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Safety is something we all care about. But isn't the truth that we always think it won't happen to me.

Fossil fueled heating equipment (oil, gas and wood), provides a means whereby we heat our hot water and our homes and enjoy a nice flame in the fireplace, but the flue gases and products of combustion must be treated with the greatest of respect. There has probably always been incidents involving carbon monoxide and some fatalities, but because of instant communications all over North America, we are now very much aware of these problems.

Please practice these 10 safety tips.

1. Do have an experienced licensed mechanic do a safety check on all your gas appliances once per year.
   
2. Do not store chemicals in the furnace room.
   
3. Install a carbon monoxide detector in your home. (UL 2034).
   
4. Do not place any items on your furnace or water heater.
   
5. Identify and tag gas pipes in your house and keep them free from hazards.
   
6. Do not alter your furnace in any way and do not remove the fan door or by-pass any safety controls.
   
7. Do inspect your chimney for blockage or deterioration.
   
8. Do not block the louvers that allow air into the mechanical room.
   
9. If you smell gas (rotten eggs), leave the house immediately without causing spark and call the gas company from a neighbor's phone.  In Ottawa and surrounding Area, call the Enbridge Consumers gas 24h emergency line at 1-800-263-8552.
   
10. Do consider changing your furnace if it is 20 years old.

Thus it is very important to have your heating system checked by a licensed mechanic every year and if the furnace is either 20 years old or in poor condition, it would be a good idea to replace it.

The best type of furnace would be a sealed combustion unit. This type of furnace does not use a chimney. It vents out through an outside wall and has it's own fresh air pipe bring air to the furnace. This means the furnace does not use up oxygen or air in the house and the combustion takes place in a sealed chamber. These furnaces are also more efficient as they use less energy thus lower heating bills!