[Soxckersfc2002]

Hey everyone...Like many others, my laundry room contains my washer, dryer, hot water heater, and furnace. As you enter the laundry room from the garage, the hot water heater & furnace are on the wall to the left, whereas the washer/dryer are straight ahead with the entrance to the foyer to the right. I'd like to make the room a little more appealing to the sight, so along with new paint, I was hoping to somehow "hide" the furnace & water heater. I don't have a tremendous amount of available space in the room, but I was thinking that I could essentially create a frame from the floor to the ceiling which would ultimately block the furance & water heater from view, and use some dark fiberglass screen to complete the "wall" which would still allow air flow to distribute through the entire room. I would create it so that the divider could be removed easily for access purposes, if needed, but my main concern is simply having this in front of the furnace. My questions to the panel are:

1) Have you seen/heard of someone using this method to hide the furance/water heater?

2) What would you guys recommend for a proper distance in front of the furnace to minimize the risk of a fire hazard?

 

[Ron6519]

The minimum distances for wall clearances should be in the owners manual. If you don't have one, you can download one from the manufacturer.
The heating appliances will need combustion air if they don't have an intake from the exterior for each unit. You can accomplish that with louvered doors or air vents in the wall. You just need the correct amount so the appliances aren't, "air starved".
Ron