How the Waterloo Region townships is built
- Before 1961 23%
- 1961–1990 30%
- 1991–2000 12%
- 2001 or later 35%
This page covers the four rural townships of the Region of Waterloo: Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot and North Dumfries. Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge have their own pages. Listowel and Poole in neighbouring Perth County are listed as nearby communities.
Why inspections matter in the Waterloo Region townships
Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 climate normal at Waterloo Wellington Airport (15.4 km from the middle of the area) is 4,194 heating degree-days a year, with a January mean of −6.5°C. Of the 22,550 houses in the Waterloo Region townships (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses, duplexes and mobile homes), 23% were built before 1961 and 53% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census.
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.
What a wood-burning inspection checks
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.
Finding a WETT-certified inspector
Search the WETT directory ↗ for certified professionals near Elmira and the rest of the Waterloo Region townships, 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.
Keeping it safe between inspections
- 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.
Communities we cover in the Waterloo Region townships
Every town, village and hamlet below is part of this page, grouped by municipality (2021 Census population).
- Township of Woolwich 26,999Bloomingdale, Breslau, Conestogo, Elmira, Heidelberg, St. Jacobs, West Montrose
- Township of Wilmot 21,429New Dundee, New Hamburg, Petersburg, St. Agatha
- Township of Wellesley 11,318Hawkesville, Linwood, St. Clements
- Township of North Dumfries 10,619Ayr, Branchton
Nearby in Perth County
- Municipality of North Perth 15,538Listowel
- Township of Perth East 12,595Poole
Wood-burning appliance inspections (WETT) in the Waterloo Region townships: common questions
How often should a wood stove chimney be inspected in the Waterloo Region townships?
Ontario's Fire Code requires every chimney, flue and flue pipe to be inspected at least once every 12 months, when an appliance is added and after any chimney fire, and cleaned as often as needed to keep combustible deposits from building up.
What is a WETT inspection?
An inspection of a wood-burning appliance and its chimney or venting by a professional certified through the WETT program, which WETT Inc. says helps homeowners meet insurance or regulatory requirements.
How do I find a WETT-certified inspector near Elmira?
Search the WETT directory on wettinc.ca, then confirm the inspector covers your address and ask what the inspection includes.
How much does a WETT inspection cost?
WETT doesn’t publish prices and we found no reliable published range, so ask two or three inspectors for written quotes.
What is a certified wood stove?
One tested to CSA B415.1 or certified by the US EPA for emissions. The EPA’s 2020 limit for new room heaters is 2.0 grams of particles per hour (crib wood) or 2.5 g/h (cord wood).