Wood-burning appliance inspections (WETT) in Northern BC

Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 climate normal at Prince George STP (4.0 km from Prince George) is 4,673 heating degree-days a year, with a January mean of −6.7°C. Of the 42,520 houses in the eleven municipalities listed here (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses, duplexes and mobile homes), 11% were built before 1961 and 69% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census.

On census day (May 11, 2021), 10% of the 72,060 private dwellings in the Fraser-Fort George and Peace River regional districts 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 Prince George and the rest of Northern BC, 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.

B.C.'s Solid Fuel Burning Domestic Appliance Regulation sets standards for wood stoves and other wood-burning appliances sold in the province, and the Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program offers incentives to replace old wood stoves with cleaner heating (gas and propane exchanges ended January 1, 2023). The province's list of local programs includes the Prince George Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program (Prince George and unincorporated areas of the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George) and programs in Mackenzie and Valemount. We found no listing for the Peace River Regional District.

• 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.