Our garage currently has an old particle board/melamine cabinet, 24 W 20D 72 H, sitting 6 inches above the garage floor on concrete; on one side is the gas furnace/air handling unit with 5 inches of space between the furnace and the cabinet; on the other side 7 inches of space to the water heater. A previous owner has glued a piece of 1/2 inch drywall about 15 inches tall onto the lower wall of cabinet next to the water heater’s combustion chamber.

I am planning to replace the old cabinet with a new IKEA cabinet that is 24 x 24 x 80 inches (there is about 6 inches of free space behind the current cabinet). We’ll be using the cabinet to store our food supply; so mostly canned goods, some bulk goods such as oatmeal, flour. No perishable goods to be stored there.

As far as I can tell the only code issue is free space in front of the furnace and water heater, which is not a problem. Would it be safer to build a drywall enclosure around the IKEA cabinet, even if not required by code? Would you recommend something like that? If so, 1/2 or 5/8 inch drywall? Frame with 2x3’s or 2x4’s, or just glue to outside of cabinet?

Fro what it’s worth, furnace is old; water heater is new. Water heater does not have sealed combustion chamber; both appliances are natural gas.

Thanks for your help, as always, SF!

I think you should be fine based on the following information:

https://inspectapedia.com/heat...arance-Distances.php

And..

https://www.hotwater.com/lit/i...s_gas/186589-000.pdf

Thanks, that confirms similar things I found in my search. Only 1 inch clearance to combustible materials on the side for the furnace. Apparently zero for water heater.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Thanks, that confirms similar things I found in my search. Only 1 inch clearance to combustible materials on the side for the furnace. Apparently zero for water heater.

I think you should be fine. However, I'd make damn sure you can easily change the furnace or the water heater when the time comes.......perhaps make the cabinet easily removable for such times.