Ontario's 2026 CO Alarm Law Is Now in Effect - But Gas Man Ottawa Warns: Alarms Detect the Problem, They Don't Prevent It. Inspections Surge 40%

Ontario's updated Fire Code now requires carbon monoxide alarms on every storey of homes with fuel-burning appliances. But Gas Man Ottawa warns that alarms detect CO - they don't prevent it. The Ottawa HVAC contractor reports a 40% surge in natural gas inspection requests since January, as homeowners discover cracked heat exchangers, blocked venting, and loose gas connections posing active CO risks in ageing homes across Ottawa, Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, and Orleans.
The Regulation That Changed the Conversation

Under Ontario Regulation 87/25, every home with a gas furnace, water heater, gas fireplace, or attached garage must now have a working CO alarm on every floor - not just near bedrooms. The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) reports that over 65 percent of carbon monoxide-related injuries and deaths in Ontario occur inside homes, and Health Canada estimates that CO poisoning causes approximately 300 deaths across Canada each year.

"The new alarm law is a critical step forward," said Jeff Paquet, founder of Gas Man Ottawa. "But most homeowners don't realize that a CO alarm is a warning device, not a prevention device. The alarm tells you carbon monoxide is already in your air. The real question is: what's producing it, and has anyone checked?"

The Inspection Gap Ottawa Homeowners Are Discovering

Gas Man Ottawa's TSSA-licensed gas technicians report that a significant number of inspection calls this winter have uncovered issues that were silently developing for years. The most common findings fall into three categories that the company says every Ottawa homeowner should understand before relying solely on an alarm.

Cracked heat exchangers in ageing furnaces. A furnace heat exchanger separates combustion gases from household air. After 15 to 20 years of Ottawa's six-month heating seasons, micro-cracks can develop that are invisible to homeowners but allow CO to enter the duct system. Gas Man Ottawa's furnace maintenance technicians use combustion analysis equipment to detect these failures before they become dangerous. In cases where the exchanger is compromised beyond repair, the company provides furnace installation [https://www.gasmanottawa.com/service/install/furnaces/] with modern high-efficiency units rated at 96 percent AFUE or higher, which significantly reduce both CO risk and heating costs.

Blocked or deteriorated venting on water heaters and gas fireplaces. Conventional tank water heaters and gas fireplaces rely on proper venting to exhaust combustion byproducts. Ottawa's freeze-thaw cycles, combined with animal nesting and mortar deterioration, can partially obstruct vent pipes - causing CO to back-draft into living spaces. Gas Man Ottawa's inspections include a full venting assessment on every fuel-burning appliance in the home, covering water heater repair and gas fireplace maintenance as part of a comprehensive safety check.

Gas piping leaks at appliance connections. Over time, threaded gas connections at stoves, dryers, and barbecue lines can loosen from thermal expansion and building settlement. Even small leaks contribute to incomplete combustion and elevated CO levels indoors. Gas Man Ottawa's gas piping installation and repair team pressure-tests all accessible gas lines during every inspection call.

"We're finding that homeowners who bought CO alarms in January are now getting them triggered for the first time - and realizing the alarm is doing exactly what it should, alerting them to a problem that's been there for years," Paquet said. "That's why we're telling every customer: install the alarm, but schedule the inspection. One detects the danger. The other eliminates it."

Why March Is the Critical Window

Ottawa's March shoulder season - when furnaces are still running but homeowners are beginning to think about cooling - creates a natural opportunity that Gas Man Ottawa says too few homeowners take advantage of.

Scheduling a furnace repair [https://www.gasmanottawa.com/service/repair/furnace/] or safety inspection now accomplishes two things simultaneously: it ensures the heating system finishes the season safely, and it gives technicians time to assess the home's readiness for air conditioner installation or heat pump installation before the summer rush that overwhelms every HVAC company in the city by mid-June.

For homeowners still operating older oil-burning equipment, Gas Man Ottawa notes that the CO alarm mandate adds another incentive to explore oil to gas conversion. Modern natural gas furnaces produce significantly less carbon monoxide when properly maintained, and high-efficiency condensing models vent directly through a sealed PVC pipe rather than relying on aging chimney infrastructure.

Combining Safety Upgrades with Available Rebates

Ottawa homeowners who are upgrading equipment following an inspection can take advantage of Enbridge and federal rebate programs. Gas Man Ottawa's team helps customers navigate available incentives on qualifying equipment, including high-efficiency furnaces, heat pumps, and smart thermostats. The company maintains an up-to-date HVAC rebates guide on its website for Ottawa-area homeowners.

"When a homeowner needs to replace a furnace after an inspection reveals a safety issue, that's not just a repair - it's an opportunity to upgrade to a system that's safer, more efficient, and potentially eligible for thousands in rebates," Paquet added. "We walk every customer through those options."

Serving the Greater Ottawa Region

Gas Man Ottawa provides HVAC installation [https://www.gasmanottawa.com/service/install/], HVAC repair [https://www.gasmanottawa.com/service/repair/], and HVAC maintenance across the greater Ottawa region, including Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orleans, Gloucester, Manotick, Greely, and Stittsville. Free estimates are available for all services.

About Gas Man Ottawa

Gas Man Ottawa [https://www.gasmanottawa.com/about/] is a locally owned HVAC contractor serving residential customers across Ottawa and surrounding communities since 2004. Founded by Jeff Paquet, the company specializes in furnace installation, air conditioner repair, gas piping, and natural gas inspections. All technicians are TSSA-licensed and insured. The company is authorized to perform warranty repairs for all major HVAC manufacturers and backs every job with a one-year installation guarantee.

Media Contact
Company Name: Gas Man Ottawa
Contact Person: Sean Moher
Email:Send Email [https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=ontarios-2026-co-alarm-law-is-now-in-effect-but-gas-man-ottawa-warns-alarms-detect-the-problem-they-dont-prevent-it-inspections-surge-40]
Phone: (613) 880-3888
Address:6770 Breanna Cardill St
City: Greely
State: Ontario
Country: Canada
Website: https://www.gasmanottawa.com/

Legal Disclaimer: Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. ABNewswire makes no warranties or responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you are affiliated with this article or have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article and would like it to be removed, please contact retract@swscontact.com



This release was published on openPR.