One of the most difficult problems of equipping a steam room is still the question of how to choose a stove for a bath. Although many articles have been written on this topic, accurate information is contained in no more than 10-15% of all notes.
In order to choose the right stove equipment for a bath, you need to have a good understanding of the intricacies of choice associated with the following aspects:
The selection of a suitable model of heating equipment begins with the determination of the necessary technical equipment.
Attention is paid to the following characteristics and design features of furnaces:
To determine which stove is better to choose for a bath, it is first necessary to determine the desired requirements and characteristics, and write them down on a piece of paper.
Consequences of incorrect calculations:
Calculations according to the above formula do not take into account possible heat losses and other factors that negatively affect the quality of heating the steam room. For this reason, for convection ovens, the calculation is performed by the volume of the bath (m³), and not by the heated area.
When choosing a sauna stove, adjacent and main rooms are taken into account: a steam room, a washing dressing room. The maximum allowable power reserve should not exceed 15-20%.
In order not to make a mistake with the choice, be sure to study the technical documentation and find the intended purpose of the furnace in the instructions.
Foreign brands that produce a high-quality and reliable product are the Finnish companies Harvia and Kastor. Scandinavian companies mainly focus on the production of sauna equipment, based on production facilities, good sauna stoves are produced. You should pay attention to the following models:, Kastor KSIS,.
Finnish companies are focused on the European manufacturer, respectively, and the cost of equipment is somewhat higher. You can buy a Harvia M3 oven within 18-20 thousand rubles. The most expensive is Harvia Legend, for a 24 m³ steam room stove, they will ask about 70-75 thousand rubles.
The high price of Finnish stoves becomes clear, given the large number of additional equipment, thoughtful design and construction, as well as the ease of use available to the buyer.
If, when choosing a stove for a bath, the technical equipment, performance and volume of the steam room are taken into account, and the choice of model is well thought out, this minimizes errors and makes the choice easier.
Choosing a sauna stove is the most responsible process. The main criterion is power. The calculation must be correct, it is important not to make a mistake. If the power is insufficient, the bath will warm up for a long time and cool down quickly. If you put too powerful a boiler, then it will be impossible to go there. There are other selection criteria as well. How to choose the right sauna stove?
Power is selected on the basis of the calculation, the content of which is given below. To carry out the calculation, we measure the main dimensions: length, width and height. To obtain the net volume of the bath, it would be sufficient to simply multiply these figures.
However, it's so easy to make a mistake. How to make a difficult choice - to choose a stove for a bath? When calculating the volume, you need to make the following adjustments:
Only taking into account all of the above, it is possible to correctly calculate the volume that the device will have to heat and choose which oven in the bath is better. To take into account all these parameters, a correction factor is used - 1.2 m 3 per 1 m 2 of a poorly insulated or heat-absorbing surface.
Example: the steam room has a size of 2x3x2.2 m. There is an uninsulated window 0.8x1.2 m and a door 1.8x1 m. Calculate the volume: 2x3x2.2 + (0.8x1.2 + 1.8x1)x1.2 \u003d 13.2 + (0.96 + 1.8) x1.2 \u003d 16.5 m 3. We accept power: 16.5 m 3 x 1 kW ≈ 17 kW. note that 13.2 kW(“pure” volume) would not be enough for us.
Power is the main criterion, but far from the only one. What are sauna stoves? In order for the result to fully meet our expectations, the following must be taken into account:
Only considering all this, it is possible to determine which stove in the bath is better.
The sauna stove can be made from:
Which oven in the bath is better, if we take into account the material of manufacture? Comparing them to each other is not entirely correct. Each material better solves a particular problem and, according to connoisseurs, creates a special atmosphere.
With a modern range of furnace equipment, experts give the palm to special heat-resistant alloy steel with the addition of chromium. It is steel, today, is the most reliable and durable. The atmosphere in the bath does not suffer either. Such furnaces do not burn oxygen, because during combustion there is no oxidation process in them.
When choosing reliable sauna stoves, the site recommends paying attention to Finnish companies. They deservedly occupy a leading position in this market. Their products have one drawback - a high price. Although, the same "Harvia" also produces quite budget models.
Sauna stove from Harvia
The production of cast iron stoves is not very popular today. The disadvantage of a cast-iron stove is a lot of weight and a shorter service life compared to the previous version. Heating is slower. This is worth considering when deciding which stove to choose for a bath.
Cast iron stoves are not very popular today
The choice of a brick oven is a tribute to tradition. Installing this is very difficult. There were not many good masters before. Now you can't find it at all. You can try to build a stove yourself, but is it necessary? This work is not easy - you need to properly build a foundation and a chimney, and the result will clearly be inferior to modern industrial designs. Brick requires more energy to warm up, so fuel consumption will increase.
At the same time, although such a stove will heat up longer, it will give off heat much longer. It all depends on your financial capabilities and personal preferences - sometimes, such a stove is a good choice.
The brick version is long, expensive, difficult.
The firebox can be located in a closed steam room, but it is much more convenient when it is remote. This complicates the selection of a cast-iron, steel or brick oven. You can add fuel at any time without disturbing those who are in the steam room. This somewhat reduces the thermal insulation of the bath, but not critical. New thermal insulation of all joints and seams will solve this problem. But, the door to the steam room will open less frequently.
The new firebox door, made of heat-resistant glass, will allow you to monitor fuel consumption. The remote firebox itself must be made of thick heat-resistant steel with the addition of chromium. This design is an indicator of quality, it will not burn out for years and will withstand the highest temperature.
First, let's figure out what kind of steam happens. Distinguish:
How to correctly and quickly choose a stove for a bath in this case? Fans of wet steam can organize a similar process in the sauna. For this, there is no need to put a boiler with water. It is enough to buy a special device that will produce steam. The principle is the same, only the steam generator is powered by electrical energy.
When choosing a stove for a bath, you need to take into account the requirements for the design of the stove. She must:
What should be the stove-heater in the bath? There are two types of stones:
What are these types of sauna stoves?
Open - heat the air of the room directly with the heat that the stones give off. The best option for frequent visits. This option is often used for individual use. Heats up quickly but also cools down quickly. She is needed in the countryside.
Closed - when deciding which stove to install in the bath, pay attention to the stove that has a damper that closes the top layer of stones. The room will warm up more evenly, due to convection. Fuel - spend more economically. There is also the flip side of the coin - you will have to start heating the bath in 3-4 hours.
Which stove is better to put in a bath, given the type of heater? Here everyone chooses for himself. Their pros and cons are discussed above. But from experience, we say that it is better to use stoves with a closed heater.
Another important characteristic is how much it will work on one fuel tab. The longer the better. For example, the efficiency of a conventional brick kiln is about 85%, and a kiln that implements long-term combustion technology due to the pyrolysis process is 91-95%. Accordingly, the second option will work more efficiently. Efficiency assessment is needed in order to make the most efficient use of fuel, the amount of which can be different.
The stove can work not only on solid fuel (wood), but also on gas, liquid fuel, electricity. In each case, you need to calculate the best option. The initial data is individual for everyone. Accordingly, the result will be different for everyone. When choosing a stove for a bath, consider the characteristics that the manufacturer indicated in the passport. If you decide to make a furnace yourself, calculate and evaluate the possible efficiency in advance.
A standard wood-fired brick oven with an external firebox will burn for about 4 hours. Long burning technology will increase this time to 30 hours.
There are two options: hot and cold. Hot - the walls of the furnace, heating up more than 100 0 C, warms up the entire room. Cold - the walls of the oven are insulated and do not heat up above +40 0 C. The room is heated through special channels in which air circulates. Each method has its pros and cons.
Hot - heats the room faster, but there is a chance of getting burned. It is necessary to arrange a protective screen made of bricks.
Cold - safer, the bath warms up more evenly and cools down longer, but the process takes longer.
The sauna stove can run on almost any type of fuel:
The classic option is a wood-fired sauna. Experts say that no other type of fuel is able to create such an atmosphere. In modern conditions, this statement is rather controversial. Modern manufacturers with a high rating offer analogues that run on both gas and electricity. According to technical indications, they are not inferior to wood-burning stoves. Gas is the cheapest type of fuel, and the cost of firewood is steadily increasing. The main thing is not to make a mistake with the choice.
When choosing a good wood burning stove, you should pay special attention to the following factors:
The combustion temperature is high so that the furnace does not burn out, it must be made of high-quality metal. It will take at least 3-4 hours to heat the stove. It is worth remembering that the design of such an oven includes the following elements:
The need for an additional foundation and the complex design of the chimney led to a decrease in the popularity of traditional brick wood stoves.
According to the principle of operation of the wood-burning stove, they are divided into
The advantages of a long burning furnace are obvious: it is fuel savings as a result of the pyrolysis process. A design feature is the presence of an afterburning chamber for gases obtained as a result of pyrolysis. The disadvantage is the formation of soot. It is not recommended to pour water on stones, which, by the way, require much less. Otherwise, soot may be released into the bath. The heating temperature of stones is not higher than +350 0 C. But, fuel savings can be up to 500%.
In a batch furnace, stones are heated by an open fire to a temperature of about +500 0 C. The soot simply burns out. You can safely pour water on the stones.
The rating of manufacturers of sauna stoves is confidently led by Finns and Swedes. Manufacturers such as Kastor, Harvia and Helo (Finland) and Tylo (Sweden) are especially popular. The Russians are not yet able to somehow confidently compete with these manufacturers.
The main feature of the electric furnace is the constant need for electricity. If up to 7kW a standard 220V network can be used, then more than 7kW will require an additional 380V line. Not always and not everywhere it can be convenient, and, in general, it is possible. A new sauna stove can be too expensive.
The benefits are obvious:
What kind of electric stove is needed in the bath? The selection criteria for specialists are standard:
The gas oven completely excludes any independence. This is a source of increased danger, therefore, installation and connection work can be carried out by specialists with appropriate permits and licenses.
Natural gas is the cheapest fuel. This is its main advantage. Efficiency is the highest when using low-temperature equipment, up to 109%. This explains the high popularity of this equipment.
However, natural gas is not available everywhere. This is the main drawback.
Choosing a stove for a gas bath - check the following:
Under such conditions, the efficiency will be maximum.
There are modifications that can work on both gas and wood stoves. This allows you to simultaneously solve several problems at once:
Only specialists with all the necessary licenses and permits are allowed to install gas furnaces. All fire safety regulations must be observed.
Which stove for a bath is better to choose for a Russian bath? It is impossible to give an unambiguous answer, but it is worth stopping the choice between wood-burning and electric stoves, because. gas is not carried everywhere. Further, the main criterion for selection is the power of the furnace. We have given the calculation formula above. The rest of the parameters depend on your desire and wallet.
Having correctly determined the initial data, it is not difficult to select a stove for a bath according to the parameters. All characteristics are indicated in the product passport. Among the manufacturers, the Finns confidently hold the first place, offering, among other things, fairly budget systems. The presence of a Russian-language site and the design of the case also affect the choice, which is not at all as small as we would like.
←Previous article Next article →Building a bathhouse and properly landscaping is only half the battle. Properly installing and choosing a stove is only at first glance simple. Having made a mistake in the calculations or not taking into account any factors, the bath will turn into an unbearable test, which will not only bring discomfort to the owners, but can harm health. Which stove is better for a bath, we will consider the types and their advantages in this article.
Brick wood-burning stove in a Russian bath.
The stove heater, steam or heat from it is an integral part of any bath. Which pitch is better to say is definitely difficult, since the range of offers on the market rolls over. All heat generators for a bath can be divided according to many features.
Iron stove for a bath with an original basket-shaped stone masonry.The first and main one is the type of fuel on which the furnace operates. The main types are: gas, solid and liquid fuels, electricity. For a bath are better suited: firewood, electricity, gas. All of them are divided by power, for a certain volume of the room.
The next feature of the subdivision is additional functions. There are stoves with steam generators, a furnace tunnel, a hot water tank, a fireplace door with heat-resistant glass, etc.
This is the rarest type of heat generators for a bath. It's just that a gas stove is expensive, and its installation requires a special permit and individual design. Nobody likes to waste their time and money, so it's easier to install any other kind of oven.
The undeniable advantages of gas ovens:
Wood-burning stoves are a traditional type of stove for a Russian bath. Our ancestors used them, and there is no better recommendation than the test of time. Wood stoves can be made from alloy (metal, cast iron), or brick.
The main advantage of a brick-fired heater is the preservation of heat for a long time. And the heat emanating from the red brick smeared with clay is soft and uniform, which cannot be said about metal alloys.
A similar design solution can be seen in the photo on the right.
The main disadvantages of a stone oven:
A metal wood stove is more expensive, but you can buy it in any specialized network. The main advantages of the iron construction are: ease of installation, lightweight foundation, quick heating, ease of maintenance and good steam quality. In addition, modern designs have a beautiful appearance and will become a real highlight of any bath.
It is good if steel for manufacturing was used alloyed with 12% additions of chromium. Otherwise, the iron quickly burns out and the service life is no more than 3-4 years. The most resistant and durable material is cast iron. Cast iron stoves will last more than 50 years. But the weight of the structure will increase. When compared with a brick, the cast-iron stove is lighter. The temperature of the cast iron oven also lasts longer. Metal cools down very quickly, so it needs to be constantly heated.
Electric ovens have been used in private homes more and more recently. Previously, this was hindered by the high price of electricity, but the cost of firewood has increased during this time and the consumption has almost become equal. The main advantages of the heat generator: ease of installation, temperature adjustment, rapid heating, ease of maintenance.
There is an opinion about the high electromagnetic radiation of the heater, but there is no reliable information on this issue. It's just that such studies have not been carried out, as well as how much oxygen an electric heater burns. And at a frequency of 50 Hz, aggressive electromagnetic radiation cannot occur - this is information from a physics textbook for the 8th grade.
The main disadvantage of an electric steam room is that it is not always possible to supply water to such a heater. And it is simply dangerous to use in baths where the steam room is combined with the washing department.
The most important parameters of a heat generator for a bath are:
Let's take a closer look at each.
Not in vain, when going to the bathhouse, relatives wish us "light steam". It is light steam that is considered the best and healthiest. This is steam with a minimum amount of moisture. With this, blood pressure does not change and high temperatures are easily tolerated.
The structure of the “light steam” is finely dispersed, which can only be obtained by heating the stones to +350 +500 °C. But you can’t heat the stones to such a temperature, otherwise the steam room will be above 110 ° C, and steaming with a soaked broom, you can just get burned.
For the formation of "light steam" furnaces are equipped with special steam generators. Many confuse it with steam generators, which produce heavy steam from boiling water. The steam generator is located in the structure on the side of the furnace. The temperature in the steam generator rises faster than in the heater, and the first water supply is carried out there.
The furnace tunnel is placed only in high-quality furnace designs. Its presence is due to several reasons:
The presence of a convector in the furnace creates a constant movement of air masses. Constantly mixing, the air in the entire steam room warms up evenly. With the presence of a convector, a situation will never arise when the legs in the baths cool down and the head overheats.
The steam room with a convector warms up faster, so you can heat a room with a volume of 25 m³ in 40 minutes.
A correctly selected sauna stove always has a convector in its design. Look like a convector as a gap between a hot flame and a heater.
Choosing the right power for your oven is just as important as choosing the right oven. For the correct calculation, it is enough to know the basics of heat engineering and mathematics. But not every busy person is able to make calculations correctly. Responsible manufacturers have taken care of their customers and provide ready-made tables for each line of models. it remains to choose the right one.
The answer to the question of which stove is better for a bath depends on many factors: the size of the wallet, the possibilities and the availability of communications on the site. So, if a gas system is connected to the dacha, it is better to fold the red brick stove and place a fuel burner inside. The brick will warm up evenly, and it will be possible to wash in such a bath even the next day.
A wood-burning stove is suitable for those who do not mind chopping firewood every time and going to throw it up every 30-40 minutes. Also, solid fuel is suitable for lovers of the Russian traditional bath.
For those who save their time and do not want to clean the stove and rake out the ashes, the electric option is better. Among other things, such modern stoves are equipped with a timer and a temperature controller, the stove will flood itself, just set the time.
Do not take a stove from an unknown manufacturer. This option is comparable to buying a lottery ticket, which is 70% unwinnable.
The most important stage in the arrangement of a modern bath is the choice of a stove.
The type, shape and functional features of the firebox affect the safety of staying in the steam room, the rate of heat generated and the saturation of the steam produced.
Let's figure out what equipment is worth choosing for a Russian bath or sauna, so that bath procedures bring maximum benefit to the human body.
The choice of a stove for a bath begins with determining the key characteristics of such equipment.
The main purpose of the stove is to maintain heat in the bath during wellness procedures.
Important characteristics that you need to pay attention to when choosing heating equipment are:
The main indicator of any steam room is the quantity and quality of steam. The best option is light and saturated steam, which is obtained by heating the air to 86 degrees.
It is possible to achieve a similar result in practice using modern wood-burning furnaces with a built-in steam generator, which contributes to the rapid heating of stones. Such models of furnaces ensure the maintenance of optimal air temperature and the formation of saturated steam.
The next important characteristic is air convection, which provides for the formation of air flows between the heater and the protective casing. In the process of heating the stove, the cold air mass slowly moves down, and as it heats up, it moves up. Convection ensures equalization of air heating temperatures and contributes to the rapid heating of the steam room.
Models of stoves without a convection component also allow you to create the necessary microclimate in the room, but much longer.
For convenient use of the stove in the bath, it is recommended to install models equipped with an elongated firebox. A similar design is mounted in a wall or a special opening between the dressing room and the steam room, allowing you to add fuel at any time, as well as heat several working rooms in the bath at the same time.
Fuel power determines the speed of heating the steam room. When choosing a stove, first you need to calculate the volume of the steam room and the required fuel power.
To do this, 1 cubic meter is added to the internal volume of the room. for every 1 sq.m. door and window openings. The heat output of the heating equipment is calculated based on the internal volume of the stove.
Furnace power = 0.5×V,
where V - (internal volume of the furnace in liters).
For example, a furnace with a furnace volume of 25 liters has a heat output of 12 kW.
How to choose a stove for a bath to ensure quick space heating and comfortable rest at any time of the year? High-quality equipment should be compact, durable, convenient and safe to use.
Meanwhile, it is better to choose models of stoves for the Russian bath, which have sufficient heat output and the ability to form thick and saturated steam.
There are three types of sauna stoves on the market today:
Wood-burning stoves can create a special atmosphere of coziness and comfort in baths and saunas. Such fire chambers differ in a practicality, convenience and durability.
Wellness treatments can be started 40 minutes after the start of the heating process. Among other things, a wood-fired sauna stove contributes to efficient heat accumulation over a long period of operation.
To choose a wood-burning stove, it is important to know some of its distinctive characteristics:
The easiest and most affordable option for heating any bath is, which are distinguished by high power, compact size and high speed of air heating. Electric heating equipment is installed without a chimney, so it completely eliminates the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The electric heater is convenient and practical in operation, equipped with an automatic control system. Lightweight metal housing eliminates injury and burns.
The main disadvantage of such equipment is high power consumption.
According to the heating temperature of the outer walls, the furnaces are cold and hot.
According to the design features, fireboxes are of constant and direct heating.
There are also combined options - brick fireboxes using liquid fuel. It is good to heat such a stove before and during the main health procedures.
Properly selected firebox contributes to the accumulation and transfer of heat indoors. And for this it is necessary to prepare one of the key attributes of the furnace -.
Experts recommend choosing stones of volcanic origin that are resistant to high temperatures, cracking and damage. For heaters, it is better to use round stones of different sizes with a smooth polished surface.
The basis of the masonry is large cobblestones, the middle is medium stones, and the top is small pebbles.
For modern heaters, granite, andesite, basalt, quartz, pebbles will be the best option. They can be purchased at specialized stores, or you can assemble them yourself.
To enhance the convection of heated air and better heat accumulation, you can additionally use special products made of refractory ceramics or porcelain, which are laid out with the topmost layer.
To understand which stove to choose for a bath, first of all, you should focus on personal preferences and financial capabilities, as well as take into account the technical features of the steam room and the performance characteristics of the heater.
If the site is connected to a gas main, a gas-fired brick heater can be provided. In the absence of gasification, it is better to opt for a finished stove using solid fuel. If wellness procedures are rarely carried out, then you can purchase a compact electric heater - the safest and fastest heating of the premises.
Probably, if any owner of individual suburban housing does not yet have his own bathhouse on the site, then most likely he is hatching plans for its construction and equipment. The bathing tradition in Russia is very ancient and enduring, and no modern devices and fixtures in the form of bathtubs, jacuzzi, "fancy" showers, electric heaters or steam generators can replace the real heat from a heated stove and a birch broom.
The stove is one of the most important attributes of a Russian bath or a real sauna. The required atmosphere and the required temperature both in the steam room and in the washing room directly depend on its effective operation. Currently, there are many models on sale that are specially designed for such conditions. However, many home craftsmen prefer to make a sauna stove with their own hands. This matter, although quite complicated and requiring good skills in construction or welding, is still quite feasible.
First of all, it is necessary to deal with the main existing varieties of bath stoves so that you can opt for one of them.
1. By material manufacturing
With its construction, certain difficulties may arise. So, for a brick structure, a foundation is required that is not connected with the foundation of the bath itself. In addition, the dimensions of the building itself do not always allow placing such a furnace in it, although, of course, there are projects of very small masonry.
Another difficulty is that the construction of such a furnace requires a certain amount of experience so that it does not become a source of a potential threat to human life and health. Often the desire to have a stone stove makes the owners of the bath turn to the masters. However, you can try to fold it yourself.
- Its installation does not take a long time and does not require a lot of space.
- There are a lot of ready-made models on sale, so it is possible to choose the most optimal option for a specific bath.
- It is easier to make such a furnace on your own if you have experience with electric welding.
- For the manufacture of a metal furnace, even seemingly recycled materials are often used - pipe cuttings, old disks from trucks, obsolete gas cylinders, old barrels, etc.
In the bath, as a rule, only steel stoves are installed - cast iron is unacceptable in these conditions. Yes, it has a higher heat capacity and retains the desired temperature longer, but its fragility and instability to sudden thermal changes make it impossible, for example, to splash cold water on a hot stove - cracks may appear.
Additional information about stoves from the site:
The main disadvantage of steel stoves is their rather quick cooling after the end of the furnace, especially if an insufficiently thick metal sheet was used for manufacturing. However, a massive heater can hold heat for quite a long time.
In this case, a massive foundation is not required, the tightness of the masonry joints is also, that is, the process of building walls is quite simple.
In addition to good heat accumulation, brick cladding will protect against direct exposure to hard infrared radiation from hot metal surfaces. And yet - it can be a good interior addition to the bath, hiding the often not very pretty look of a steel stove.
2. According to the energy carrier used
The vast majority of sauna stoves are designed to fire them. There are, of course, models with the use of gas and electricity. Some craftsmen adapt liquid fuel units (for example, diesel fuel) for this purpose, taking the furnace part with the diesel fuel supply system outside.
However, we can emphasize this again, no other energy sources, except for natural, well-dried firewood, will create in the steam room that health-improving microclimate, for which, in principle, the bath is most often built.
3. According to the location of the firebox
Both brick and metal bath stoves can have different layouts:
In one version, the entire furnace is located in the steam room, that is, it has to be fired directly from here. This design is certainly cheaper, much easier to manufacture and install, but there are a number of serious drawbacks. So, for example, you can’t create a supply of firewood in a steam room - they simply become saturated with moisture. Thus, if necessary, to support the fire, you will have to run out after them to another room or to the street. In addition, a steam room is usually not such a voluminous room, and therefore there is a high risk of getting an accidental burn from touching a red-hot furnace door.
From the point of view of convenience and safety of use, stoves win, in which the door of the combustion chamber is placed in the dressing room, and in the steam room itself there is a heater and, possibly, a tank for heating water. In such a stove, you can keep the fire going without disturbing anyone, and the overall level of safety increases in the steam room.
4. According to the method of heating the heater
Finally, sauna stoves differ in the way the stones are heated.
The convenience of such a stove is that the process of heating and, directly, taking bath procedures are not spaced apart in time - you can maintain the fire and, accordingly, the temperature in the steam room for as long as necessary.
According to this scheme usually formed classical Russian bath stoves - a heated bath was enough for all family members. When water hits such strongly heated stones, it instantly turns into steam. The main condition is that they should be massive, carefully selected, rounded, of a pronounced dark gray color, and their total mass should be at least 50 kilograms. From time to time, the heater is taken apart to clean the stones from the accumulated soot and replace the collapsed ones.
Schemes of such simple periodic ovens will be discussed below.
Such stoves are quite complex in design, but they perfectly accumulate heat and give dry steam, and, if necessary, firewood can be thrown right in the process of washing.
The stove is the heart of the bath. In the absence of the proper skills, it is not easy to make it yourself. Think about what is more important: savings, most often imaginary, or the feeling of comfort that accompanies you during the arrangement of the bath and its use.
Those who prefer effective solutions should pay attention to the options for ready-made sauna stoves. Among them you will find devices that meet all the listed quality criteria, and at the same time have an affordable price.
Thus, among the leaders of the furnace market, heating installations from the Dobrostal Plant company, the winner of the competition “100 Best Goods of Russia”, can be singled out. In the assortment offered by her, such concise models of furnaces as:
The body material of the devices is carbon steel, one of the strongest and most heat-resistant materials. The ergonomic design of these wood-burning stoves allows them to be used not only as a heating unit, but also as a good interior solution.
The Zhara-Extra 400 model is designed for heating a steam room from 4 to 12 m 3 in size. The thickness of the roof and the weight of the furnace can also vary, based on your requirements.
Furnaces of the Zhara Lux series offer a wider range of models, with the ability to choose a device for heating a steam room area from 4 to 30 m 3.
The structures under consideration are equipped with a chimney-coil, which allows:
By the way, the chimney can be disassembled for cleaning at any time.
The device package includes:
Furnaces of the Heat series are able to satisfy the needs of an avid lover of a steam room, however, if a bath is not a hobby for you, but a real passion, we advise you to pay attention to the August Profi model, equipped with a panoramic glass door. The incomparable comfort of using this device will turn all parts of the bathing procedure into a pleasure.
The model in question is equipped with:
Using the built-in system, you will be able to choose the “mode” for your steam room yourself:
The establishment of convection in the "Augusta Profi" is carried out by adjusting special dampers.
The desired model can also be purchased in simplified model variations "Standard", "Stone", however, it is the "Profi" version that is the most refined, powerful and multifunctional.
The listed designs represent only a small fraction of the Dobrostal Plant model range. We advise you to study it, and find the perfect heart for your steam room.
Fireplaces and stoves
There are countless options for metal bath stoves, and, by and large, anyone can come up with their own, relying on some basic models. As an example, we can cite several very simple stoves, the manufacture of which does not require any special knowledge and skills.
This is probably one h the simplest options. To make such a furnace, you need a metal sheet with a thickness of about 5 mm (steel St 3). In this case, it does not make sense to make a stove from a thinner sheet - it will burn out very quickly, and it will retain heat inefficiently.
Immediately before the start of bath procedures, this cover is removed and the heater remains in the open position. However, sometimes they also provide a hinged hatch, which is opened when it is necessary to give steam, and the lid is constantly in place, keeping the heat of the stones longer.
Stones are laid in the compartment intended for them later, after the stove is installed in place in the bath and connected to the chimney. This will be discussed a little later.
The heat from such a stove after heating it should be enough for a full-fledged bath procedure for 2 - 3 people.
Another version of the open type stove, which, however, is somewhat more difficult to manufacture, but its ability to accumulate heat is much higher.
“Double” technology is already being used here - a metal case and internal brickwork. In this case, steel is not needed too thick - sheets of 1.5 - 2.0 mm are enough. Heat-resistant fireclay bricks are used for masonry, and as a mortar, it is best to purchase a ready-made dry mortar specially designed for stoves and fireplaces and knead it in accordance with the preparation instructions.
It is even easier to build such stoves from a metal sheet or other available materials.
The figure shows an easy-to-manufacture stove made from trimming a metal thick-walled pipe with a diameter of 325 mm.
The pipe cavity itself is divided into two compartments by a grate. The upper, main one, serves as a firebox, the lower one - as an ashpit-blower. Both compartments have their own doors, respectively, for laying firewood and providing air supply and cleaning.
Closer to the far, completely muffled end of the pipe, a chimney pipe with a diameter of 100 mm is welded.
A metal box is welded on top of the cylindrical body, which will be filled with stones. In order to ensure maximum heating of the stones, it is possible to make the chimney in this area not straight, but with a curved elbow - the contact area of the hot pipe with the heater will increase significantly.
It will not be difficult to make a similar stove in the form of a parallelepiped, using metal sheets as blanks.
Very often, these stoves are equipped with hot water tanks. In the photo of the stove from the pipe, it is placed on the back plug, which is also the wall of the water tank.
In the manufacture of rectangular structures, there are much more options - tanks are placed on either side, on top, or even make a semblance of a “water jacket” from several sides, with a tie-in of cold and hot water supply pipes.
Another convenient option for solving the issue of heating water can be the installation of a special heat exchange tank on the chimney pipe.
Such water heaters can be made independently, but it is also possible to purchase a finished factory product that has a ton of a certain standard diameter. All that remains is to embed this tank into the vertical part of the chimney above the stove and connect the water supply and withdrawal pipes.
Such tanks can themselves have sufficient volume, or serve only as a heat exchanger and be connected to the main water tank.
Making your own stove for a bath is only half the battle. It is necessary to carefully prepare a place for its installation directly in the room.
Even just a metal stove is a fairly massive structure, especially if you add to its own weight the weight of the stone laying and the weight of the filled hot water tank. Thus, it is necessary to prepare the base - a kind of podium on which it will be installed. It is best to provide your own foundation for it.
It is impossible to put the oven on a concrete base - for all its seeming solidity and strength, it will certainly begin to crack and crumble in conditions of high humidity and high temperatures.
From walls, especially wooden ones, the stove should be located at a distance of at least 200 mm. The walls must be sheathed with heat-resistant material - stainless steel sheet or "Isover" - foil thermal insulator based on harmless basalt mineral wool.
Very often, metal stoves are “dressed” in brickwork. This gives a number of advantages - there is less risk of getting burned on hot walls, plus brickwork will be another fairly capacious heat accumulator.
You can learn more about this process from. Here are just a few important notes:
Refractory brick
The efficiency of a home-made bath stove will also largely depend on the stones - the correctness of their selection and laying out in the heater.
Even a small stove requires no less than a 50-kilogram stack, but it’s still better to focus on 80 for a family bath. — 100 kg.
It is better to choose cobblestones with a rounded shape, even gray color, without surface flaws (cracks or breaks). It is desirable that the stones be of various sizes - from 50 to 150 mm.
Granite for sauna stove absolutely useless. Firstly, its structure is unstable to frequent processes of strong heating with simultaneous exposure to steam - destruction will begin very quickly. Secondly, granite always contains mica inclusions, and when heated, they are capable of emitting quite toxic fumes.
The best materials, in addition to the usual natural cobblestone, are talc chloride, basalt or jadeite. Such stones of various sizes can be purchased at specialized stores.
It is very important to lay the stones correctly. The layout begins in such a way that the largest, most massive of them are at the bottom. They will not interfere with the passage of heat to those located above and will create a powerful supply of heat. Then stones of medium size are laid out, and only at the very top - small in size.
This order will provide the upper layer of stones with heating to a temperature of 300 - 400 º - exactly what is needed for dry steam. When water hits well-heated stones, evaporation occurs literally instantly and is accompanied by a characteristic crack.
If the stones are flattened, then when laying them, their spatial orientation must also be taken into account. With their long side, they should be located along the main heat flow, otherwise a kind of “locking” will occur when the lower stones overheat and the upper ones do not reach the required temperature regime.
Neglecting the rules for laying stones will drastically reduce the overall healing effect of the bath. The steam will begin to “get heavier” very quickly, and although, perhaps, the overall temperature in the steam room will not decrease significantly, staying in it will do more harm than good - there is simply nothing to breathe in a waterlogged room.
Stones for stoves
So, a do-it-yourself sauna stove is a completely feasible task, if all technological nuances are taken into account during manufacture, and the established safety requirements are observed during installation. But a self-made stove will not only help save a fairly significant amount, but will also become the pride of the owner when it becomes possible to invite his friends to the bath.