How to Clean Out the Furnace Intake Pipe

Especially during the fall and winter it is important for your furnace to be able to draw fresh air in through its intake pipe. If this pipe becomes clogged, or even just partially obscured, your furnace does not have any air to circulate and may overheat or cease functioning altogether. Blocked pipes are also one of several culprits involved in carbon monoxide buildup.

Work gloves
Shovel or rake

Instructions

- 1
  Locate your furnace's intake and exhaust pipes. These are normally located together and may be on the side of the house. Start inside your home, with the furnace itself, and follow the pipes from the furnace toward their opposite end to locate the exterior pipes.
- 2
  Put on work gloves to protect your hands.
- 3
  Brush away any debris from the pipes with your hands. If the leaves, dirt or snow are in a thick layer around the pipes, you may need to use a shovel or rake to remove the outer layers. Do not use any tools close to the pipes themselves or you may damage them.
- 4
  Reach into the pipe opening and remove any debris inside. Be careful not to push debris farther into the pipe where you cannot reach it.
- 5
  Turn on the furnace and go back to the intake pipe. You should feel a small amount of suction letting you know that air is being pulled through the pipe into the furnace. If you are certain the furnace is running and do not feel suction, you may have debris trapped further into the pipe. In this case, contact a repair person who can clear the debris for you without harming the furnace or pipe system.

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