We go shopping with the Kitchener Fire Department for a carbon monoxide alarm
CBC
The Kitchener Fire Department wants homeowners to purchase a carbon monoxide alarm as soon as possible after a new Ontario law requires on every floor of a home or existing multi-unit residence to have one.
At the start of 2026 changes were made to the Ontario Fire Code that required a working carbon monoxide alarm on every level of a residence with a gas-burning appliance, including a furnace, water heater or stove.
However, when you head to a store to buy one you may see retailers have stocked shelves with a number of brand name products. That leaves many wondering: Which carbon monoxide alarm is right for them?
So, CBC Kitchener-Waterloo went shopping with Franz Tschoegl, a public information officer with the Kitchener Fire Department. He says there are three styles to choose from.
“You're really basically open to either doing battery operated, there are plugins or you can just update everything and just do it hardwired,” said Tschoegl, while shopping at a Kitchener Home Hardware.
“If you already have a hardwired system, sometimes they're just smoke alarms, sometimes they're combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. If you're looking at updating because you need to replace your smoke alarms and they're hardwired, the recommendation right off the bat is just get a combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarm."
Fire departments are not endorsing any specific brand name but want consumers to make sure the product they’re purchasing has passed certification standards.
Tschoegl says any alarm you buy needs to have the stamp of approval from the Canadian Standards Association, or CSA, which will have its logo on the package.
“If you're not sure, it will say it on the box. You know that this has been tested according to a certain certification and that's what you want.”
Tschoegl says once the units have been activated in your home, you should make a point of testing both the C0 detector and smoke alarms every month.
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The Kitchener Fire Department wants homeowners to purchase a carbon monoxide alarm as soon as possible after a new Ontario law requires on every floor of a home or existing multi-unit residence to have one.
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