Wood-burning appliance inspections (WETT) in Norfolk County

Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 climate normal at Culloden Easey (37.5 km from the middle of the area) is 3,912 heating degree-days a year, with a January mean of −5.7°C. Of the 25,290 houses in Norfolk County (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses, duplexes and mobile homes), 36% were built before 1961 and 70% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census.

On census day (May 11, 2021), 8% of the 30,085 private dwellings in Norfolk County were not anyone's permanent home. If you're buying a cottage or a house with a wood stove, ask your insurer what inspection it needs before the deal closes.

WETT Inc., the non-profit that trains and registers wood-energy professionals across Canada, says hiring a WETT-certified professional ensures wood-burning appliances are inspected, installed and maintained to current safety codes and standards, and helps homeowners meet insurance or regulatory requirements.

An inspection looks at what the fire and installation codes regulate:

• The chimney, flue and flue pipe: structural problems such as a missing liner or inadequate supports, and decay such as cracking, crumbling mortar, corrosion or separated sections (National Fire Code notes).
• Creosote and soot: deposits more than 3 mm thick mean the chimney needs cleaning right away and should be inspected more often.
• Clearances: the required space between the appliance, flue pipe or chimney and anything combustible, which must be kept clear.
• The installation: CSA B365 is the installation code for solid-fuel appliances, covering installation, alteration and maintenance.
• The appliance itself: whether it's certified to CSA B415.1 or the US EPA standard, which you can usually tell from its label or plate.

Search the WETT directory ↗ for certified professionals near Simcoe and the rest of Norfolk County, and ask your home insurer what it needs to see when you add a stove or buy a house that has one. WETT doesn't publish inspection prices, so get two or three written quotes and ask what each inspection includes.

• Burn dry wood: the US EPA says wood burns best below 20% moisture; check it with a moisture meter.
• Dense smoke at the top of the chimney is a warning sign of poor operation, a wrongly sized chimney or unsuitable fuel (National Fire Code note).
• Keep combustible things out of the clearance space around the stove and flue pipe.
• Have the chimney inspected after any chimney fire, and when you add or replace an appliance.

Read the full wood-burning inspection guide.