Deciding on the best sauna heat source

Most sauna kits come with two basic heat source options. The first being an electric stove that can heat rocks and the second being an electrically powered infrared heater.

However there are other options that, depending upon available sauna room size, flue ventilation and local fire burning regulations, may allow you to consider a gas or wood burning heater.

Electric heaters

All forms of electric heat are clean to use, quick and simple to start and offer almost immediate heat (or radiating) production. They generally require no special ventilation or flue requirements and have thermostatic controls and safety cut-offs. This makes them easy to operate, simple to clean and maintain and economic in their use of space and energy. They also offer no tangible fire hazard within a home and require no special permissions.

On the downside, some sauna users feel that an electric heater or emitter reduces the sauna experience to something that is artificial and sanitised and that they detract from what a sauna experience is really about. Even so they prove perfect for small in-house saunas.

Wood burning stove

The wood burning stove is the traditional means by which heat and humidity were produced within a Finnish sauna room. The wood burns dry, but it also produces smoke that, based upon timber selection, can add aromas and scents to the sauna experience. Furthermore, herbs and other aroma rich plants can be supplemented to the mix and many believe that this kind of sauna can be used as part of a holistic approach to keeping the body cleansed, balanced and toxin free.

On the downside, wood burners require wood as fuel, take time to reach a suitable heat level (and cool down afterwards), and produce ash, smoke and may even offer a fire hazard.

This means that they are rarely practical for saunas located within a house, but much more suited to stand-alone sauna cabins that are detached from other properties and require the generation of a significant volume of heat.

Wood burning stoves always need a flue, they require constant supervision and they do not have any thermostatic controls or temperature management systems (although windows and open or close vents do allow good heat control). They operate at their best in saunas built to accommodate several people rather than the typical one or two that occupy a home sauna and for multiple sauna sessions that may last several hours.

Gas heaters

Gas heaters bridge the gap between electric and wood burning stoves in that they are easy to maintain and control, they provide immediate heat and they offer a real fossil fuel flame.

Gas heaters for saunas can have thermostatic temperature controls, they are safe to operate and, although they require a flue and adequate ventilation, they are easy to maintain and require no special cleaning.

The down side to a gas heater is the connecting of the gas from either a mains supply, a gas cylinder, or a bottle along with the installation of a flue to remove all waste resulting from the combustion. This means that, whilst gas heaters make effective and cheap to run sauna stoves, they can be expensive to buy and install.