WETT Inspection in Barrie –  Basic Information

A WETT inspection of a wood heating system is typically required by your home insurance company, after a chimney fire or just for your own piece of mind.  You and your insurance company will want to ensure that your stove and chimney are safe and legal. Your WETT Certified inspector will examine and photo document your appliance and chimney installation to ensure they conform to required specifications and instruction manual, the National Building Code and CSA-B365 (Installation code for solid-fuel-burning appliances and equipment).

W.E.T.T. stands for “Wood Energy Technology Transfer” and WETT certified inspectors have been specially trained to perform these inspections.

A WETT inspector will inspect your appliance (stove, fireplace, or insert) and chimney system to make sure it meets current standards. These standards come from the certified manual for the appliance or chimney if there is one available, the National and Provincial building codes, as well as CSA B-365.

If your appliance or chimney does not meet current code, you will not get your WETT certificate. You will instead get a list of remedial action which must be done. When the remedial action is completed the installation will be re-inspected and documented, and your WETT certification will be issued.

Some things you can check yourself to see if your heater/chimney will pass inspection:

  • Appliances need to be certified by CSA, OTL, ULC or Warnock Hersey, to a current standard (S-627 for wood stoves). If your stove is certified it will have a plate or sticker, usually on the back of the stove, that will tell you if the unit is certified, which lab certified it, and the serial number. If the appliance has been modified or the label is not attached, it is no longer certified.
  • In mobile homes, appliances need to be specially certified for mobile home installation and have direct combustion air installed. The stove’s  instruction manual may list other requirements.
  • Existing Stainless chimneys must be listed to ULC S629, be installed according to the Manufacturer’s Certified Instructions and all be of the same brand. (tested and certified as a complete system). If there is no manufacturer’s sticker on any of the chimney components an inspector may not be able to pass it.
  • Quite often a masonry chimney will not have adequate clearance to combustibles. If the masonry chimney is inside the house there must be a 2” clearance, ½” if the chimney is partly or completely outside the building. Combustibles include framing, floor joists, floors, ceilings, paneling, etc. Also the chimney must extend right to the ground. If the masonry is resting on any sort of wooden support (called a bracket chimney) it will fail.

 

It is the home owner’s responsibility to have a copy of the stove’s instruction manual for the inspector to see at inspection time. If the inspector has to produce a manual for the stove an additional fee may be involved.  Note:  The Wasaga Beach -WETT Inspection Pricing Wasaga Beach Home Inspector does not charge extra for this service.

The report is your property and you can choose to share the findings with your building inspector, insurance provider, etc.

Building code requirements apply only at the time of inspection; they do not cover ongoing compliance with safety regulations. This is why when you change your stove or chimney you may need to have your appliance and chimney system re-inspected.

Are you ready for your WETT inspection, have questions or need more information?  Call Roger Frost  –  WETT Inspection Alliston

Wasaga Beach WETT Certified Inspections

Phone   705-795-8255

Email Roger  [email protected]

WETT Certified for over 20 years.

Inspection Report Completed and Delivered at time of inspection.