000 Btuh of the
total input rating of all
equipment in the enclosure.
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Alternate
Air Inlet
Outlet
Air
Example
:
If the combined input rate of all appliances is less
than or equal to 100,000 Btuh, each opening must
have a free area of at least 100 square inches. If the
combined input rate of all appliances is 120,000 Btuh,
each opening must have a free area of at least 120
square inches.
Figure 1. Combustion Air Drawn from Inside
Total Input Rating
(Btuh)
Minimum Free Area
(Each Opening)
Round Duct
Diameter
40,000
100 sq. In
12 inches
60,000
100 sq. In
12 inches
80,000
100 sq. In
12 inches
100,000
100 sq. In
12 inches
120,000
120 sq. In
13 inches
140,000
140 sq. In
14 inches
160,000
160 sq. In
15 inches
Vent or
Chimney
Furnace
Water
Heater
12” Max.
12” Max.
See
Notes
See
Notes
NOTES:
Each opening must be
at least 100 sq. in. or
1 sq. in. per 1,000 Btuh
of total input rating,
whichever is greater.
Openings must start at
no more than 12 inches
from the top and bottom
of the enclosure.
• Air openings on top of the furnace and in closet doors or
walls must never be restricted. If the furnace is operated
without adequate air for combustion, the fl ame roll-out
switch will open, turning off the gas supply to the burners.
This safety device is a manually reset switch. DO NOT
install jumper wires across these switches to defeat
their function or reset a switch without identifying
and correcting the fault condition.
If the switch must
be replaced, use only the correct sized part specifi ed
in the Replacement Parts List provided online.
CAUTION:
Exhaust fans, clothes dryers, fi replaces and
other appliances that force air from the house
to the outdoors can create a negative pressure
inside the house, resulting in improper furnace
operation or unsafe conditions such as fl ame roll
out. It is imperative that suffi cient air exchange
with the outdoors is provided to prevent
depressurization. Additional information about
how to test for negative pressure problems can
be found in the IFGC.
Conventional Furnaces - Confi ned Spaces
A confi ned space is an area with volume less than 50
cubic feet per 1,000 Btuh of the combined input rates of
all appliances drawing combustion air from that space.
Furnace closets, small equipment rooms and garages are
confi ned spaces. Furnaces installed in a confi ned space
which supply heated air to areas outside the space must
draw return air from outside the space and must have the
return air ducts tightly sealed to the furnace. Ducts must
have cross - sectional area at least as large as the free
area of their respective openings to the furnace space.
The required sizing of these openings is determined by
whether inside or outside air is used to support combustion,
the method by which the air is brought to the space, and
by the total input rate of all appliances in the space. In
all cases, the minimum dimension of any combustion air
opening is 3 inches.
Air From Inside
If combustion air is taken from the heated space, the two
openings must each have a free area of at least one square
inch per 1,000 Btuh of total input of all appliances in the
confi ned space, but
not less than 100 square inches
of free area
(Figure 1)
.
Outdoor Air from a Crawl Space or Vented Attic
When the openings can freely exchange air with the
outdoors, each opening shall have a minimum free area
of 1 square inch per 4,000 Btuh of total appliance input.
The openings shall exchange directly, or by ducts, with
the outdoor spaces (crawl or attic) that freely exchange
with the outdoors (Figure 2).
Outdoor Air Using Vertical Ducts
If combustion air is taken from outdoors through vertical
ducts, the openings and ducts must have a minimum free
area of one square inch per 4,000 Btuh of total appliance
input (Figure 3, page 7). Attics or crawl spaces must
connect freely with the outdoors if they are the source of
air for combustion and ventilation.
