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WETT Certified Inspections - WETT Certified Chimney Sweep
Frequently asked questions
It all began with a simple idea fueled by a deep passion. As a small business, we pride ourselves on personal attention and dedication to every detail. Our approach is rooted in quality and integrity, ensuring that everything we do reflects our commitment to excellence.
Honestly our desire is to ensure you and your family are as safe as possible and you have knowledge to use your solid fuel appliance correctly and safely.
I have had the opportunity to teach classes in the solid fuel industry, see wood stoves in manufacturing facilities being built and tested, sell stoves, install stoves & chimneys and of course do numerous inspections.
Why Do I Need A WETT Inspection
WETT inspections, when done properly are simply code inspecitons.
Level 1 or visual are simply that, what is readily accessible. However, having said that, over the years I have seen far too many who have unfortunately missed VERY obvious infractions.
Some code violations are serious risks to your well being and others, while perhaps not an immediate or serious risk should still be fixed.
The codes used will depend on the appliance, however they can be ULC S635, S640, S641, S627, S628, S629, B365 and several other ULC codes. Also reference is the Ontario Building Code and Fire Code.
A basic inspection should include the appliance ( inside and out ), venting, connection points, support, flashing, etc.
During the inspection there are often many questions the owner will have as well. Generally speaking a properly done WETT inspection is going to take the better part of an hour to complete and explain.
How Often Should My Chimney Be Cleaned
How often is gong to depend on several factors.
How dry your wood is being a critical factor! Wood that is not properly seasoned will not only make excessive creosote, it can damage components of some wood stoves, can make sweeping far more difficult to do properly, require a LOT more wood to heat your home and increase risk to you and your family.
The chimney is also important. Keeping the flue warm is critical to reducing creosote and there is no better option than good insulated chimney.
Masonry chimneys are likely the most prone to creosote build up, often times the flue upsizes and the structure is cold and difficult to keep warm.
Liner in a masonry can help, an insulated liner being optimal. I have seen an insulated liner take creosote levels from fairly heavy down to almost nothing on the same appliance.
Are You Certified
Absolutely I have training and certifications.
In fact as I love learning and education so much, it has been a key factor my entire life. Learning how and why something works it’s important to me. Having said that, sharing that with others is also important.
Over the past decade, helping others has always been the key part of my life and why I have spoken and events and conferences several times. Some of them have been helping to teach Home Inspectors how to properly inspect solid fuel appliances, Unfortunately home inspectors get criticized a lot and often that is simply due to their lack of experience in the area. Solid fuel or wood burning appliances are certainly one area they lack the knowledge and do often miss items. Generally speaking anybody with a SITE Basic Inspector level at WETT has not had a lot of hands on experience, not always the case but it is often true.
I hold Advanced Chimney Sweep, Advanced Technician, Advanced System Advisor and Comprehensive Inspector certifications.
Using those I would love to help you where and when I can!
What Is The Best Brand Of Chimney
The best brand of chimney? Honestly that is a tough question.
For wood stoves in Canada, chimney MUST be certified to ULC S627 standard. This means the chimney has been tested and passed three burns at 2100 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty minutes each burn.
The Canadian standard exceeds the US standard by quite a bit, consequently you will find some chimney in the US shown to be usually for wood stoves which are not usable in Canada.
The best chimney is likely DuraVent - DuraTech, ICC - EXCEL, Ventis - 2100 or Selkirk - ULTIMATEPlus. Selkirk and ICC are made in Canada and ICC is 100% owned by a Canadian family.
No, you can not buy likely any of those in the hardware store. However we can get you the pieces you need at very competitive prices. If you wish to do yourself then we can answer questions and coach you along the way.
Is hardware store chimney bad? Not at all, but it is chimney designed in the late 20th century versus the 21st century design which in many ways are simply superior.
How Often Should My Chimney Be Inspected
The Ontario Fire Codes makes it clear – a chimney inspection is required annually.
The Ontario Fire Code requires inspection by a chimney sweep and recommends a cleaning when necessary.
During the inspection, your technician will look for the following common issues:
- Cracks in liner
- Settling or movement of chimney
- Moisture damage
- Nests or other obstructions
- Excessive tar or creosote buildup
How Long Is A WETT Inspection Valid For?
Any inspection report records what was seen on that particular day, and can not guarantee anything into the future.
Most competent inspectors will explain this to the client, and should include this in their written report. I always have this written in the report clearly. This is because like in any inspection, after leaving the premises, the inspector has no control over, nor knowledge of any changes that may take place to a wood-burning appliance installation.
I Am Unsure How To Use My Damper
This is actually a fairly common question. If your damper is not working properly or it is closed, you are at minimum going to get a really smoky room.. and possibly a very dangerous fire hazard. You must have the damper to be fully open before you light your fire.
When I Have A Fire In Living Room, Smoke Comes Into The Basement Fireplace
This is more common in the air tight homes of today, and is due to differing air pressure zones within the home. The easiest way to solve this is to have an easy source for air to enter the home, and new fireplaces will have this built in as part of their design. If you have this problem, give us a call and we will try to work to a solution for you.
Can I Clean My Own Chimney
Of course the simple answer is yes you can.
But should you?
First of all, the old style push clean rods and brushes do no where near as good a job as the professional rotary sweep equipment, even when used by a professional. So if you are using the old push brooms maybe think again. This is especially true with a flexible liner, where the push brushes can actually cause damage to the liner itself. And there are many circumstances where it is clear that chimneys which were apparently cleaned the previous year have far too much creosote once we clean them, meaning that the system generates far above normal levels of creosote or that it was poorly cleaned the year before – that one of course is always open to question.
Now to the question – should you? Well as explained professional rotary sweep equipment can and almost always will do a better job of cleaning the chimney. However, it goes far beyond that, especially if the sweep is a Certified Chimney Sweep – and if they are not then perhaps look elsewhere!
The Certified Sweep is going to do far more than push some soot out of your chimney – far more. And that more is actually necessary for a safe and efficient system. If you don’t know all that is needed and how to inspect the system properly while you do the job than perhaps look for a Certified Chimney Sweep.
Is My Stove Worn Out
We have customers who have had other Chimney Sweeps tell them their stove was worn out. Does a stove wear out? Yes it can but.. Some Chimney Sweeps will clean your chimney and then tell you your stove is worn out or needs replacement. It may, and it may simply be a suggestion. A suggestion? Well your stove may be old, inefficient and you could be better served by a new stove. Sometimes a second opinion is a good idea, from a sweep who does not sell stoves and has no alterior motive to make themselves more money!
Yes a stove can wear out, but often the clues are obvious with holes, rust, etc. I have seen perfectly good, but older stoves which the owners had been told were worn out.
If you have been told that, call today as I feel honesty and integrity is above profit making. If your stove is old and inefficient we will tell you that, not that it is worn out.
What Is A Certified Chimney Sweep
Well in Canada the Chimney Sweep Certification is issued by WETT. However, not all who are WETT Certified are Chimney Sweeps! A dilemma for many to say the least. They ask “Are you WETT Certified?” – a logical question and the answer may be “Yes”. However, that does not mean they are a WETT Certified Chimney Sweep!! The most basic WETT Certification is Basic Inspector – and there are hundreds with this credential as that is where we all started. After that is the Certified Technician, then Chimney Sweep, then Comprehensive Inspector, Advanced Technician and Advanced Chimney Sweep.
So yes you should always hire a WETT Certified Chimney Sweep or WETT Certified Advanced Chimney Sweep to clean your system. But be sure you ask the right questions!! Some who perform chimney sweeping are NOT Certified – perhaps half of those who do the work – and sometimes they charge less. But you often do get less value as well. Protect yourself and your family and get Peace of Mind!
How Do I Know If My Chimney Has Been Properly Cleaned
A proper chimney sweeping includes the chimney flue and smoke chamber of a fireplace or the wood stove and chimney flue. All WETT Certified Chimney Sweeps will provide a Level 1 or Level 2 inspection as part of the sweeping – it is mandatory with WETT certification. There will NOT be a written report unless you pay a bit more – but the sweep will still do all the necessary work involved in the inspection. This is in fact why it is a WASTE of money for people hiring a Home Inspector to do a WETT Inspection – unless they are also a Chimney Sweep! Have the chimney cleaned as well – you will need to do it when you buy the property & it will save you MONEY! Level 1 and Level 2 inspections are detailed in the National Fire Protection Association 211: Standard on Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances. DO NOT HIRE ANY SWEEPS WHO ARE NOT WETT CERTIFIED CHIMNEY SWEEPS!
What Is Creosote
Creosote is the condensation of unburned flue gases.
When wood burns it releases a complex hydrocarbon gas. This is highly flammable, you can notice it often in a campfire as the flame appears to dance around, especially so when fire is first starting.
In a stove this is hopefully burned in the firebox. However there are situations where it is not burned, it is incomplete combustion of the gases. These then travel up the flue pipe and chimney. If the flue pipe is cool enough condensation will occur on the walls and a dark black almost tar like substance will form. This is creosote, which will then harden as it dries. It was flammable as a gas and is still flammable as a solid.
If it dries quickly it forms a crunchy material which is relatively easy to sweep out; however if it dries slowly then it becomes shiny and hard, almost porcelain like. This was why years ago they said to have a hot fire in the morning, to quickly dry the creosote that formed overnight.
Wet, improperly seasoned wood is a fast way to make creosote. There is a long period of time with incomplete combustion and very cool chimney, ideal conditions to brooks layers of it.
Shutting old stoves down is yet another way, low heat which leads to a cool chimney and the smouldering oxygen starved wood has incomplete combustion.
Modern stoves with secondary burn can help reduce creosote, assuming the system was hot enough before turned down ( wet wood will still generate a lot of creosote though even with newer stoves ).
The so called “chimney sweep logs” do not eliminate or remove the creosote. They do help convert the creosote that dried into the porcelain like material into something sweepable. Some will change the expansion rate of the creosote, helping to break the seal it has to the chimney walls, some has fire retardants in it to help reduce risk of fire. But you still need it swept out.
Some used to say pine caused creosote, some blamed on the pitch in the wood. That has been proven to be a myth. Honestly some knew for years it was as that is all some areas of the country burn and do it well. Yes pine is light less dense, burns fast and hotter. But if it is dry it creates no more creosote.
What Is Best Wood To Burn In Wood Stove
Short answer. Properly seasoned or dry wood.
Some will say hardwood, some will say do not burn pine.
Now there are reasons for both of those statements.
Hardwood will last longer as it is denser. A decent size log of dry hardwood in many stoves may last the entire night.
But the interesting part is all species of wood have essentially identical heat ( measured in BTU ) by weight.
White Pine weighs 2,236 pounds per cord and has 14.3 million BTUs in that cord. Or 6,395 BTUs per pound
Red Oak weighs 3,570 pounds per cord and has 22.1 million BTUs in that cord. Or 6,190 BTUs per pound.
Resinous wood typically runs a bit more per pound but they are all very close.
I do not recommend burning only softwood by any means, but if that is what you have and it is dry then go ahead. If you can at least mix with some harder wood .
If you are buying it, try to get hardwood as you are now paying by volume and you will get far more BTUs in a cord of wood if it is denser and heavy.
The best?? For hardwood?? Red Oak, Sugar Maple, American Beech,.. all great species.
What Is A WETT Inspection
A WETT Inspection is quite simply a code inspection.
There are three levels of WETT Inspections, Level 1 ( Visual ), Level 2 ( Technical ) and Level 3 ( Invasive ).
For a Level 1, which is common. Things that are readily visible are inspected.
Many inspectors have their SITE Basic qualification and are only able to do Level 1. The sad part of the system is many who have SITE Basic really also have very little experience and hence do tend to miss some very obvious items. Now nobody is perfect by any means, so I never will be critical of any individual, however that is simply a broad overall observation and some are better than others as with everything in life.
Those who also have their Chimney Sweep certification or Technician can also perform a Level 2 inspection which will require a camera to look at the inside of the flue and chimney.
It takes a Comprehensive Inspector to perform a Level 3.
What Is The Best Wood Stove
The best wood stoves? A difficult question a too many variances and decisions to make.
Ones which have secondary burn, ones with combustors, even some triple burn units. Some soapstone, cast iron or simply rolled steel. Some huge models and some very small. Some close clearance to combustibles and some which require quite a bit of space.
I have sold Enviro, Supreme, BlazeKing, Jotul, Lopi, Napoleon, Valcourt, True North, Timber Wolf, Morso, Hearthstone, STUV, Regency, Pacific Energy, Drolet and more. There are high end expensive models and more budget friendly ones.
Some ask about the older models no longer made. Parts may be difficult to find for them, efficiency is not likely the greatest and clearance to combustibles may be much greater.
It is a personal decision and I will never try to convince you to like a specific brand. I can help explain the pros and cons however of specific models.
Where Did The Name “Mr Soot” Come From?
This is an interesting one. But in a nutshell, it was from a long time friend who owned a stove shop. He had close to two dozen employees, serviced gas and wood appliances. We did all the sweeping for his customers, we called each other often if we needed specific parts which we did not happen to have in stock ourselves. He started calling me “Mr Soot”, likely because I had some smudge on my face when arriving at his shop from time to time, yes I did sometimes have black smudges, will not deny that! I used the name in other areas as well, it kind of grew.
Similar to when my son had kids, he and his wife wanted to know what I wanted to be called. Their mom’s father had asked to be called “Grampy”, I told them to call me “Grumpy”. . Later I ended up with a lot of t-shirts, cups, etc from Disney Land on their vacation trips, all with the Elf ( you guessed it) Grumpy.
Where Do You Get Your FAQ Items
Good question. Some I pick simply because I know customers have asked over and over the same questions. As I think of them, I add new ones.
However, if you have one you think is a good one to add then please submit it!
What Does Chimney Work Cost
Well don’t fall for too good to be true pricing. A legitimate company won’t take a ladder off the truck for $49.95 or even $100 for that matter.
Once you calculate in certifications, tools, equipment, payroll, taxes, maintenance, liability insurance, gas it adds up quickly.
Depending on your area, an inspection and sweep from a legitimate certified company/technician will cost you at least $200.00 and perhaps a bit more.
If you were quoted something significantly higher or lower than that it should raise a flag.
Scammers are known for using a super low discount to get their foot in the door so they can tell you that you need more work – a new stove – a chimney liner, etc.. often quoting prices of $5000 or more.
Call today for an honest and accurate assessment of work and cost.
How Do I Get A WETT Inspection Or WETT Certificate
Your appliance (wood-stove, fireplace or furnace) cannot be WETT certified.
I often get requests for :
- a WETT Certificate
- a WETT Certification
- a WETT Approval
- verification it is a “WETT Certified installation.
Sometimes people will ask if the company is WETT Certified.
Each of these is WRONG/INCORRECT. None of these terms EXIST.
What should be issued is an inspection report, completed by an individual who is WETT certified.
There is no SUCH thing as a WETT Certificate.
The appliance may be CERTIFIED – but by the manufacturer and not by WETT.
The person performing the inspection is certified by WETT.
What you need to do is contact a WETT certified professional to inspect your wood-burning appliance. WETT has adopted a process to help identify the level of inspection required. Generally the inspection is best performed by a Chimney Sweep or Comprehensive Inspector – normally either of whom can also clean the chimney if necessary.
What Is A Rumford Fireplace
Fireplaces have been around for a long, long time. Fireplaces were once how homes were heated, but the early ones were terrible and it was not until 1795 that the fireplace was finally perfected by a brilliant American named Benjamin Thompson “Count Rumford.
Rumford’s work revolutionized the fireplace and chimney construction. Sadly many today have never hard of the Rumford fireplace, even though there are many out there and it still remains by far the best design.
By the late 1800’s almost no Rumford fireplaces were built any longer and masons forgot or never learned how to make a good fireplace. It is sad but true that the fireplaces built today are a very poor substitute for the Rumford fireplace design.
Stepping back in history – before the Rumford design fireplaces were pretty poor and had problems with draft, were very poor at heating and did not work well without a lot of fresh air. The Rumford design fixed all these problems.
By design a Rumford fireplace is taller and shallower than the typical fireplace we see/ than a modern fireplace. Despite the shallow fireplace the Rumford actually draws better than any other design and far exceeds the ability of our modern fireplaces.
The question is why did we change when we knew how to do it right!? Well as heating systems changed, fireplaces were no longer needed for heating and became more of a visual enhancement than a heating appliance. But all is not lost a good mason can redesign your fireplace into a Rumford design! If needed we can help with that as well.