Fireplaces

Most people love the idea of having a natural wood burning fireplace in their home, but they sometimes do not realize all of the responsibilities that come with it. Fireplaces do take a bit of care to ensure that they do not cause any problems. Just one little issue with a fireplace could result in your house catching fire, so having a regular WETT inspection by a trained professional is very important. WETT inspections are performed for a variety of reasons, including insurance company requests, code compliance, and inspection after and overheat or chimney fire.

Most Insurance Company's require a WETT Inspection anytime a Wood Burning appliance is installed or when buying a new home. There are strict requirements that affect clearances that many older stoves and fireplaces will not meet.

There are several things inspectors will look at when they perform a WETT inspection. Items such as the chimney, the liner, the smoke chamber, damper, firebox and other working parts inside the fireplace or woodstove to make sure that they are working properly. The inspector will also make sure clearances to combustible materials are sufficient so you can use your wood burning appliance safely.

Complete inspection of any wood burning appliance involves an evaluation of every part of the heating system, from the floor pad to the chimney cap. All of these parts are covered in the codes, so compliance can only be determined if every part is inspected.

The chimney is usually the most difficult part of the system to inspect properly. Flue liners are subject to cracking inside masonry chimneys, or buckling and corrosion in the case of metal chimneys. It is difficult to inspect a chimney liner unless it has just been cleaned.

Inspectors only become certified after at least 80 weeks of work in the field and require a letter of reference. WETT Certified Inspectors must take and pass a two day Code Compliant course with a passing grade of 70 percent. WETT Inspectors then have the choice of becoming a certified tech or advisor, earn their certification in chimney sweeping, or earn a WETT certification in SITE basic.

In many cases, insurance companies will require you to have your units WETT certified, although this is a bit of a technical problem because of how the process works. WETT inspectors do not certify appliances, although they do provide certified inspections for the insurance company to show that all parts of the fireplace are in good working order.

Barrie Home Inspector	Office Phone: (705) 795-8255
Stollar Blvd, Barrie	Inspection Scheduling: (888) 818-8608
Alliston, Barrie, Orillia, Simcoe County	Email: Click here to contact us
WETT Inspections