Quebec · rules and data checked October 8, 2026

Home health check for Saguenay

In Health Canada's 2012 survey, 2.8% of 72 homes tested in the Région du Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean region were above the 200 Bq/m³ radon guideline. Saguenay's January averages −15.7 °C (ECCC), with about 99 nights a year below −10 °C, when CMHC advises keeping indoor humidity near 30% to stop window condensation. Quebec does not require carbon monoxide alarms in existing houses.

Radon, 2012 survey

2.8%

above 200 Bq/m³ (72 homes)

Radon, 2024 survey

—

no figure for this area

January average

−15.7 °C

99 nights a year below −10 °C

Private wells

Some

in Saguenay

Home health check for Saguenay

Four quick checks, set up with Saguenay's winter temperatures and Quebec's alarm rules. Change any value; nothing you enter leaves your browser.

Radon test result

Example value: the Health Canada guideline. Replace it with your own result from a test of at least 3 months.

200Bq/m³ (5.4 pCi/L)

Scale to 800 Bq/m³. 1 pCi/L = 37 Bq/m³.

At the guideline. Health Canada's guideline is 200 Bq/m³; it advises keeping radon as low as reasonably achievable, so consider retesting in the heating season.

Health Canada's lifetime lung cancer risk: for a never-smoker about 1% at low radon, 2% after lifetime exposure at 200 Bq/m³ and 5% at 800; for a smoker 12%, 17% and 30%. Only a test of 3 months or longer gives an annual average; short tests can mislead.

Winter humidity and window condensation
°C
%
Outdoor temperature

January average: ECCC 1981–2010 normals. Cold snap: NRCan's HOT2000 winter design temperature for Saguenay.

44%highest humidity before the glass fogs at −15.7 °C

Double glazing, clear (1970s–1990s) (U 2.86): condensation starts at about −20.1 °C outside with 40% humidity inside.

The centre of the glass stays dry at −15.7 °C. It is about 8.4 °C, above the 6.9 °C dew point. The bottom edge and frame run colder, so condensation can start there first.

CMHC: when it is below −10 °C outside, keep indoor humidity at about 30%, and as low as 25% in extremely cold regions. Saguenay averages 99 nights a year below −10 °C.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

A sleeping area is a group of bedrooms off one hallway.

Smoke alarms required by law
Set by your municipality
Smoke alarms for full coverage (new-home standard)
6
CO alarms recommended
2

Not required by Quebec law in an existing house, but strongly recommended.

In Quebec, smoke and CO alarm rules for houses come from your municipality; ask your fire service.

“Full coverage” follows the National Building Code for new homes: one on every storey including the basement, one in each bedroom and one outside each sleeping area, interconnected. CO: NRCan advises one near the furnace or other fuel-burning appliance and one in each bedroom area.

Mould: clean it yourself or call a pro?

Example values shown. 1 m² is about 10.8 sq ft.

Small: you can clean it yourself if you are healthy.

Up to three patches, each under 1 m²: clean with water and unscented dish detergent, wearing safety glasses, an N95 mask and rubber gloves (CMHC). People at risk from mould should not clean it.

Fix the moisture source first. Testing for mould types is usually unnecessary (Health Canada). You entered 2 patches, the largest about 0.5 m².

Saguenay at a glance

Radon surveys covering Saguenay
SurveyResult
Health Canada, 2012Région du Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean, 72 homes, long-term tests2.8% above 200 Bq/m³; 1.4% above 600

The 2024 survey pools long-term tests that households volunteered, so it is not a random sample, and more tests were in basements than in 2012. Health Canada's guideline: fix a home above 200 Bq/m³ within a year. Test kits cost about $30–$80 including the lab; mitigation about $2,000–$3,000.

Highest indoor humidity before windows fog (21 °C inside)
WindowAt −15.7 °CAt −28.9 °C
Single glazing with a storm windowU 2.943%31%
Double glazing, clear (1970s–1990s)U 2.8644%32%
Double glazing, low-e and argon (2000s)U 1.860%50%
ENERGY STAR (U 1.22 or better)U 1.2271%62%
Triple glazingU 1.467%58%

Centre of the glass, from the National Building Code's indoor air film and the Magnus dew point formula. January average from ECCC normals; the cold-snap column is NRCan's winter design temperature. Window edges fog sooner, so follow CMHC: about 30% humidity below −10 °C, which Saguenay sees on about 99 nights a year.

Smoke alarms in Quebec

No province-wide rule for houses: smoke-alarm requirements for single-family homes come from municipal by-laws. Québec.ca refers residents to 'la réglementation municipale' and recommends an alarm on each storey including the basement, in the hallway near bedrooms and in each bedroom where someone sleeps; electric alarms should be interconnected so they sound together.

Existing homes must have them: Not confirmed · Every storey: Not confirmed · In each bedroom: Not confirmed · Interconnected: Not confirmed

Official source ↗

Carbon monoxide alarms in Quebec

Quebec has no province-wide CO alarm requirement for existing houses. The Safety Code's Building chapter (in force 2013-03-18) covers larger multi-unit and co-owned residential buildings, rooming houses, hotels/motels and seniors' residences. In those buildings, art. 359 requires a CO alarm in a dwelling unit, seniors' residence or supervised residence that contains a combustion appliance or has direct access to an indoor parking garage. LégisQuébec shows this version of art. 359 in force from 2014-03-18. The RBQ says single-family dwellings fall under municipal regulations, and Québec.ca tells residents to ask their municipal fire service about local CO alarm rules. So whether a house needs an alarm depends on the municipality.

Official source ↗

Well water in Saguenay

Saguenay covers a large territory that includes rural sectors beyond its urban centres.

  • Bacteria: At least twice a year, spring and fall
  • Chemistry: A full physico-chemical analysis at the start; then, depending on the contaminant found, follow-up every 2 or every 5 years (moneaumonpuits.ca). The ministry asks for at least one physico-chemical analysis while the well is in use, plus nitrates-nitrites each spring and fall in farm areas or with individual septic systems. ('de quelques dizaines à quelques centaines de dollars' (a few tens to a few hundred dollars), depending on the analyses)

Quebec source 1 ↗ Quebec source 2 ↗

Radon help in Quebec

New homes: Yes. Chapter I, Building, of the Québec Construction Code (NBC 2020 as modified for Québec, in force Apr 17, 2025) Subsection 9.13.4 requires a soil-gas air barrier and adds a passive vertical radon exhaust stack for dwellings. The previous edition (in force since Jan 2022) required a rough-in connection for a future depressurization system and may still be used for work begun before Oct 17, 2027 (transition period extended by regulations effective Sept 10, 2026).

Test kits: No free provincial kit program found. Québec's government radon page points residents to passive detectors sold by the Association pulmonaire du Québec (about $50 including analysis) and notes that some municipal libraries lend electronic radon detectors.

Other help: Québec guidance: use a passive detector for at least 3 months, preferably October to April, and correct levels above 200 Bq/m3 within a year. Lungs Matter mitigation aid (up to $1,500) is available to eligible households (Québec income cap $88,400).

Find a C-NRPP certified measurement or mitigation professional at c-nrpp.ca. Data checked October 8, 2026.

Common questions in Saguenay

How common is radon in Saguenay?

Health Canada's 2012 survey found 2.8% of 72 homes tested in the Région du Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean region at or above 200 Bq/m³. Neighbouring houses can differ a lot, so the only way to know is a long-term test of at least 3 months, ideally in the heating season.

What indoor humidity should I keep in winter in Saguenay?

Health Canada and CMHC advise 30% to 50%, and CMHC says to keep it at about 30% when it is below −10 °C outside (as low as 25% in extreme cold). Saguenay averages 99 nights a year below −10 °C. At the January average of −15.7 °C, clear double-glazed windows start to fog at about 44% humidity at the centre of the glass, and at about 32% in a cold snap of −28.9 °C; the edges fog sooner.

How many smoke alarms does a house need in Quebec?

No province-wide rule for houses: smoke-alarm requirements for single-family homes come from municipal by-laws. Québec.ca refers residents to 'la réglementation municipale' and recommends an alarm on each storey including the basement, in the hallway near bedrooms and in each bedroom where someone sleeps; electric alarms should be interconnected so they sound together. New homes built to the National Building Code need hardwired, interconnected alarms on every storey and in every bedroom, which is the standard we recommend for full coverage.

Are carbon monoxide alarms required in Quebec?

Quebec has no province-wide CO alarm requirement for existing houses. The Safety Code's Building chapter (in force 2013-03-18) covers larger multi-unit and co-owned residential buildings, rooming houses, hotels/motels and seniors' residences. In those buildings, art. 359 requires a CO alarm in a dwelling unit, seniors' residence or supervised residence that contains a combustion appliance or has direct access to an indoor parking garage. LégisQuébec shows this version of art. 359 in force from 2014-03-18. The RBQ says single-family dwellings fall under m

How often should I test my well water in Quebec?

Bacteria: At least twice a year, spring and fall. Chemistry: A full physico-chemical analysis at the start; then, depending on the contaminant found, follow-up every 2 or every 5 years (moneaumonpuits.ca). The ministry asks for at least one physico-chemical analysis while the well is in use, plus nitrates-nitrites each spring and fall in farm areas or with individual septic systems. Saguenay covers a large territory that includes rural sectors beyond its urban centres.

How we calculate this

Radon

1 pCi/L = 37 Bq/m³ (Health Canada). The Canadian guideline is 200 Bq/m³; above it Health Canada recommends fixing your home within 1 year, sooner the higher the level. Only a long-term test (at least 3 months, ideally in the heating season) tells you your annual average.

Window condensation

glass temperature = indoor − U × (indoor − outdoor) ÷ 8.33

8.33 W/m²·°C is the indoor air film from the National Building Code (RSI 0.12). The dew point comes from the Magnus formula the US National Weather Service publishes; condensation forms when the glass is colder than the dew point. These are centre-of-glass figures: the bottom edge and metal frames run colder, which is why we show CMHC's simpler rule beside them (30% indoor humidity when it is below −10 °C outside, as low as 25% in extreme cold).

Smoke and CO alarms

“Required by law” applies your province's fire code to the layout you enter. “Recommended” is the new-home standard in the National Building Code (an alarm on every storey, in every bedroom and outside sleeping areas) and NRCan's CO advice (one near the furnace or other fuel-burning appliance and one in each bedroom area). Municipal by-laws can add to provincial rules.

Well water and mould

Testing frequencies and lab fees are the ones your province publishes. Mould size categories are Health Canada's and CMHC's: up to three patches each under 1 m² can be cleaned by a healthy homeowner; more than 3 m² needs a professional.

More for Saguenay

Heating and hot water costs in SaguenayWhat heating, hot water and air conditioning cost at your local prices, and what each heating system would cost instead.Upgrade payback in SaguenaySavings, rebates and payback for attic, wall and basement insulation, windows, air sealing and thermostat setbacks.Appliance running costs in SaguenayWhat your fridge, dryer, freezer and other appliances cost to run at your local electricity price, and what a newer model saves.
Build your upgrade plan → All home services in Saguenay Radon testing in SaguenayCarbon monoxide testing in SaguenayWell water testing in SaguenayMould testing in SaguenayVentilation assessments in Saguenay Quebec rebates and programs

Sources

Prices and programs checked October 8, 2026. Climate: NRCan HOT2000 (Jonquière) for heating and ECCC 1981–2010 normals (Bagotville A) for cooling and temperatures.

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