Fresh air and ventilation are important both for your own health and to help ensure that your natural gas and other fuel–burning equipment operate safely.
If you or any of your family members suffer from allergies, fresh air in your home is especially important. Many different products in your home contribute to indoor air pollution, including:
- household cleaners
- some types of carpet
- particle board
- tobacco smoke
- ground source radon gas
Constant fresh air is needed to flush out these pollutants and maintain a healthy indoor environment.
- Stale stuffy atmosphere.
- Lingering odours.
- Moisture build–up.
- Back drafts and soot from a wood–burning fireplace.
- Warm air coming back down a furnace chimney or flue.
If your home has any of these problems, you must take steps to ensure adequate fresh air supply and ventilation. If not you could:
- Create an unhealthy indoor environment.
- Cause your fuel–burning equipment to malfunction and produce toxic carbon monoxide.
- Caulking, weather–stripping, adding storm windows, insulating and sealing your home.
- Systems that remove air such as exhaust fans, central vacuum systems, clothes dryers, and fuel–burning fireplaces.
- What you can do (*Fact box set up for the following)
- Do not close off your fuel–burning equipment area or install equipment (direct–vent or sealed combustion) that can operate safely in a closed room.
- If your wood–burning fireplace does not already have its own air supply duct, open a nearby window so that it doesn't compete with your heating system for air.
- You may need to have a fresh air duct installed near your heating system.
- Consult Enbridge Gas New Brunswick or a licensed heating contractor who can recommend the best solution for your home.