With COVID-19 and the self quarantine many are looking for things to do at home and how to cut costs at the same time. However, there are some things that are best left to professionals and the installation of a wood burning system happens to be one of them.
Why would I say that? Well the wood stove industry is one that has certifications and takes years to learn properly. Yes, many run around installing systems and they are NOT certified. That is a fact. However sadly the also make many serious errors.
The one on top at the left is far too close to the wall, and yes it has an attempt at a heat shield which neither meets code nor provides adequate protection. The one at bottom was one where we were called to inspect, the Orillia fire department had concerns with the installation. It was done by a large company in the area and sadly is done wrong, that chimney requires two inches clearance to combustibles and I can not fit two fingers between chimney and roof deck.
When installed improperly a wood burning system can cause carbon monoxide to enter the home or worse cause a chimney or house fire. Okay there are many DIYers who would argue, there is nothing difficult about this. It is a typical response of many, and frankly it is the common situation where somebody simply has no idea what they do not know.
Watching a YouTube does not make me a medical expert or mechanic. Neither does it make me a wood burning expert – and many of the videos are not even Canadian. Did you know that almost NO chimney even meets Canadian code and is permitted to be used, their testing, certifications and codes are different – our are generally much more stringent and something installed to the US codes often will fail to meet the requirements in Canada.
I am not saying it is not impossible for a DIY to properly install a chimney and wood stove; however am saying based upon many systems I have seen installed by a DIY – it is likely improbable that it will be 100% correct.
Further to this you very likely will need a WETT Inspection! And if there are errors then the work will need to be redone – and it is always better to do correctly the first time.
With WETT Certified Advanced Technician and WETT Certified Comprehensive Inspector we would love to help with consulation and inspections.