If you smell gas near your furnace, leave the house immediately and call FortisBC from a safe distance before doing anything else.
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Quick answer
If you smell gas near your furnace right now, leave the home immediately, don't flip any light switches, don't use your phone until you're outside, and don't try to locate or fix the source yourself. Once you're safely outside and away from the house, call FortisBC's emergency line at 1-800-663-9911. Do not go back inside until FortisBC or a licensed gas fitter has confirmed it's safe to do so.
Need a licensed gas fitter for your gas furnace? Call CANRO at (604) 359-1081 — residential natural-gas heating and hot water across Metro Vancouver since 1999.
Get everyone, including pets, out of the house right away. Leave doors open behind you if it's quick to do so, but don't stop to gather belongings or search for the source of the smell. Avoid anything that can create a spark: light switches, garage door openers, phones, and appliances all stay untouched until you're outside. Once everyone is a safe distance from the house, call FortisBC's emergency line at 1-800-663-9911. If anyone is showing signs of carbon monoxide exposure, such as headache, dizziness, nausea, or confusion, call 911 instead.
Do not attempt to find or shut off the gas source yourself, and do not go back inside to check on it, even briefly. Wait for FortisBC or a licensed gas fitter to tell you it's safe to re-enter.
A gas smell near the furnace, most often described as a rotten-egg odour from the additive in natural gas, can come from a loose or failing connection at the furnace's gas valve or supply line, a cracked heat exchanger allowing combustion gases to escape into the airflow, or a venting problem causing incomplete combustion to vent into the home instead of outside. It can also, less commonly, come from a gas line issue upstream of the furnace entirely. None of these should be diagnosed by smell alone from inside the house; that's exactly what the technician's visit is for once it's safe.
Stay outside, upwind of the house if there's any wind, and keep others (including neighbours and pets) away from the immediate area as well. If it's safe and quick to do on your way out, and you already know where your gas meter's shutoff valve is, some homeowners choose to shut it off; but this is optional and only if it doesn't mean going back toward the smell or delaying your exit. It is never worth the risk of re-entering to do this if you're unsure or already outside.
Once FortisBC or a licensed gas fitter has confirmed it's safe to proceed, diagnosis focuses on isolating the source: pressure-testing gas connections at and near the furnace, inspecting the heat exchanger and burner assembly, and checking venting for blockage, disconnection, or incorrect slope. We explain what we find in plain terms before doing any repair, and nothing gets put back into service until it's tested and confirmed safe.
Once FortisBC has attended and the immediate hazard is addressed, or if you need a licensed gas fitter to diagnose and repair the underlying furnace issue, call our office. Urgent calls involving gas safety are triaged ahead of routine service work, but we don't promise a fixed arrival time, since that depends on where our technicians already are and what's already scheduled. We'll give you an honest estimate when you call rather than a guess.
Safety note
For a gas smell, leave the home immediately, avoid switches and open flames, and call FortisBC's emergency line at 1-800-663-9911 from outside. For carbon monoxide symptoms or an active CO alarm, get everyone outside and call 911. Once it's safe, furnace repair must be completed by a Technical Safety BC licensed gas fitter; CANRO holds gas licence LGA0043870.
FortisBC first, once you're safely outside: call their emergency line at 1-800-663-9911. Call CANRO afterward, or once FortisBC has attended, for diagnosis and repair of the underlying furnace issue.
Only if it doesn't slow down your exit or require you to linger near the source. Getting everyone outside quickly matters more than ventilating on the way out.
Treat it the same way. A faint smell can still indicate a real leak, and it's not something to investigate closely or wait out. Leave and call FortisBC.
Yes, a cracked heat exchanger or a venting problem can also cause a gas or exhaust-like odour without a direct leak. Either way, the safe response is the same: leave and call FortisBC before anyone tries to diagnose it.
We triage safety-related calls ahead of routine service, but we don't promise a specific arrival time since it depends on current scheduling and technician location. We give you an honest estimate when you call.
Yes, treat a CO alarm the same way, get everyone outside immediately, but call 911 rather than FortisBC, since carbon monoxide exposure is a medical emergency as much as a gas safety one.
Family-run, TSBC-licensed (gas LGA0043870 · boiler LBP0046450), serving Metro Vancouver homes since 1999. Residential, natural gas only.
Call (604) 359-1081 Email info@canroheat.ca“Canro does an amazing job! Super professional and skilled with everything—boilers, furnaces, and AC. Always a pleasure working with them!”
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