# Our insurance company required a WETT before renewal — and the fireplace failed

**URL:** <https://home.renovation.reviews/t/our-insurance-company-required-a-wett-before-renewal-and-the-fireplace-failed/46844>\
**Category:** Ontario\
**Created:** [April 26, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/our-insurance-company-required-a-wett-before-renewal-and-the-fireplace-failed/46844 "2026-04-26T18:01:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![system](https://home.renovation.reviews/user_avatar/home.renovation.reviews/system/32/77_2.png) [@system](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/system)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/our-insurance-company-required-a-wett-before-renewal-and-the-fireplace-failed/46844/1 "2026-04-26T18:01:41Z")

</div>

Our home insurer (TD Meloche Monnex) sent us a renewal notice in 2024 requiring a WETT Level 2 inspection for our wood-burning fireplace within 90 days or they would remove coverage for fire loss attributable to the fireplace. This was new — we had never been asked in 12 years of ownership.

**The inspection result:** Our 1985 masonry fireplace failed on two counts. First, the terra cotta liner had a visible crack at the 12-foot mark on video inspection — the WETT inspector called it a Class B deficiency. Second, the clearance between the back of the firebox and the framing of the adjacent bookcase in the study was non-compliant — it had been reduced when the bookcase was installed at some point by a previous owner.

**Remediation options given:**

Option 1: Reline with stainless steel and correct the clearance issue. Reline (7-inch diameter, 16-foot run): $2,600. Clearance correction (removing and relocating the bookcase, applying additional non-combustible gypsum behind it): $800. Total: $3,400.

Option 2: Decommission the fireplace. Have a mason seal the firebox opening and have the WETT inspector confirm in writing that the appliance is out of service. Cost: $600.

**What we chose:** Decommission. We had not used the fireplace in 4 years (young kids, always worried about sparks). The $3,400 repair was not a priority use of renovation funds when we had zero interest in wood burning.

**Insurance outcome:** Provided the WETT inspector’s decommission letter to the insurer. Coverage restored, no premium change.

The lesson: if your insurer is asking for WETT, take it seriously. They are within their rights and the inspection may reveal genuine issues. The good news: even failure has manageable paths (repair or decommission).