What to do · Kelowna & area
Carbon monoxide alarm going off: what to do
If your CO alarm is sounding now
- Get everyone, including pets, outside to fresh air. Turn off gas appliances only if you can do it on your way out.
- Once outside, call 911 or FortisBC's emergency line at 1-800-663-9911, and get medical help if anyone has a headache, nausea, dizziness or drowsiness.
- Do not go back in until emergency crews say it is safe.
When it is safe, call us to find and fix the cause.
Anderson Plumbing and Gas Fitting · owner-operated · last updated
Quick answer
If your carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get everyone and your pets outside to fresh air, then call 911 or FortisBC's emergency line at 1-800-663-9911. Don't go back in until emergency crews say it is safe. Then have a licensed gas contractor check your gas appliances before you use them again; Anderson Plumbing and Gas Fitting can do that at (250) 859-3548.
Why you leave first
Carbon monoxide has no colour, smell or taste, so the alarm is the only warning you get. Don't try to find the source yourself. FortisBC's advice is to turn off your appliances if you can do it on your way out, get everyone, including pets, out of the building, and call 911 or FortisBC.
Before you use your appliances again
Don't go back inside until emergency crews tell you it's safe. Once you're allowed back in, have a licensed gas contractor inspect your gas appliances before you use them again. That's the part we do: we check the furnace, water heater, fireplace and their venting for whatever was producing CO.
Alarm or low-battery chirp?
A carbon monoxide alarm sounds different from a smoke alarm, and many CO alarms have a separate low-battery or end-of-life chirp. Check your alarm's manual so you know which is which. If anyone has a headache, nausea, dizziness or drowsiness, treat it as an emergency, not a battery problem.
Preventing carbon monoxide
Prevention is a yearly service on every gas appliance, working CO alarms near the bedrooms on each level of the house, and never running a BBQ, generator or other outdoor equipment indoors or in the garage.
Need this done?
See our Furnace maintenance & tune-ups page for the full details, or call (250) 859-3548.
Questions, answered
Is a carbon monoxide alarm the same as smelling gas?
No. Natural gas has an added smell, like rotten eggs, so you can smell a leak. Carbon monoxide has no smell at all; only the alarm can warn you. If you smell gas, leave and call FortisBC's emergency line at 1-800-663-9911 or 911 from outside.
Where should carbon monoxide alarms go?
FortisBC recommends installing them in bedrooms or outside each sleeping area, on each level of your home. Test them regularly and replace them as the manufacturer recommends.
Can my furnace cause carbon monoxide?
Any gas appliance can if it is not burning or venting properly: a furnace, water heater or fireplace with a blocked vent or a damaged heat exchanger, for example. That is why a yearly service includes checking the venting and the heat exchanger.
Who checks my appliances after the alarm?
A gas contractor licensed with Technical Safety BC. We are one (LGA0212697), and we check the appliances and venting before anything is turned back on.
Sources
The public records behind the local facts on this page.
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