Gazifère
becomes
Enbridge Gaz Québec
Safety, our number one value!
Offering you a reliable and safe distribution system that exceeds the highest industry standards, that’s our priority. We are committed to upholding our obligations regarding safety, security and protecting the environment. A solid culture of safety and a disciplined approach to risk mitigation are the keys to our success and the foundation of our future growth.
To make the most of the efficient energy we offer, do like us, and focus on safety! To this end, we propose the following basic rules of maintenance and prevention.
Safety tips for your appliances
The following safety tips apply to every natural gas appliance in your home.
To ensure your safety and that of your family, have a certified natural gas professional install and regularly maintain your natural gas appliances. This will keep them clean and running safely and efficiently. Also have your ventilation and gas exhaust systems inspected regularly. You will find the contact information for certified natural gas professionals in the directory under Heating.
Advice
Combustion heating appliances need a lot of air to properly burn the combustible and evacuate the gas resulting from that combustion. The main products of full natural gas combustion (burning) are heat, water and carbon dioxide.
The pilot light or burner flames of your furnace or any other natural gas appliance should be mostly blue, with a small yellow tip. (The only exceptions to this rule are the new natural gas fireplaces with ceramic logs, which produce realistic yellow flames). If the flames of your natural gas appliance are yellow, noisy or uneven, it could be a sign of a problem that should not be ignored. To ensure proper operation, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, which could be different from one model to the next. Book regular maintenance appointments with a certified natural gas technician.
Keep the space around your combustion appliances clean and clear. Make sure nothing is blocking the controls, air intakes or exhausts.
In the winter, clear the snow around air intakes, exhausts and the meter
To ensure that your natural gas appliances work efficiently and safely, carefully clean around the air intakes, exhausts and the meter.
Advice
- Use a broom or a brush to clean your natural gas meter. This unit is fragile, so never use a shovel or hard object to remove the snow from it.
- Regularly check the immediate area around your natural gas meter, air intakes and exhausts.
- Make sure that the melting snow dripping off the roof, freezing rain and water dripping out of a rain gutter does not create ice build-up on the meter.
- If your meter is covered in ice, immediately call our customer service at 819-771-8321.
Avoid the risk of scalding from hot water
To protect your family against the risk of scalding from hot water, you have a few options:
Advice
According to the Quebec Construction Code, the water in your tank should be maintained at 60°C (140°F). Maintaining the water at that temperature considerably reduces the risk of development of bacteria causing legionellosis. Like other bacteria, these can grow in stagnant water that is below 50°C. The Code also specifies that the temperature of the water coming out of the shower and bath faucets must be no more than 49°C.
You can install a temperature regulator on each of your faucets. You can also lower the temperature coming out of the faucets by installing a mixing valve right at the top of your water heater. This device automatically mixes hot and cold water to ensure that the water coming out of the faucet is 49°C. That way, regardless of the source of your hot water, the risk of scalding is greatly reduced. It should be noted that for people who are less tolerant to hot water, the device can be set at 43°C.
To install a mixing valve or for any plumbing project, contact a CMMTQ-certified master pipe mechanic. You will find the list of those in the Outaouais at https://www.cmmtq.org/fr/RepertoireMembres/Default.aspx .
TIPS TO AVOID SCALDING FROM HOT WATER IN THE HOME
- Teach children to open the cold water tap first and to close the hot water tap first;
- Never let a child fill the tub or turn on the shower on their own;
- Check the water temperature with your elbow before placing a child in the tub. A child’s skin is thinner and burns four time faster than an adult’s!
Check before you dig
There could be a whole network of underground electric power cables, gas lines, and telephone or cable wires around your home.
Advice
Before you dig, make sure it’s safe!
Contact Info-Excavation three business days before you start digging.
Info-Excavation locator services are free.
Place your request online at www.info-ex.com
- Consult Directives pour les travaux à proximité de nos infrastructures souterraines here.
- Consult Évitez les bris d’infrastructures souterraines by the Régie du bâtiment (In French only) here.
- Consult Underground Infrastructure Damage Prevention Best Practices by the Canadian Common Ground Alliance here.
- Find out how to interpret an Info-Excavation locator report here.
Info-Excavation has prepared a video on gentle excavation methods, which illustrates the different excavation methods to avoid damage to underground utilities and thereby reduce the risks that could have serious implications for not only the workers but the larger population as well.
What to do if you smell gas
You smell the gas outside your home
Immediately call the Enbridge Gaz emergency line at 819 771-8321, option 1, or 911. Be prepared to provide the address or the street names at the nearest intersection.
Get far away from the area.
Do not use a cell phone, do not light a flame, and do not start an engine or a car near a natural gas leak.
If the leaking natural gas is burning, do not try to put out the fire. Immediately call 911.
You smell a very faint odour coming from an appliance
Open the windows and doors to air out the house.
Immediately call the Enbridge Gaz emergency service at 819 771-8321, option 1.
You smell a strong odour or you hear a whistling sound
Remain calm. Do not use the phone, do not touch any switches, do not light or turn off any appliances, do not smoke and do not light any kind of flame.
Immediately evacuate all occupants and pets.
If possible, leave the door open to air out the house.
Call our emergency number from a neighbour’s.
If the leaking natural gas is burning, do not try to put out the fire. Call 911.
There is no charge for a safety inspection after reporting a suspected odour of natural gas.
You have a blocked sewer line
Do not try to clear blocked sewer lines beyond the walls of a building without having taken the necessary precautions.
Advice
Before starting any work, ask your plumber the following questions:
Do you need to clear the sewer line beyond the walls of the building?
If the answer is no: the work can begin
If the answer is yes:
Do you intend to use rotating equipment or water pressure?
If the answer is no: the work can begin
If the answer is yes:
Will you be doing a video inspection of the sewer line for a visual confirmation that no natural gas line crosses it and carry out the work safely?
If the answer is yes: the inspection can begin
If the answer is no:
It is important to contact Info-Excavation at 1-800-663-9228, emergency requests option, to locate any natural gas lines there may be nearby.
IMPORTANT! Do not start clearing sewer lines before you have the locator sheet and related instructions.
The locator service is fast and free.
What you should know:
Damaging a natural gas line could cause a gas leak, a fire or an explosion.
Bubbling water, a whistling sound, an odour of natural gas, or flying dust are signs that a natural gas line has been damaged while a sewer line was being cleared.
If you suspect a natural gas leak:
- Immediately evacuate the building;
- Keep your distance;
- Call 911.
Your safety when there is a flood risk
Any natural gas appliance, meter or regulator that has been partly or fully submerged in a flood poses a potential risk.
Advice
In such a case, contact Enbridge Gaz technical services, available 24/7, at 819 771-8321 option 1. Enbridge Gaz will send a technician to inspect the natural gas installations and make sure that every security precaution has been put in place.
IMPORTANT!
Do not enter a flooded area where there is electric-powered equipment, including power vented natural gas appliances, given the possibility of an electric shock causing serious injuries.
If you smell natural gas or see damage to natural gas equipment, immediately leave the room and call the Enbridge Gaz emergency service at 819 771-8321 option 1. Your call will be given priority.
Once the situation is back to normal
Contact with water can affect the safe and efficient operation of your natural gas appliances. If a natural gas appliance has been submerged or shut down for safety reasons, here are some tips for working with us on re-opening your meter and re-starting your appliances:
- Make sure that electricity has been restored to the electrical panel in the building or house by a certified electrician.
- Make sure that the area around the natural gas appliances is clean, dry and safe.
- Any appliance that has suffered water damage must be repaired or changed before it is re-started.
Before you re-open your meter, a certified natural gas professional will have to inspect all your natural gas appliances. IMPORTANT : only a technician hired by Enbridge Gaz may open a meter that has been affected by a flood.
If you are renting your appliances, contact Enbridge Gaz at 819 771-8321 option 2, to have one of our technicians inspect your appliances, re-open your natural gas meter and re-start your appliances.
If you own your appliances, contact any certified natural gas professional to inspect your appliances. You or your contractor can then contact Enbridge Gaz at 819 771-8321 option 2, to request that your meter be re-opened and your appliances re-started.
If your appliances have not been touched by the flood waters, and your natural gas meter has not been closed for safety reasons, contact Enbridge Gaz at 819 771-8321 option 2, to have one of our technicians re-open the natural gas meter and re-start your appliances.
Stop gas service during renovation work
During building renovation work, it may be necessary to stop natural gas delivery. Please, contact our customer servce.
Advice
Stop gas service during demolition work (Builders and contractors)
If you plan to undertake demolition work, you must ensure, in the interest of public and contractor safety, that natural gas service has been safely stopped before work begins. Please contact our customer service.
Please note that a 15 day notice period is required to stop gas service for demolition work.
To report a change of address or to request an account termination, click here.
You can contact customer service at 819 771-8321 or by email at infogaz@enbridge.com.