SAUNA STOVES and HEATERS

Selecting the right stove for a sauna is an important decision. Some sauna kits include only one stove or heater option, but many offer alternatives in terms of power sources and energy outputs.

The stove and heater types generally found in home saunas and material sauna kits are the electric stove, the infrared heater and the wood burning stove.

In determining the kind of heat source that you require, you need first to decide if you want a Finnish sauna (stove heater), or an infrared sauna heater.

Once this decision is made you need to be guided by the options and recommendations associated with the sauna kit or pre-fab sauna that you are considering. Unless you have a very good reason (with some hard evidence to support it) do not deviate from the recommendations made by the sauna kit supplier or manufacturer.

Electric sauna stoves

Because of its ease of use, cleaning, and lack of a flue or extractor system requirement, the electric stove is the most popular heater for home saunas and home sauna kits.

An electric sauna stove usually requires a dedicated power supply. This is a similar requirement to that of an electric power shower and consequently the connection should be made by a registered electrician. The fuse and cable grade will be determined by the energy requirement of the heater and the electrician will ascertain this based upon the heater specification.

Large stoves (e.g. over 8 Kilowatts) normally need a 3 phase electricity supply which many not be an option in a domestic residence. In such cases it will be necessary to contact your electricity supplier.

What stove size (power output) is required for a sauna

The stove power required for a sauna is determined by using a simple formula that equates Kilowatts of heat to the cubic metres of air space that require heating.

The formula assumes that 1 Kilowatt of heater power is required to heat up 1 cubic metre of sauna air space. Therefore, in order to determine the number of Kilowatts necessary to heat any given sauna, it is necessary to calculate the cubic capacity of the sauna room. This is done by multiplying the width, length and height of the sauna dimensions to produce a cubic volume.

To establish the heater requirement, the volume (in cubic metres) is multiplied by 1 Kilowatt, i.e. a 5.5 cubic metre sauna volume will require a heater that can run at 5.5 Kilowatts.

This formula works well for saunas up to about 10 cubic metres in volume, but it does require an additional corrective factor to compensate for any glass doors or windows which will naturally lose heat more quickly. This is done by adding a further 1.2 cubic metres for each opening to the total volume figure.

In selecting a stove, ensure that the power requirement is not at the top end of the stoves performance. The stove needs to be able to work comfortably within its power range rather than be constantly straining at the top end. This means that a 6 Kilowatt stove may have a heating range that will extend to 8 or 9 cubic metres and so would be ideal for a 6 cubic metre sauna.

Sauna electric stove and heater control

The stove or heater should have automatic thermostatic control settings just like any other good home heater. It may also have time delay settings.

Sauna thermostatic heat settings are normally within the range of 40 to 100 degrees centigrade. This will cater for the needs of all sauna users.

Wood burning stoves

The wood burning stove is the traditional stove of the Finnish heater, but until recently its use (outside of Finland) in home saunas was limited.

As the home sauna and sauna kits have increased in popularity, some manufacturers have started making small and easy to use wood burning stoves that have applications in home saunas and with sauna kits and pre-fabricated saunas.

If you want one of these authentic stoves, then you should seek advice from a supplier or manufacturer to find out the requirements that your sauna room or cabin will have to meet. These stoves burn a fossil fuel and as such require a flue and probably an extractor, but they do follow the time old tradition of Finnish saunas.

Infrared sauna heaters

Infrared heaters are increasingly becoming the heater of choice for many small home saunas and self assembly sauna kits. You can see this Infrared sauna heaters page for information about these energy effective heaters and then decide if they are the sauna heater type for you.

For more information about sauna heater fuel types, click on this link.