With such an increase in the cost of heating, we decided to supplement our main source of heat by resuming the use of our woodstove. When we purchased our house, 20 years ago, we had so enjoyed the warmth and comfort of that woodburning stove. As our lives got very busy with the arrival of a baby and later a second child, we had gradually stopped using it.
With the always increasing cost of living and a woodshed that held a good amount of dry firewood, we decided that it would be a good idea to start using the woodstove again as a secondary source of heat. We remembered how much we enjoyed that wonderful heat so many years ago when we had first moved into our home.
Since we hadn’t used the woodburning stove in over 10 years, I scheduled an appointment with The Chimney Swift to come in and ensure that it was still in good working condition. We didn’t want to start a fire in the stove only to be smoked out of our house because of an obstruction in the flue. The many trees on our property are home to many of nature’s little creatures. We would not have been surprised to find out that a bird had attempted to build a nest in the flue.
When making the appointment, I was told that the WETT (Wood Energy Technology Transfer) certified technician would be doing a detailed inspection of all the visible and accessible areas of the wood burning system. He would be inspecting to determine both the condition of our woodburning system as well as its compliance to the current codes.
The technician arrived as scheduled and upon initial look into the firebox, announced that since there was a considerable amount of creosote in the stove, he would sweep the whole system prior to the inspection. There would be no additional cost to this, as it was part of the inspection. The technician explained that the residue present in the woodstove would prevent him from doing a proper evaluation of our woodburning system.
Upon completion of the sweeping and WETT Inspection, the WETT certified technician took the time to answer all my questions and inform me of our wood system’s condition, both inside and out. I was relieved to find out that although it should have been swept years ago, after the last woodburning season, all the components were still in good condition and the installation was compliant to the current codes.
Having the WETT Inspection done as given us peace of mind. Knowing that our woodstove and chimney are in good operating condition, we can relax by the warmth of the fire and enjoy the coziness that it brings to the room, not to mention the additional heat it provides to our home.
