The comfort of the steam room and the benefits received from it depend on many factors, first of all, on how well the bath stove is selected. It is simply impossible to unequivocally answer the question which heater for a bathhouse: heat generators for a bathhouse are designed for the types of available fuel, and their power is calculated depending on the size of the steam room.

Content

1. Types of bath stoves video
   • gas stoves
   • electric ovens
   • wood stoves
2. Brick oven and its advantages  video
3. Metal stoves video
4. How to choose a sauna stove
5. Operational safety is a very important moment

Types of bath stoves

First of all, all varieties of bath stoves are divided by the type of fuel used. There are three options:

• the traditional option is firewood,
• natural gas,
• electricity.

gas stoves

Although the use of gas as fuel for the furnace is an optimal option that does not require fuel loading, cleaning of combustion products, manual adjustment, but a serious obstacle to its wide distribution are difficulties with the development of an individual project and a rather complicated and expensive connection procedure.

electric stoves

This type of heat source is different:

• interesting modern design
• the possibility of operation without installing a flue system,
• the ability to automatically or manually control the temperature and maintain it at the right level for a long period of time,
• there will also be no need for fuel preparation.

At the same time, the installation of an electrical unit will require the involvement of specialists with access to work of such complexity. During the operation of the furnace, the cost of paying for the electricity used will also increase significantly.

wood stoves

It’s much easier to get a wood-burning stove for a bath. This option is preferred by real connoisseurs and experts in bathing procedures. Depending on the material of manufacture, such furnaces are divided into metal and brick. The stability of the amount of heat emitted by them is provided by the large mass of the brick stove, the radiated heat is softer and more comfortable than that which comes from the metal stove. The main disadvantage of brick structures is also associated with their large mass - it causes thermal inertia, increases the heating time of the steam room.

Brick oven and its advantages

In order to make a rational choice of a bath stove, the advantages and disadvantages of its varieties should be considered in more detail. If we take into account national traditions and the efficiency of the furnace, the preference will be on the side of models built of brick. In addition, the brick stove, due to the large thickness of the masonry, will be less fire hazard. Its walls will not heat up to such a temperature as to cause a fire from overheating.

Among the shortcomings of brick options, it should be noted the complexity and relatively high cost of its construction. A solid foundation will be required, a well-founded drawing project, laying in strict accordance with it. They build stoves from fired red brick, which are somewhat shortened in length. Because of this, the dimensions of the stove are reduced to 74x74 cm.

The furnace is installed on the foundation, its dimensions should exceed the dimensions of the base of the structure by about 10 cm. The underfloor equipped from below is covered with wooden blocks and a brick arch. Use the undercoat to store inventory. Then lay a layer of roofing material which will serve as a waterproofing agent. It will separate the foundation from the brickwork.

Checking the correct masonry using a plumb, build a protective wall in five rows. Then a sand-clay mortar is kneaded - it is able to withstand high temperatures, which cement can not withstand. The solution is kneaded as follows: 2 parts of sifted sand are taken per 1 part of oily clay. In accordance with the order, the stove itself is being erected, and tanks and grates are being installed. To fasten the door to the furnace, galvanized wire is used. If the furnace is built in accordance with all the rules, it will be economical and safe.

By design, brick-fired stoves can be different - with or without a chimney, respectively, they will be heated in white or black. The best option is the option of constructing a furnace closed with a brick casing and equipped with cast-iron plates for stones and for a tank.

If the size of the bath allows, it is possible to design the construction of a brick furnace with a closed heater (an open heater for the furnace was used in the old days, when the bath was heated in black). The closed type of heater involves the installation of a container for laying stones above the firebox. At the same time, hot air passes through the stones, heats them to a temperature of about 400 degrees. A water tank with a capacity of up to 80 liters is located under the heater. In this case, the heat from the furnace does not evaporate through the pipe, but works efficiently to heat the room - you can use the steam room 1.5 to 2 hours after the furnace is kindled. If the weight of the stones in the closed heater reaches 250-300 kg, then several families will be able to use the bath in turn - the high temperature in the steam room will be maintained for several hours.

As fuel, birch, aspen or oak firewood can be used. Mica must not be allowed to enter the furnace - its heating causes the formation of carbon monoxide, which is a danger to human life.

Metal stoves

Wood-burning stoves have a lower cost than metal stoves, but the construction of a brick slab is not a simple matter requiring the hands of a craftsman. Finding it is not always easy. Most likely, this reason served as a quick popularization of metal bath stoves. Such stoves give steam of good quality, they are convenient to use, their appearance is quite aesthetic and attractive.

The material for the manufacture of a metal plate is heat-resistant alloy steel containing about 12% chromium or cast iron. Ovens made of cast iron are heavier than steel, but lighter than brick, they warm up quite quickly, hold heat better than steel.

By design, metal furnaces can be closed, i.e. bricked or open. The latter produce stiffer steam, but the room is heated much faster. Combined furnaces require two valves, a blower and a grate for stones. The advantages of metal structures are compactness, no smoke, quick heating of the room.

Schemes of metal stoves can be very diverse, they can be made from barrels or pipe scraps, steel sheets, can be arranged vertically or horizontally. There are options when the heater, firebox and water tank are located in different rooms of the bath house.

Most often, consumers prefer the option of a metal furnace with a closed heater or with a built-in.

How to choose a sauna stove

To make the right choice, the following parameters of heat generators for the bath should be considered:

• steam quality
• convection design
• the presence of a furnace tunnel,
• rated power.

Steam quality  - The best choice would be a stove that produces light steam with a minimum moisture content. Staying in a steam room with light steam does not cause difficulty in breathing and does not increase blood pressure. Light steam is a finely dispersed structure obtained by contacting water with stones heated to 500 degrees C. But in this case, the air temperature in the steam room rises to 110 degrees, it is dangerous to use a broom at this temperature - you can get thermal burns.

In order not to provoke the occurrence of such a situation, a wood stove is equipped with a steam generator - a camera made of metal and installed on the side of the firebox. It warms up faster than stones, when in contact with it, water turns into light steam.

Convection exchange.  In order for the air temperature in the steam room at the floor level and under the ceiling to have more uniform indicators, it is necessary to ensure high-quality convection. It will also contribute to faster heating of the air, you can start using the steam room 40-50 minutes after kindling. The selected option of the sauna stove should allow maintaining in the steam room a temperature of the order of +45 degrees at the floor level and +80 - under the ceiling. Depending on the preferences of the owners of the bath, you can plan a higher temperature.

The convective design of the sauna stove is distinguished by the presence of a gap between the furnace and the tray with heated stones, which ensures the movement of heated air.

Fuel tunnel. Its presence in the design of the furnace is due to the need to preserve oxygen in the steam room - it is taken from other rooms of the bath, which have a much larger cubic capacity than the steam room. The presence of the fuel channel allows you to get rid of dirt and dust, which inevitably fall into the room when loading firewood. Equipped with a furnace tunnel, a mantelpiece significantly increases the aesthetics of the appearance of the furnace.

TDP  The correct execution of the power calculation is extremely important - an underestimated indicator, just like excess power will create serious problems during operation. Fortunately, the buyer does not need to intensively study the basics of heat engineering - all the calculations are made by the manufacturers of furnaces, you just need to find the time and get acquainted with the data listed in the tables. the choice of a suitable model should be made taking into account a small margin in power, by a maximum of 25%, because the quality of insulation of walls and ceilings in each bath is different.

When choosing a sauna stove option, we take into account the following points:

1. Important when choosing a stove is the availability of free space for its installation.
2. You should also take into account the dimensions of the washing room and the steam room, how many people will be able to steam in them at the same time.

The desire to get dry or wet steam can also influence your choice. Particularly highlight the moment of the possibility of quick heating of the steam room.

Operational safety is a very important moment

Since the operation of the stove is associated with the combustion process, care should be taken to comply with the standards during its construction and compliance with fire safety rules during operation. Brick laying should be carried out efficiently, during construction, the recommended clearances should be observed:

• the distance between the floor and the ash pan should be about 20 cm,
• from the floor to the bottom of the chimney - from 2 m 20 cm to 2 m 80 cm,
• from the top of the heat-intensive furnace to the ceiling should be at least half a meter, non-heat-intensive - about 1 m (when calculating the distance, the security of the ceiling is taken into account).

To exclude the occurrence of a fire from falling sparks, the surface of the adjacent walls and floor with metal should be protected. The use of birch firewood will help to ensure the combustion process in terms of sparking - they burn hot, they do not spark when burning.

No less dangerous are gas-fired furnaces, in case of violation of the rules for construction or installation and operation, they can be explosive. Electric fire heaters have less fire hazard, but their operation is quite expensive.

In addition to the technical parameters, the stove should have a pleasant aesthetic appearance - because it will be in the center of attention of people who come to relax in the bathhouse.

In order to make the right and rational choice of a bath stove, in addition to the advantages and features of each type of stove, you should take into account the size and layout of the bath house, the number of rooms in it, the overall design, your individual preferences. If the design choice still causes difficulties - it is better to consult a qualified specialist on this issue.

Author: Sergey and Svetlana Khuentsov

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