Cold weather in Saskatchewan spurs furnace breakdowns, carbon monoxide concerns

The return of bitterly cold temperatures has first responders and HVAC technicians on stand-by, ready to respond to emergencies.

With temperatures in Saskatoon forecasted to be -37 C with the windchill overnight Wednesday, the Saskatoon Fire Department wants to make sure your home is prepared for the harsh weather conditions.

“Carbon monoxide is definitely one that we want to be aware of with the winter months,” fire marshal Ryan Bradley said. “Whether that's the intake or the exhaust, making sure that it's clear on the outside of your of your home.”

Bradley says the influx of snow and last weekend’s wet weather are making conditions favourable for heating and furnace issues.

He suggests walking outside your home and clearing the fresh air intake and exhaust vents of your home to make sure there aren’t any obstructions, which can cause backups inside your home.

“A lot of people, if they're not keeping aware and they’re having ice buildup -- or a lot of people when they’re snow blowing, they will snow blow right over top of it,” J & A Plumbing and Heating owner Brandyn Wasyliw said.

“A lot of these furnaces are very high tech now, so they got a lot of safety features, and the fact that they'll shut off if they know something's wrong.”

Another vital safety tip is having a carbon monoxide alarm on every level of your home.

Since July 1, 2022, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide are mandatory in any residential building in Saskatchewan, regardless of when the building was constructed.

Saskatoon followed suit last year to align itself with the provincial standards. To be in compliance, CO alarms should be installed within five metres -- or 16 feet -- of a sleeping room, as well as where there's a fuel-burning appliance like a natural gas stove, fireplace, furnace or water heater.

Bradley says the fire department is allowing a grace period for people to research and buy necessary alarms.

“We're taking more, I guess, of a what we call a soft approach or an educational approach,” Bradely said. “Before we start doing some more serious enforcement making sure that those carbon monoxide alarms are in every dwelling.”

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Wasyliw says his crews are working around the clock, responding to anywhere from 15 to 20 calls a day for no heat concerns.

“As soon as you can walk in you can definitely smell it. What ends up happening is, once you're kind of used to that smell, you become normalized, right?” Wasyliw said of responding to calls where carbon monoxide is present.

“That's the big killer.”

On a cold night in January 2021, an apartment building in Greystone Heights was evacuated because of a carbon monoxide leak.

Thanks to quick thinking from Dr. Mark Wahba treating a patient with symptoms consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, firefighters were called to the building on Bateman Crescent, where high levels of CO were detected.

Forty-seven people received medical attention because of the leak.

Wasyliw says plenty of times he’s able to help customers over the phone without having to send a technician simply because many people aren’t aware of how their furnace functions.

Things like making sure the furnace switch is on, making sure filters are changed according to manufacturer’s instructions, changing batteries on old thermostats and clearing debris or buildup from vents.

“If you can fix it yourselves, by all means. There's other people that need help, but we're just trying to do our best to kind of get to everyone,” Wasyliw said.

Bradley says other things to keep in mind as the holidays approach is ensuring friends or family can check in your home if you plan on travelling for the holidays, and to always maintain Christmas trees, external Christmas lights and all cords supplying power to avoid any issues.