Frequently Asked Questions

While we do keep a small selection of inventory in stock, primarily we order equipment in on a job-by-job basis. We usually have a pretty good handle on what is in stock with our suppliers and are happy to inquire about lead times for particular items.

We have a very good cross-section of products on display and try to keep our brochures up to date. Please come by and let us show you around!

We do our best to work within your budget but unfortunately our costs have gone up along with everything else. We will not sell you what you don’t need and we will only charge you for the materials required to complete the job properly.

The most common culprit is something out of place inside your fireplace. Check your installation manual to ensure that your logs are positioned correctly. We sell special glass cleaner for your fireplace. Do not use Windex or any other product on your glass – it may cause permanent etching. If the problem persists, give us a call to arrange a service call.

If your woodburner is burning hot enough, for long enough you shouldn’t experience this issue. If your stove is not reaching or maintaining temperatures hot enough for secondary burn to occur, that’s when you see soot and creosote build up on the glass – this is happening in your chimney too! Make sure your wood is dry and don’t damper down your fire too soon or abruptly. We sell special products to clean your ceramic glass, or try the damp paper towel and ash trick. Never use ammonia or abrasives on the glass – it could become permanently etched or scratched.

Refer to the installation instructions regarding clearances to combustibles and remember that electronics are delicate! There are often ways to redirect the heat from the face of your fireplace, including vents and mantels but it is important to test the viewing angle - ideally, televisions should be set at the eye level of seated viewers – watching the TV and the fire should be equally comfortable.

Most fan kits come with a rheostat control (like a light dimmer). You can turn the control down to reduce the air noise from your fan. Make vacuuming your fan part of your maintenance routine – dust, debris and pet hair can contribute to a noisy fan. Still a problem? Give us a call to arrange service.

No, with today’s venting options, direct vents can go literally anywhere in the home. The vent can terminate vertically through the roof or horizontally through an exterior wall.

Don't give yourself a headache trying to calculate BTUs per hour compared to square footage or total volume of air – rather, ask yourself is your house large, medium or small? Is it pretty airtight or pretty drafty? Will your wood stove be the main heat source or just supplementary? Is your house poorly, moderately or super-insulated?  What size of room is your stove or fireplace going in? What is the quality of your wood supply? Let us help you to find the perfect woodburner for your home and budget.

Intermittent Pilot Ignition is an electronic system, which uses an electrode to ignite the pilot gas. In turn, the pilot flame lights the main burner gas. This conserves energy when the system is not in use.

The standing pilot light is the traditional ignition source for gas-fueled combustion heating systems. The pilot stays alight

There are a couple of issues with this kind of system, the first of which is wasted energy. The pilot light stays lit 24/7, consuming fuel even when you aren’t using the heater. It’s a small flame, but when you consider the months that you likely aren’t using your heater it can add up quickly. The second issue is the pilot light’s propensity for blowing out. While it can often be relit easily, if the pilot light does go out it prevents the entire system from starting.

This can be a very complicated topic as there can be many factors that result in why a wood burning stove, fireplace or insert will not draft properly.

The correct size chimney is crucial to a stove’s performance. Smoke should travel straight up. Every elbow or offset creates a point of resistance that can cause problems.

Chimneys that run up the outside of a home tend to be very cold. It takes considerably more heat to create a draft in an outside chimney than a chimney that is installed on the inside of the home.

Another significant problem, especially a newer home, is negative air pressure. As homes have been built tighter in recent years, there is less air to replace air that is used in the combustion process.

Basements can have a considerable negative air pressure problem. Kitchen fans, clothes dryers and bathroom exhaust fans also remove air from your home. A wood stove can only function properly if there is a sufficient amount of fresh air available for it to burn properly.

External factors such as the design of the roof, nearby trees, wind patterns and the location of the home can have an effect.

Because there can be so many variations and factors involved, your specific are best discussed on site – give us a call to make arrangements.

Your chimney must clear the roof by at least 3 feet, and be at least 2 feet higher than any roof line or obstacle within a horizontal distance of 10 feet (3 metres).

There are two types of certifications related to the woodburning appliance itself - EPA certification has to do with clean burning only and nothing with the safety of the appliance. It basically means that the stove or factory build fireplace has been tested by a third party lab and acceptable to the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) in terms of the pollution it creates, or more specifically the level of wood smoke particle emission.

The second kind of certification has to do with safety of the appliance. This is noted on the appliance and in the manual with ULC, Intertek or CSA marks. All of the fireplace products sold by Efficient Wood and Gas are CSA and EPA Certified.

WETT only applies to woodburning appliances. A “WETT” Inspection means that the various elements of the woodburning appliance and its installation requirements have been inspected by a person who is WETT Certified and confirms in a letter or report that the installation conforms to the WETT guidelines. We provide a letter of WETT Certified Installation with every job we complete.

Each appliance is different. This information will be found in the manual and on the Certification Label. If your stove does not have a label, a set of default clearance must be met. Ask us for details.

These can be found on the certification label for your appliance.

On a woodburner, this is usually found in the following places:

• Free standing stove: at the back of the appliance
• Insert: behind the faceplate, on the side of the appliance
• Zero clearance fireplace (prefab): under the combustion chamber, accessible behind the bottom louver
• On a Gas appliance, this is usually found wherever you access the gas valve, receiver, etc – there will be a metal plate affixed to the bottom or side in that area, or attached to a wire string somewhere in there!

We recommend that your chimney be swept at least once a year. You may want to do it more often depending on the configuration of your chimney and the moisture content of your wood.

Unfortunately, we don’t – but give us a call for a recommendation.

It is a good idea to do this annually, just prior to the heating season. Give us a call to get on our maintenance schedule!