Cold weather could pose risk to your home

We may be out of the extreme cold for now but your house might still be at risk.

Warman Fire Chief Russ Austin says ice buildup around furnace exhausts can lead to some serious problems for newer homes with high-efficiency furnaces.

“There are some circumstances where when it is very cold for a very long time like we just went through, the exhaust can get plugged, which will shut down your furnace entirely for your house,” he said.

“Number two, they can create a bit of an ice dam so if the wind switches, the exhaust coming out of that can actually suck back in through your intake.”

According to Austin, the carbon monoxide exhaust leaking back into the house is extremely rare but has happened recently when a family of five was hospitalized with CO poisoning a couple years ago.

He says ice buildup happens any time the weather is below freezing, but the colder it gets, the quicker the problem can arise.

“With the extreme cold temperatures, it’s a little more dramatic but you’ll notice even in a regular winter they will start building up with a little bit of ice,” Austin said.

“So what might have been a little frost around the pipe at -10 is now a waterfall of ice at -40 with windchill.”

To avoid the risks associated with this ice buildup, Austin recommends buying a carbon monoxide detector for your home. He also recommends taking a couple minutes to knock off excess ice from the exhaust pipe when the weather gets cold.

“The price of carbon monoxide alarm has gone down in the last few years. You can pretty much go to any hardware store and get a plug-in carbon monoxide detector for under $40. We say put one of those outside any sleeping areas that you have,” he said.

“Also, as a good practice, go around your house every few days when the weather is cold and knock the ice off of your exhaust if you notice anything that is unusually building up.”