What is a Wasaga Beach WETT Inspection?

WETT is actually a training organization that teaches inspectors how to check for code compliance and safety with wood burning appliances. They often are involved when you buy or have a wood burning appliance like a fireplace or wood burning stove installed. They also may help with maintenance and the prevention of problems. When someone is WETT certified, it means that they are certified to perform safety checks and maintenance on a wood burning appliance. The term doesn’t apply to your wood burning stove or fireplace, but rather, to the person who is inspecting these appliances.

WETT inspections typically include examinations of:

• The chimney  –  This clay flue liner will require repair prior to using chimney.
• The liner and flue  –  Many times the chimney will require cleaning prior to inspection.
• The smoke chamber
• The damper
• The firebox
• The hearth or floor around the wood burning appliance
• Whether combustible surfaces are far enough away from the appliance and its parts

In most cases, a basic visual inspection will be enough to tell the inspector if the installation of your wood burning appliance is safe. In other cases, you may need a more intensive type of inspection to make sure that even the parts you can’t see are working properly. A WETT certified member can handle basic visual inspections, but it takes a WETT certified technician to actually conduct the more intensive inspections. Technicians can also perform maintenance on wood burning appliances or fix major problems that you may have with them.

The Wasaga Beach Home Inspector offers WETT inspections. Having your wood burning appliance inspected by a Certified WETT inspector will help keep your home safe. You should have any wood burning appliance inspected a least once a year or more depending on amount of wood your are burning. The only way to keep your home completely safe from fire is to prevent it before it happens, and having a WETT inspection can help you do that.

The most common requirement for a WETT inspection is during the sale of a property. Most insurance companies now require that home owners have their wood burning appliance inspected by a certified WETT Inspector who will provide a their clients an inspection report. Check with your insurance company prior to taking possession to ensure you will comply with their requirements.  Most professional home inspector’s will include a WETT Inspection as part of home inspection package.

The Wasaga Beach Home Inspector will provide a WETT Inspection report for $75.00 when included as part of home inspection.

Maintaining your chimney will depend on the use of your wood burning appliance and the amount of the wood you burn.  Appliances used for daily heating throughout the winter will most likely require chimney to be swept twice a year. Wood burning appliances which are infrequently used should be swept once a year. However, maintenance should be completed if you suspect any deficiency or if you are experiencing any issues in the performance of your appliance. Your certified chimney sweep can advise you if more frequent cleaning is required.

WETT Inc. (Wood Energy Technology Transfer Inc.) is a non-profit training organization that provides in-depth training for inspectors of wood-burning appliances to check for code compliance and adherence to safety requirements. A WETT certified inspector has met the qualifications for performing these inspections.

These WETT certified inspections are often required by home insurance companies when a property being insured has a wood-burning appliance, such as a wood stove or fireplace. The certified inspector will ascertain if the installation was carried out safely and in compliance with all fire and building code regulations.

An initial basic inspection includes the visual examination of smoke chambers, fireboxes, dampers, chimneys, chimney liners, hearths and clearances, including distances from combustibles for wood stove and flue stove vent pipes. The components covered by each inspection differ depending on the wood-burning appliance, thus there are separate inspections for fireplaces, wood stoves and pellet stoves. If concerns are identified, a more comprehensive inspection may be required.

To speak with a qualified professional regarding WETT certified inspections and how this training and experience can provide peace of mind for your purchase and installation, contact WETT Inspections by calling 705-795-8255 or 1-888-818-8608 sending an email.