Arada Stove FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions about our stoves
We have prepare a set of answers below for questions we are often asked.
It is not uncommon to have questions - especially from first-time stove owners - about buying a stove, what to consider whilst operating your stove or points to bear in mind about stove installation.
Can't find the answer to your stove question?
Have a look at some of our more technical articles on our stove support guides page. You could also contact us directly.
Stove installations
For more information on this subject please read our article about combustible distances.
In theory this is feasible but there are some issues to consider regarding 'distance to combustible materials'. For more information read our article about combustible distances.
Many factors play a role in determining whether a chimney, flue or fireplace is in a suitable condition for the installation of a stove. For this reason, we highly recommend that you have a registered member of a Competent Person Scheme to carry out a full site survey and inspect the suitability of your fireplace and chimney and advise on the right product for you.
It is a legal requirement that the installation of wood and solid fuel appliances is the subject of notification to your building control body. Alternatively There are several Competent Person Schemes in the UK, whose members can self-certify on completion as compliant with the requirements of the Building Regulations in England & Wales.
A back boiler is an external unit that clips to the back of a stove. A cold water supply is plumbed into the back boiler unit and the radiant heat from the stove body heats the cold water as it passes through the unit. The back boiler would generally be connected to a hot water cylinder.
Many Aarrow, Villager and Hamlet stoves were designed to have a back boiler fitted. Despite the fact that we have not manufactured any compaible stoves for several years now, it is still possible to purchase a back boiler unit for many of these older stoves.
Today, due to changes in regulations, and specifiically for compliance with Ecodesign, we no longer make stoves that are compatible with back boilers.
You will require a flue liner to be installed if the existing chimney is deemed unfit for purpose and regarded as potentially problematic or hazardous.
Reasons for this may include the age of the property where the interior surfaces of the chimney have degraded, are uneven or leaking. A liner will eliminate these factors and offer a new operational chimney that works efficiently and effectively and can be cleaned regularly with ease.
A rear heat shield is (often) an optional extra component that is attached to the back of the stove.
Its purpose is to mitigate heat transferred or radiated from the back of the stove. This reduces the distance required between a stove and any non-combustible material, such as brick-work or masonry. Even with a rear heat shield fitted, the stove should not be sited such that the it is touching or so close to any non-combustible material as to be impractical or unsafe,
Stove maintenance
A chimney should be swept at least once a year, preferably by a suitably qualified engineer who will provide a certificate on completion covering the visual condition of the flue and compliance with Document J.
A stove used as the main source of heating and burning predominantly wood should be swept twice a year.
A stove door that does not seal optimally will adversely affect your stove's performance and increase it's fuel use, so regular checking of the door seals is advised.
The quickest and easiest method is the paper test.
When the stove is cold, close the stove door on a sheet of paper so that it sits between the door seal rope and the stove body. When the seal is good, the paper should be gripped firmly in place and not fall out. If the paper is removed too easily or falls out then the seal needs to be replaced
We supply rope kits which contain a high temperature-resistant adhesive and sufficient rope length to repair your stove. It is the same high quality rope used in the original manufacture of your stove.
Using a non-Arada part can affect the way the stove operates, and in some cases, result in further damage and reduced performance if the doors cannot close properly.
Arada Spares website
Stove operation
Identify your stove
When looking to replace a spare for your stove, the best thing to do first is identify which stove model you own , and ideally what its particular stock reference code.
We have designed and manufactured a lot of different stoves over the years. And in many cases some stove models will share the same parts.
For example the Ecoburn Plus 5 stove was incredibly popular and was produced for many consecutive years.
Over time there were several different generations of that model were made. The vast majortiy of parts for it have remained the same but some may have been superceded.
It helps if you can identify you specific model code. If you still hold a copy of your stove manual then your specific model code will be printed on the front or rear.
Otherwise the model code will be on the data plate stamped on the body.
Where to buy spares
Buy your genuine Arada stove spares and accessories from www.aradastovesandspares.com, alternatively you can purchase through our UK-wide network of dealers.
As of May 2021, the Air Quality Regulations (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) in England came into force preventing the sale of wet wood and house coal.
This means that our recommendations to burn only well-seasoned wood with a moisture content below 20%, are now the standard for wood and solid fuel retailers.
You can look for the 'Ready To Burn' logo on wood fuels and Manufactured Smokeless Fuels, such as anthracite when you purchase these, to be certain that the fuel you purchase meets this criteria.
A list of approved fuels can be found on the Solid Fuels Association website
Please note: A Multi fuel stove is capable of burning either wood or solid smokeless fuels.
You must never burn a mixture of these fuel types at the same time as this will cause damage to your stove and your flue.
Stove troubleshooting
This is caused by a back draught bringing smoke back down the flue pipe when the air pressure changes quickly.
To prevent this, when opening your firedoor in prepration for refueling, open the air inlets first, then open the door slightly - pause for brief second, then fully open the door.. This allows the pressure within the stove chamber to equalise with air pressure in the room. before the door is fully opened.
Clicking: The clicking noise made by some stoves is due to the different gauge of metals used in construction expanding and contracting at different rates. It is most often heard when a stove is cooling down from quite a high burn rate. It can continue for some time and is more commonly heard on smaller stoves.
Whistling: Whistling is a result of the air needed for combustion entering the stove through restricted airways and across sharp or angular edges. It is usually caused by high flue draughts above 20 pa. With a flue draw above 30 pa the whistling (if it occurs) can be quite loud, this can be resolved with the installation of a flue dampener or flue stabiliser. Whistling is also more common on stoves with tertiary air inlets.
Increased flue draught (above 20 pa) can also reduce the overall efficiency of the stove by around 3-4%, and result in a more rapid consumption of fuel together with a decrease in the heat output to the room.
Which stove to buy
This would depend on the type of fuel you intend to use in the stove.
Most people today try to burn wood as an economical and environmentally friendly fuel. In this instance, a wood stove will do, however if you want to burn any solid fuel you will require a multi fuel stove.
To obtain the very best wood combustion as well as being able to burn solid fuel, our innovative Flexifuel grate bars, mean you can choose to burn wood or solid fueld (not both together!) without compromising on fuel efficiency or ease of use.
Please note: A Multi fuel stove is capable of burning either wood or solid smokeless fuels.
You must never burn a mixture of these fuel types at the same time as this will cause damage to your stove and your flue.
No, we are just a manufacturer.
Our network of approved retailers will be able to offer a site survey and make recommendations of a stove installer local to you.
Your local retailer or installer will also be able to give an indication of the stove installation cost,
The calculation required for the room in which the stove with be fitted is:
(length x width x height)/ 14 = output required in kW
All measurements should be in metres. If there is excessive heat loss from the room through windows, doors and stairways, a higher heat output would be recommended
You can download brochures for our stoves here
As a manufacturer, we do not sell direct to the public, but we do have a massive network of approved retailers throughout the UK, ready and willing to help you out!
Our retailers they are extremely knowledgable about our stoves and will happily demonstrate an Arada stove to you. They can also offer expert advice on stove installation and stove maintenance.
- To find your nearest UK retailer search by your location on our Where To Buy page.
- If you don't live in the UK, take a look at our Worldwide Stockists page for a list of global retailers and distributors.
Smoke Control Orders have been put in place across the UK many decades ago, when the increase use of domestic and commercial chimneys were causing severe air quality issues, In time these restrictions spread across many more areas of the UK.
But how do you know if you live in one or not?
Check online with your local council's Environmental Health Department who will be able to advise you on this.
If you live in a UK Smoke Control Area, it will not prevent you from enjoying a solid fuel stove in your home. This simply means that you are required to burn only authorised smokeless fuels, such as anthracite, marked up with the 'Ready To Burn' logo.
The other option is to have a DEFRA-exempted stove installed..This means that a clean burn is maintained whilst burning wood or smokeless fuel and the stove meets the low emission requirements set out by DEFRA.
We have a large selection of stoves that are DEFRA exempt for use in smoke control areas.
Ecodesign was a pan-European programme introduced in January 2022 to improve air quality by reducing particulate emissions .
As a stove manufacturer it is our responsiblity to produce products that meet the cleaner-burner criteria of this programme,
Every one of our Ecodesign stoves surpasses the minimum requirement of the criteria, in terms of significantly lowered particulate emissions (often known as PM2.5), reduced CO emissions as well as increased fuel efficiency.
You can see the our full selection of Ecodesign Ready stoves here
To learn more about Ecodesign, read our blog article.
Please note that at present we no longer manufacture any boiler stoves.
One of the main points to consider is the required output to water to heat the desired rooms/domestic water.
This figure can be measured in either kWs or BTUs (British Thermal Units) and to be made accurately needs to be carried out by an experienced plumber or heating engineer.
Many aspects need to be factored into the calculations such as:
- Are you going to be burning wood or solid smokeless fuel?
- What is the size of the property? How many rooms are there?
- How many radiators do you need to heat? Are they large or small radiators?
- How old the property? How well insulated is it? Is it prone to heat loss?
- What is the size of your hot water cylinder? You will need to accommodate for heat loss in the system, usually in excess of 10%.
- Is the stove going to be used for underfloor heating?
For any in depth detail on a central heating installation the client is advised to seek professional advice from a qualified heating engineer when designing your home heating system. As the manufacturer we can only outline what our products are capable of your heating engineer/installer should be able to make suggestions for the particular circumstances of your home.
