While you wait for emergency furnace repair, focus on three things: carbon monoxide safety, staying warm without creating a fire risk, and keeping your pipes from freezing. Check that your CO alarms work. Gather everyone in one warm room, and use only an electric space heater made for indoor use. Leave the furnace alone. If anyone can't stay warm, or an alarm sounds, leave the house.
Safety first: If a CO alarm goes off, leave the home now and call 911 from outside. If you smell gas, leave and, from outside, call 911 and Enbridge Gas's emergency line at 1-866-763-5427. On propane, call 911 and your propane supplier. Don't wait inside for the repair visit.
What should I do right after I call for emergency furnace repair?
Make the home safe, then make it easy to wait. Check that your CO alarms are working, move everyone into one room, and keep your phone charged and nearby. Don't keep restarting the furnace or open it up while you wait. Clear a path to the furnace so it's easy to reach when help arrives.
A quick first-hour checklist
- Confirm there's no gas smell and no CO alarm sounding.
- Test the CO alarms, as described in the next section.
- Pick one room to stay in, and close the doors to unused rooms.
- Set up a safe electric space heater there if you have one.
- Open the cupboard doors under sinks on outside walls.
- Move boxes, laundry and stored items away from the furnace.
- Put pets in a closed room before the visit.
Our emergency furnace repair page explains what happens when you call Furnace Repair Barrie at (249) 209-2216, 24/7.
How do I check my carbon monoxide alarms while I wait?
Press the test button on each alarm and listen for the test sound. Look for a low-battery or end-of-life warning, and replace batteries if needed. Make sure there's an alarm near the room you're staying in. CO has no colour, smell or taste, so only a working alarm can warn you about it. That matters most when people spend hours in one closed room.
CO alarm checklist
- Test: press the test button on every CO alarm, including combined smoke and CO units.
- Know the sounds: a CO alarm sounds different from a smoke alarm. A chirp can mean a low battery or an alarm at the end of its life. Check the label or manual.
- Placement: Ontario requires CO alarms next to sleeping areas in homes with a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage, and on every storey since January 1, 2026.
- Symptoms: headaches, nausea, dizziness, confusion and drowsiness can be signs of CO exposure. If people feel unwell, get everyone out and call 911 from outside.
Requirements can change, so check Ontario's carbon monoxide safety page for the current rules.
How do I use a space heater safely with no heat?
Use an electric space heater made for indoor use, with a Canadian certification mark such as CSA, cUL or cETL. Keep it at least 1 metre from anything that can burn, like beds, couches, clothes and curtains. Plug it straight into a wall outlet, never into an extension cord or power bar. Unplug it before you go out or go to sleep.
Space heater checklist
- Keep it out of walkways and doorways.
- Don't run the cord under rugs, carpets or furniture.
- Check the cord and plug for damage before you use it.
- Avoid plugging other appliances into the same outlet.
- Turn it off when you're not using it.
These tips come from Health Canada's electrical product safety page and Ontario's Electrical Safety Authority.
Why can't I use the oven, a BBQ or a generator for heat?
Gas ovens, BBQs, camping stoves and generators burn fuel, and they can fill a closed home with carbon monoxide. The Government of Ontario's power outage guidance warns that using a gas stove or oven as a heat source could lead to CO poisoning, and that the exhaust from BBQs, camping stoves and generators used indoors can be fatal. Ontario's CO safety guidance also says never to use a stove or oven to heat your home, whatever it runs on.
Never use these indoors for heat
- Gas or electric ovens and stovetops
- Charcoal or gas BBQs
- Camping stoves or propane heaters made for outdoor use
- Fuel-burning generators, including in a garage or basement
The Government of Canada says fuel-burning generators belong outside, at least 6 metres from your home, with the exhaust pointed away from windows and doors.
How do I keep the house and pipes from getting too cold?
Keep the heat you have in one room, and keep yourselves warm. Our no-heat guide for Barrie homes covers warm rooms and pipe protection in more detail. While you wait, a few extra points help.
While you wait
- Dress warmly: Health Canada suggests layers, warm socks and a hat. It also warns that alcohol can make you feel warm while your body loses heat.
- Use the sun: open blinds and curtains on a sunny day, and close them at night.
- Watch the water: the City of Barrie says coloured water or low water pressure can mean a pipe is starting to freeze. Know where your main water shut-off valve is, and keep the garage door closed if water lines run through the garage.
When should we leave the house instead of waiting?
Leave right away if a CO alarm sounds, you smell gas, or people feel sick, and call 911 from outside. If you smell gas, also call Enbridge Gas's emergency line from outside. Ontario's power outage guidance also says that if your home is too cold and it's safe to leave, you should go somewhere else until it's safe to return. Health Canada lists infants, adults 65 and older, and people with certain medical conditions as being at higher risk from cold, so don't wait out a dropping temperature with them.
Plan to go somewhere warm if
- Indoor temperatures keep falling and the space heater can't keep up.
- An infant, an older adult or someone with a health condition can't stay warm.
- The power is also out.
Watch for signs of hypothermia, such as strong shivering, slow or clumsy movements, confusion or trouble speaking. Health Canada says more severe hypothermia needs immediate medical attention, so call 911. Meanwhile, get the person somewhere warm, wrap them in blankets or dry clothing, and give warm, sweet drinks if they're alert. Our guide to furnace gas or burning smells covers smells in more detail.
What should I note for the furnace repair visit?
Write down what happened, in order, while it's fresh. Clear notes help the visit start in the right place and save you repeating yourself.
Notes to have ready
- When the heat stopped, and the indoor and outside temperatures
- Sounds, smells, water or a flashing status light, with a photo if you can
- Any resets you tried, and what happened
- Whether the power flickered or a storm came through
- Your fuel type (natural gas, propane or oil)
- Who is home, including anyone vulnerable to cold
If you're unsure how urgent your situation is, read whether a broken furnace is an emergency, then call.