Safety and maintenance

To help you enjoy all the benefits of natural gas in complete safety, this section contains instructions for its safe use in your home, and advice on the maintenance of your natural gas appliances.

Take the time to read this, and make sure that members of your family are familiar with the instructions for the safe use of natural gas, and will know what to do should the need arise.

For your peace of mind, our emergency service is available round the clock, 7 days a week: dial 819-771-8321 and press 1.

Safety tips

A smell of natural gas in your home?

Carbon monoxide

If you smell natural gas in your yard or in the street

Your home needs fresh air

Flamable gases and other products

Recommended precautions

Maintenance of natural gas appliances

Safety tips

The following safety tips apply to all the natural gas appliances in your home.

• Natural gas is colourless, odourless and non-toxic. The main products of the complete combustion (burning) of natural gas are heat, water and carbon gas. As a safety precaution, to enable the speedy detection of a leak of natural gas, a chemical that smells like rotten eggs is added to it. The unusual smell is immediately noticeable.

• When natural gas appliances are operating properly, there is no odour.

• Properly installed and maintained natural gas appliances are safe, clean and efficient in operation. To ensure your family's safety, have all your appliances installed and maintained regularly by a natural gas-certified professional. Also have your gas ventilation system inspected regularly. Natural gas-certified professionals are listed in the directory under "Heating".

• Combustion heating appliances need air intake to completely burn the combustion products and gases they produce.

• The pilot light or the flame from the burner in any natural gas appliance should be mostly blue, with a small yellow tip. (The only exceptions are the new natural gas fireplaces, which have ceramic logs and produce realistic yellow flames). If the flame in a natural gas appliance is white, noisy or uneven, this indicates a problem you should not ignore. Have a natural gas technician check and adjust burners and pilot lights.

• If you notice something unusual about a flame and a strong smell of gas, call the Gazifère emergency number at once: 819-771-8321, press 1.

• Keep the area around your natural gas appliances tidy, and do not store anything near them. Do not block the controls, air intakes or exhaust outlets.

• After a meter shut-off or a service interruption, your natural gas appliances will need relighting. Call our client service number, 819-771-8321, to make an appointment with one of our technicians.

A smell of natural gas in your home?

If the smell is very weak and coming from an appliance:

• Call the Gazifère emergency number at once: 819-771-8321, press 1.
• Open the doors and windows to ventilate the house.

If the smell is strong and you hear a hissing sound:

• Stay calm. Do not use the telephone, do not touch a switch, do not turn any appliance on or off, do not smoke and do not light a flame of any kind.
• Immediately evacuate all occupants and pets.
• If possible, leave the door open to ventilate the house.
• Call our emergency number from a neighbour's telephone.
• If the leaking natural gas is burning, do not try to put the fire out. Dial 911.

There is no charge for a safety inspection following the reporting of a suspected natural gas odour.

Carbon monoxide

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning may cause symptoms similar to those of a cold: headaches, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, drowsiness, burning eyes, confusion, disorientation or unconsciousness. Be on your guard: in very severe cases, carbon monoxide poisoning can be fatal! If you and the other occupants of the home experience the symptoms, but feel better outdoors, CO or other pollutants present in your home may be the cause.

What to do if you experience these symptoms
Evacuate the house and dial 911 at once. Seek immediate medical help. Before returning to your house, have it inspected by a firefighter or a natural gas-certified professional.

Where does CO come from?
Carbon monoxide is odourless, colourless, tasteless and highly toxic. It is a by-product of incomplete combustion of fuels like wood, propane, heating oil, kerosene, gasoline, diesel, natural gas, coal or charcoal. An appliance that is not regularly cleaned and inspected may emit carbon monoxide into your home.

How to protect your family

• Have appliances that burn natural gas or any other fuel cleaned and inspected regularly by a natural gas-certified professional.
• Have flues and chimneys cleaned and inspected regularly.
• Have a carbon monoxide alarm installed to provide a warning. Remember that a smoke detector does not give warning of the presence of CO.
• Do not leave vehicles, snowblowers or lawnmowers running in a garage.
• Never use a charcoal or gas barbecue in your house.

A CO alarm
Remember that a CO detector offers good protection, but does not replace an efficient system for venting fumes, annual inspections or regular maintenance of your fuel-burning appliances.

Recommended by building inspectors, occupational health and safety experts and firefighters, CO detectors are sold in department stores. Choose a CSA 6.19 or UL 2034 certified detector, with a reset button.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the installation, testing and maintenance of your detector. Check the warranty, and note when the battery and the detector will need replacement.

If your carbon monoxide alarm sounds:
Open windows and doors to ventilate your home, then assess the situation as follows:

• Check whether anyone in your household has symptoms of exposure to carbon monoxide. If so, leave the house immediately and seek medical help. In an emergency, dial 911.

• If no one is suffering symptoms, check the manufacturer's instructions that came with your CO detector to ensure that it is working properly, and press the reset button. Some detectors beep when the battery is low, or the detector needs reactivating.

• Check whether something other than CO triggered the alarm, such as humidity from bathroom or kitchen, chemical fumes or exhaust from a gasoline-powered engine or a nearby wood-burning fireplace.

• If you cannot determine the cause and the alarm continues to sound, leave windows and doors open and call a qualified heating contractor to check your natural gas equipment.

If you smell natural gas in your yard or in the street

• Immediately call the Gazifère emergency number: 819-771-8321, press 1, or 911. Be ready to give the address, or the names of the streets at the nearest intersection.

• Keep clear of the area.

• Do not use a cellphone, start any motors or motor vehicles, use lighters or matches or smoke near a natural gas leak.

• If the leaking natural gas is burning, do not attempt to put out the fire yourself. Immediately call the Gazifère emergency number: 819-771-8321, press 1, or 911.

Your home needs fresh air

Appliances that burn fuel-natural gas, wood, fuel oil, propane or coal-need large quantities of air to achieve complete, safe combustion. Inadequate air supply and ventilation impairs their efficiency, and leads to the generation of carbon monoxide.

Natural gas appliances use ambient air for combustion. To maintain the necessary balance of fresh air and allow the products of combustion to be exhausted to the outside, a supply of outside air is vital. Other home appliances such as kitchen or bathroom fans, central vacuum systems and wood-burning fireplaces use large quantities of air. They can remove such quantities as to starve fuel-burning appliances of needed air!

Careful! If you caulk and insulate your home and install exhaust fans, these changes will affect the internal air circulation, furnace efficiency and even the safety of the occupants. It is therefore important to balance these changes by ensuring an adequate inflow of fresh air and proper ventilation of the rooms in which these appliances are installed. For natural gas appliances that require a continuous supply of air, a fresh-air duct is installed near the furnace.

Signs to look for indicating that your house has inadequate ventilation or air supply:

• poor air quality and a persistent stale smell
• an acrid odour when the furnace starts up
• hot gases coming down the vent pipe or chimney when the furnace is running
• high humidity around the furnace
• a pilot light that keeps going out

If you see any of these signs, let fresh air into your home, and check with a natural gas certified professional about an analysis of the fresh air requirements of your home to ensure an effective and permanent solution.

Flamable gases and other products

Many products give off invisible flammable gases, such as paint stripper, varnish, glue, solvents and some aerosol crack-fillers. A spark from a switch, an appliance or a power tool or the flame from a pilot light or a gas burner may ignite such gases and cause a fire.

• Before using these products indoors, switch off all appliances and equipment, including your furnace and water heater. Permanent pilot lights should also be extinguished.

• When you have finished, thoroughly ventilate your house before restarting appliances or relighting a pilot light.

• Store aerosols, paint, solvents, household cleaners, pool chemicals and other such products in sealed containers away from all natural gas appliances, or any heat-producing appliance.

• Never use or store gasoline, kerosene, naphtha or camp fuel in your home or near any heat-producing appliance.

Recommended precautions

 

Prevent snow or ice build-up on your meter
It is very important to take every precaution to ensure that a buildup of ice and snow does not cover your natural gas meter and pressure regulator. This could lead to interruption of the supply of natural gas, substandard appliance performance or even a hazardous situation.

Check the area around your natural gas meter regularly. Make sure that roof run-off, freezing rain or water from an eavestrough does not cause a buildup of ice on your meter. 

If your meter is covered in ice, call Gazifère Customer Service at 819-771-8321 at once. Do not attempt to remove the ice yourself.

Do not throw snow against your natural gas meter. Make sure it is clear at all times. Be careful when using a shovel or a snowblower near your meter or gas piping.

Use a broom or brush to clean your natural gas meter. It is a fragile piece of equipment: do not use a shovel or anything hard to clear it of snow.

Take care throughout the winter to keep your natural gas appliances operating normally by removing ice, snow and other obstructions from air intakes and exhaust pipes. These are usually at the side of the house and easily accessible. Check them regularly, particularly after heavy snowfalls.

Fire and flood
What do you do if fire breaks out in or near a natural gas appliance or pipe? Even if the fire goes out, call 911 immediately. The natural gas appliance or pipe may have suffered unseen damage, and should be inspected before you restart the appliance. There is no charge for a safety inspection.

Flooded out? Think before you relight your appliances! If you suspect natural gas or electrical controls on an appliance have been submerged in or exposed to water, do not restart the appliance, and keep your distance! It should be checked by a qualified technician before being restarted.

Maintenance of natural gas appliances

 

Furnace maintenance

Your heating system is either a hot-air furnace, or a boiler supplying radiators or baseboard heaters. To ensure safe and efficient operation, have it maintained regularly by a natural gas-certified professional. Look in the telephone book under "Heating contractors".

Furnace not working?
Before calling a technician, here are some things you can check that may quickly solve your problem:

• Is the furnace switch in the "On" position?
• Is the fuse or circuit breaker that controls your furnace in working order?
• Is the filter dirty or clogged?
• Is the thermostat set to "Heat", rather than "Cool'?
• Is the thermostat set higher than the temperature in the room?

Between professional inspections, there are some basic checks you can carry out yourself. These are the main things to check:

Hot-air furnace maintenance
Before doing any maintenance work, switch the furnace off; the switch looks like an ordinary light switch, and is usually on the wall near the furnace. Check the manufacturer's instructions, and if in doubt, call a natural gas-certified professional.

• Check and clean the furnace filter throughout the heating season, and if necessary, replace it. A dirty filter reduces air flow into the furnace, and impairs performance. To access the fan or the filter, check the manufacturer's manual.
• Inspect the fan or blower and wipe away any dust. If the motor drive belt shows wear, have it replaced.
• After checking the fan and the filter, close the access panel. Keep it closed at all times. Switch the furnace back on.
• If the fan motor needs lubrication, give it two drops of No. 20 light electric motor oil. Check the manufacturer's instructions: some fan motors are sealed and do not require manual lubrication.
• Clean all the heat registers and cold-air returns in the home. Make sure they are not obstructed by drapes, carpets or anything else.
• A high-efficiency furnace may have different maintenance requirements.

Maintenance of a boiler with radiators or baseboard heaters
Before doing any maintenance work, switch the boiler and the pump off, and check the manufacturer's instructions. To determine what type of heating system you have, read the manufacturer's instructions or check with the installer.

• At the beginning of each heating season, to ensure efficient operation, bleed the air from the radiators or baseboard units. Each one should have a valve, which can be opened by turning it counterclockwise. Have a small container ready to catch any water that leaks out. As soon as you have a continuous flow of hot water, close the valve.
• Check the water level in the expansion tank, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
• Check whether your system has a pump requiring lubrication, and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
• Finned-pipe hot water systems should be inspected annually and cleaned as required by a natural gas-certified professional.

 

Maintaining a natural gas water heater

• Keep the area around your water heater free of clutter. Dust, debris or sawdust might block the air intakes at the bottom of the tank.
• If you decide to insulate the hot water pipe that runs from the top of the tank, make sure you use fire resistant commercial grade pipe wrap or insulation.
• Do not insulate closer than 15 cm (six inches) from the exhaust duct or pipe at the top of the tank. Be careful not to obstruct any controls or the air intake.
• To save energy and reduce the risk of scalding, we recommend you set your water temperature at 54°C (130°F).

Testing and adjustment of water temperature
Wait until hot water has not been run for several hours, then turn on a faucet near the water heater and let the water run for a few minutes. Fill a cup and place a thermometer in it. If the temperature is above 54°C, set the water heater thermostat lower.

If your natural gas water heater thermostat is marked only "hot" and "warm", "hot" means about 60°C (140°F). To reduce the water temperature, set the thermostat slightly lower, and check the water temperature next day.

 

Maintenance of other natural gas appliances

Fireplace
Burners, heat exchangers and pipe connectors should be inspected and maintained periodically by a natural gas-certified professional.

Barbecue
Follow the manufacturer's instructions for use and maintenance. Remember that insects can block gas flow into the metal tube under each burner, possibly causing a fire.

Stove, hotplate or wall oven
Keep the oven and burners clean. Never use a stove or oven to warm the room. Do not line the oven with aluminum foil, which could block the air intake or interfere with the circulation of hot air. Instead, place a cookie sheet on the oven shelf under your oven dishes.

Dryer
A natural gas dryer must be vented to the outside. Even if you clean the internal filter regularly, dust can accumulate in the vent pipe, creating a fire hazard. Twice a year, inspect and clean the outside cover on the dryer vent. If it is fitted with a flap valve, make sure it operates freely.

Pool heater
Contact your pool distributor or installer about heater and pump maintenance. Before being switched on, a pool heater with finned copper tube heat exchangers installed in living space must be cleaned annually by a natural gas-certified technician. Check the manufacturer's or installer's instructions to determine whether you have this type of heater.

Chimney and flue maintenance
Maintenance of chimneys and ducts, and annual inspection by an expert, are safety musts. Flues that are in poor condition or obstructed could cause a fuel-burning device to generate dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in your home. They should be replaced immediately by a natural gas-certified professional. Even small quantities of carbon monoxide can be a threat to health.

Several times during the heating season, we recommend that you take a few minutes to carry out the following checks:

• If you have a device with a flue that passes through masonry-bricks and mortar-or a stone chimney, check to see if there is a chalky deposit on the outside of the chimney, staining on or near the chimney, loose or cracked mortar, or fragments of brick or stone in the chimney cleanout. If you notice such indications inside or outside your chimney, have it inspected by an expert. An approved metal liner should be installed in a brick or stone chimney to prevent deterioration.
• Used a hand-held mirror to check the inside of the chimney through the cleanout, and make sure there is no obstruction. If your chimney has an elbow, have it inspected by an expert.
• If the flue is installed against an outside wall, make sure that the end is not obstructed by tree branches, snow or anything else that could block the exit of combustion gases.