Building an excellent bathhouse does not mean making it comfortable for taking water procedures. No one argues that all rooms should be beautiful and pleasing to the eye. But to an even greater extent, they must be functional, creating exactly the microclimate that its owners desire. It is impossible to solve this problem without a boiler for a bath, most people understand this. But not everyone knows what criteria should be used to select a boiler and what to pay the main attention to. In order to make a responsible decision, you need to know their types and brief characteristics.
A boiler for a bath is one of the possible options
First, let's look at the largest group of sauna boilers - metal ones. They can have different sizes and additional functions. Companies produce a very wide range of products, but they differ, by and large, only in design and price. What characteristics of boilers should you pay attention to before purchasing?
Video - Choosing a boiler for a bath
Material of manufacture
Most boilers are made from carbon steel of ordinary quality, the thickness of the sheets varies within 2÷5 mm, the most expensive ones can be made from thicker steel.
Over time, steel begins to temper under the influence of high temperatures, hardness decreases, and ductility increases. During these processes, the effect of residual deformation appears. This means that the linear dimensions of the boiler change, the opening/closing of doors worsens, and there are risks of breaking the tightness of the welds.
Recently, boilers made of ductile cast iron have begun to be produced. They have improved performance in terms of durability, and the designs are more resistant to high temperatures.
The technical parameters of such boilers are at a higher level, but, unfortunately, the price does not always increase in proportion to the improvement in quality. Through false advertising, manufacturers are trying to artificially increase their profits.
Another new achievement of manufacturers is lining the external walls of metal boilers with cane. The boiler looks beautiful and prestigious. Manufacturers claim that it retains heat longer, and this is true. But they are silent that it takes much longer to heat up and, accordingly, it will take more time to warm up the steam room. In addition, the heat transfer of metal walls decreases, as a result of which they heat up to a higher temperature. And prolonged heating to such temperatures has a negative effect on the metal.
Soapstone finishing - photo
Technical indicators and additional functions of metal boilers
The main tasks of boilers for a bath are: to warm up the room to a given temperature as quickly as possible, maintain it at the required parameters for a long time and make it possible to change it as quickly as possible. What can be said about metal boilers in this regard?
Warming up the room can be done in a minimum amount of time. The boiler has a small firebox mass, it heats up very quickly to a high temperature and effectively heats the steam room. This is one of the main advantages of such boilers over brick stoves. Not everyone has the opportunity to heat a steam room for half a day in order to wash for an hour. Sometimes they come to the dacha for just a few hours and want to complete all their business in this short time.
Unfortunately, after combustion stops, the fuel cools down just as quickly. There are so-called long-burning boilers on sale. They are more expensive than regular ones, but is it worth paying that kind of money for them? Let's figure it out.
Long burning boilers
Long burning boiler - photo
They appeared quite a long time ago and have their advantages and disadvantages. Manufacturers claim that one load of firewood will burn for a long time, and this will ensure fuel savings and stable room temperature. To understand what is the truth and what is a publicity stunt, you need to remember your school physics lessons. To heat a room you need thermal energy. For example, one armful of firewood during combustion can release 1 Gcal of heat. If wood burns in an ordinary boiler for an hour, then during this time 1 Gcal of heat is released. In the boiler, the same wood will burn for 10 hours and during this time 1 Gcal of heat will also be released. Note, not more, but exactly the same. This amount of heat can increase the temperature in the steam room by 100°C within an hour, or by 10°C in ten hours. For clarity, we used conventional numbers, this makes it easier to understand the meaning. Do you need a long-burning boiler in a steam room to keep it slightly warm?
There is one more nuance you should know. The burning time is regulated by the amount of air supplied to the firebox. Less oxygen means wood burns slower, more oxygen means wood burns faster and releases thermal energy. The combustion process can be controlled much more easily. Buy boilers that have adjustable holes on the ash door or firebox (or make them yourself), increase/decrease the amount of air as needed and you will have a long-burning boiler without large financial costs.
Factory long-burning boilers have quite a lot of different additional equipment, which costs a lot of money. And the effectiveness of its use is approaching zero.
Pyrolysis boilers
The most modern ones are considered more advanced modifications of long-burning boilers. What is the difference? First of all, in terms of price, the cost of such equipment is not affordable for everyone. There are a great variety of different automation systems installed, but, unfortunately, there is not much real benefit from it. In addition, the more additional equipment installed, the greater the chance that some of it will fail.
A pyrolysis boiler differs from a long-burning boiler in having a slightly increased efficiency. Gases released during slow burning or smoldering of firewood burn out in a special hydrolysis compartment. Preheated air is supplied to it through separate channels and gases containing flammable compounds burn out in an additional chamber.
Practitioners do not recommend using such boilers for baths; they cannot meet the requirements for the speed and temperature of heating the premises. But there is no economic sense in buying an expensive pyrolysis boiler to use it in the normal mode of burning wood.
Video - Pyrolysis boilers
Let us remind you once again that we are only giving an objective overview of the various types of boilers; you will have to choose a specific option yourself, taking into account your own conditions. If you have a large bathhouse with several separate rooms, and not just a steam room and a dressing room, then you can use all types of boilers described to heat other rooms.
Design features of fireboxes
This characteristic has a significant impact on the comfort of bathing procedures and is worth paying attention to.
If a small number of people wash in the bathhouse, then it is advisable to buy boilers of the first modification, otherwise it is better to make the firebox in another room.
There may also be boilers without an ash pan and a grate.
The absence of a grate slows down the burning rate of firewood, which causes an increase in the heating time of the steam room. But it becomes possible to maintain a comfortable temperature for several hours. And here it is impossible to give unambiguous universal advice; it all depends on your specific conditions.
Features of the design of heaters on metal boilers
Some manufacturers claim that only their boilers are capable of producing high-quality steam; this is one of the important advantages of the advertised products. What is quality steam? Such a characteristic does not exist; we can only talk about comfortable conditions for staying in a steam room, and they are individual for everyone.
The conditions in the steam room depend on the temperature and relative humidity. The more you heat the boiler, the higher the temperature, and the more water you splash on the heater, the higher the humidity. This means that high-quality steam is made by people, not boilers. You can add infusions of medicinal plants to the water and obtain a therapeutic effect. If you want, add aromatic substances to the water - the air will smell pleasant. By the way, if you splash a little natural beer on the heater, a very pleasant smell of freshly baked bread will appear in the steam room.
We have become familiar with the characteristics of steam, it’s time to move on to the heaters. What characteristics should you pay attention to when choosing a boiler?
There are boiler options in which the heater is attached along all sides of the stove. This is a pretty good option, a large amount of heat accumulates, the stones warm up to a high temperature.
Practical advice. A circular heater has one drawback - the likelihood of strong heating of the metal increases, which causes premature failure of the boiler. Buy those devices that have a small gap between the stones and the walls of the boiler; due to air convection, their excessive overheating is prevented.
Availability of a tank for heating water
This parameter can significantly influence the choice of a specific boiler model. What to look for?
- Location. The container can be installed on the chimney pipe or on one of the boiler surfaces. In the first case, the water will heat up more slowly, but will boil less often. In the second case, the opposite is true - it heats up faster and boils more often. The second placement option has one advantage - the water remains hot for a longer time due to the transfer of thermal energy by the walls.
- Material of manufacture. You can find water containers made of both stainless and ferrous metals. Of course, the first option is preferable, but here the price factor already appears.
- Volume. Practice shows that purchasing boilers and containers for heating water with a volume of less than ten liters is impractical.
- Possibility of installing additional equipment for automatically filling containers with water. The presence of running water in the bathhouse greatly improves the comfort of bathing procedures; there is no need to constantly add water and monitor its temperature.
Sometimes there are models with closed containers that allow you to connect water heating to the premises. Quite practical boilers, it is advisable to buy these for large baths. But you need to keep in mind that the heat transfer from the boiler to heat the steam room is reduced.
Weight and overall dimensions of boilers
According to these indicators, the selection is as individual as possible. A large number of metal sauna boilers are relatively lightweight, which allows them to be installed directly on the floor of a steam room or other room. But you need to take into account the dimensions of the floor beams or joists and check their load-bearing capabilities with the parameters of the boiler.
If the boiler is quite large and heavy, then its installation must be provided for during construction work: prepare a concrete foundation or use reinforced beams and flooring at the installation site. Dimensions are taken into account taking into account the size of the steam room and the specific location of the boiler.
Important. During installation, pay attention to the location of the ceilings and rafter system; they should not interfere with the installation of the chimney. If problems arise, you need to purchase different elbows to change the location of the chimney outlet on the roof or bring it outside through a special hole in the wall.
How to choose a boiler by power
A very interesting question that requires detailed consideration. In order to select the optimal boiler power, you need to know the thermal characteristics of the building as a whole and each room separately. Let us immediately warn you that thermal calculations are one of the most complex sections of design work.
The heat loss of a building depends on:
- ceiling heat losses. You need to know the thickness of the ceiling covering and materials of manufacture;
- heat losses of walls. For calculations you need to have the same data as for ceilings. Plus materials and methods of external and internal cladding;
- floor heat losses. Here, in addition to the above, one should take into account the type of foundation (column foundations are blown away by the wind, and strip foundations have only small vents), type of flooring (flowing with cracks in the boards or solid), etc. These data significantly influence the amount of heat loss .
Additionally, you need to know the maximum and minimum temperatures in a given climate zone, the rose and strength of the winds, the efficiency and type of ventilation. Another very important factor is the quality of construction work and the qualifications of the builders. The same building, built with different quality, can have completely different heat loss indicators. Can you take into account all the data and accurately calculate the thermal performance of the bath? With this data, you can find out how much energy is needed to heat rooms to different temperatures.
Based on them, the boiler power should be selected. In bathhouses, boilers are installed using solid fuel, the vast majority using wood. In order to find out the power of a boiler, in addition to the characteristics of its engineering device, data on the thermal capacity of the fuel used per unit of time is needed.
The combustion heat of wood depends on:
This is not a complete list of factors that directly affect the power of a heating boiler. Will someone be able to take this data into account, and not just once, but throughout the entire time the boiler is burning?
Practical advice. If you come across an article about calculating the power of a boiler or brick stove for a bathhouse, don’t waste your time reading it. Thermal engineering is a very difficult science, it has many complex formulas, you need not only to know them, but also to be able to use them. There are several SNiPs for calculating heat losses of buildings, taking into account materials of manufacture and architectural characteristics, with many tables and additional data. A correct description of thermal calculations for one individual bath takes more than one page.
For example, only one of many indicators (heat flow on the inner surface of the outer boundary wall) is calculated using the formula:
What to do? It's simple. Ask for advice from an experienced craftsman who has installed many boilers or installed more than one sauna stove, chat with neighbors who have different boilers, or ask a question on a specialized forum. Only studying practical information from users and comparing it with your own conditions will allow you not to make mistakes when choosing the brand and technical characteristics of a boiler for a bath.
We will try to give some practical advice on choosing a specific brand of heating boiler.
- The high cost of a boiler does not always correspond to equally high quality. Moreover, the more the boiler has various additional devices, the less reliable it is. This is a law of mechanics, you need to follow it.
And further. The failure of one device can disrupt the functionality of the entire boiler; repairs will require a lot of time and financial resources. Conclusion. Do not chase the price, carefully study the performance characteristics of the unit.
- Before purchasing, decide what kind of steam room you want to have. Finnish with dry and very hot air, Russian with high humidity and low temperature, or something in between. Knowing exactly your preferences, you can choose a boiler depending on the maximum air heating temperature, the size of the heater and its location.
- How long will the steam room be used? This indicator plays an important role when choosing the heat capacity of boiler designs, the method of burning wood, the linear dimensions of the firebox, etc. If the entire bathing procedure lasts about one hour, you can purchase a cheaper and lower-power boiler. If you have a lot of friends washing and it takes a lot of time, buy solid boilers with a large power reserve.
- How many rooms should the boiler heat? Just the steam room, steam room and shower room or all the additional rooms of a large bath? To heat one steam room you need the simplest type of boiler; to simultaneously heat additional rooms you will need a unit with the ability to install a heating system.
We strongly recommend that you think through all the issues with boilers at the stage of creating a bathhouse project, and involve competent professional specialists or builders with extensive practical experience in performing such work.
It has long been customary to install wood-burning stoves in bathhouses. Despite the fact that more modern heating equipment powered by electricity and gas has recently appeared, owners prefer the traditional heating method. Wood-fired sauna boilers provide an indescribable feeling of comfort and closeness to the traditions of our ancestors, who for decades took bathing procedures accompanied by the pleasant crackling of logs and the special aroma of burning wood.
Types of wood-burning boilers for baths
The main difference between boilers designed for sauna houses is their purpose and location. For dressing rooms or rest rooms, it makes no sense to install boilers that run exclusively on solid fuel. And in a steam room or small family bathhouse, the best option would be a wood-burning boiler equipped with a heater.
In former times, the bathhouse was famous for its massive wood-burning stove made of stone or brick. Today, manufacturers produce a huge range of metal boilers that burn solid fuel. They heat up the room much faster than brick kilns, do not require a massive foundation when installing, are easy to install and do not impose any special requirements during operation.
To improve their appearance, homemade metal boilers for wood-burning baths are often lined with bricks, which, in addition to aesthetics, increases the heat-storing qualities of the stove.
Depending on the model of the wood-burning boiler, it is located:
- directly in the steam room;
- in the washing room or dressing room.
In the second case, small heaters are installed in the steam room, and a separate tank with water is installed in the room intended for washing. They are connected to the main boiler through combustion tunnels or heating pipe systems. Modern equipment has a fairly high efficiency; some boilers are equipped with steam generators and humidity regulators.
The design of a wood-burning metal boiler for a bathhouse
The main elements of a sauna stove are:
- firebox;
- ash pan;
- grate;
- chimney pipe.
All compartments are located in a steel case with a wall thickness of at least 6 mm. The boilers are an all-welded structure, in the upper or side part of which there is an outlet pipe. A pipe is installed in it to remove carbon monoxide.
Metal walls help to quickly warm up the room, but, unfortunately, they also quickly cool down after the firewood has completely burned out in the firebox.
Manufacturers produce wood-burning boilers for baths in a wide range. Depending on the model, they may or may not contain:
- built-in heat exchangers;
- open or closed heaters, recessed, one- or two-capacity;
- fuel channels;
- steam generators;
- mounted or built-in water tanks;
- a solid or lattice convector casing, responsible for intensive removal of heated air from the firebox;
- retractable ash pan;
- translucent screen door made of heat-resistant glass ceramics, allowing you to see the play of the flame.
What to look for when purchasing
A boiler for a wood-fired sauna is selected according to several characteristics. In addition to dimensions, these include:
- mass on which the dimensions of the foundation depend;
- diameter and height of the chimney;
- maximum heated volume of the steam room;
- permissible weight limit for stones placed on the heater;
- log length.
Each of the parameters is important and depends, first of all, on the layout and size of the rooms in the bathhouse, as well as on the location of the boiler.
Boilers should be heated only with dry logs that have lain in a special room, protected from rain and snow, for at least a year.
During combustion, wet firewood will smoke the bathhouse and form water vapor, which negatively affects the walls of the chimney pipe. As a result of the cooling process, condensation will appear on the inner surface, and after a while rust will appear, which will quickly render the structure unusable.
The uniform burning of logs is ensured by the correct placement of firewood in the firebox. They should have approximately the same size in diameter, and they should be laid as much as possible at a time, but not to the top.
It is recommended to leave about 20 centimeters between the ceiling of the firebox and the top row of logs. In this case, they will burn out completely.
Do-it-yourself metal sauna boiler
For a small backyard bathhouse, home craftsmen make boilers from metal pipes with a diameter of at least 50 cm and a wall thickness of more than 10 mm. To ensure that the structure takes up as little space as possible in the steam room, it is made vertical.
You will also need:
- chimney pipes;
- three circles of sheet steel for the bottom and two top covers;
- grate;
- reinforcing rods for constructing a heater;
- tap for water tank;
- special latches and hinges for the doors of the combustion and ash compartments.
The tools you need to prepare are a welding machine and a grinder.
For the firebox you will need a pipe 900mm long. On one side, a cut is made along the cut with a depth of 5 and a length of 20 centimeters. At the bottom of the boiler it will serve as a blower. To be able to regulate the draft, a sash with a latch is hung on it.
A grate is welded on the inside of the pipe just above the blower. Even higher, cut a hole for the firebox door (its optimal dimensions are 20*25cm) and use hinges to fix the door on it.
When determining the height of the combustion hole above the level of the grate, the convenience of laying firewood must be taken into account.
On the inside of the pipe, above the firebox, fasteners are welded to fix the reinforcing bars. They will serve as the basis for the heater. Another hole is cut out in the upper side of the future boiler so that water can be splashed onto the stones to create steam.
At the final stage of manufacturing the combustion chamber, steel sheets are welded to the bottom and lid, sealing the container. At the same time, a hole for the chimney is first cut out on the upper element, where it is installed, carefully welding the seams.
A second piece of pipe 600 mm long is installed on the finished structure. It will serve as a water tank. A tap is mounted in its lower part, and a metal circle cut into two parts is placed on the upper section. One of them is rigidly fixed by welding, and the second half is made into a lid that opens on hinges, allowing water to be poured into the tank. For convenience and safe use, a metal handle with a wooden overlay is attached to the outside.
Please note that a hole for the chimney pipe must be pre-cut in the fixed part of the top cover.
A sauna boiler is often confused with a stove, especially when considering the simplest units, the energy carrier of which is special solid fuel, or, more often, firewood. In fact, the boiler has a more complex structure and is equipment that consists of a furnace, a tank for heating water, a heat exchanger, and a chimney.
The heat exchanger is a coil consisting of a two-in-one pipe design and a radiator grille. The main pipe contains coolant for heating. It also contains a second pipe for supplying hot water. For maximum heat transfer, water circulates in them in different directions.
Equipment for heating water can be built-in or remote. Often the tank is placed in a steam room, in a dressing room, or in a washing room. Cover it with stone or brick for better heat retention. First of all, the choice of unit depends on what energy carrier will be used: electricity, gas, firewood, or special solid fuel.
Electric boilers for baths
An electric boiler is used today in almost every apartment, since according to the principle of operation it is a regular boiler. If we consider such equipment as an option for heating the coolant for heating, an electric boiler is uneconomical.
At the same time, the equipment itself and its installation are inexpensive. Electric boilers for baths are practically not used because they have significant disadvantages:
- high energy consumption;
- the need for a three-phase network with high power.
But the use of electric boilers also has positive aspects: environmental friendliness, cleanliness of the room, compactness, and automatic operation. Therefore, in a small bathhouse they often install a boiler, or a small single-circuit boiler, to heat the water in the washing room.
An electric boiler is installed when the bathhouse is located in the basement or garage of a private house. If such equipment is installed, it should be taken into account that the stones used to create steam can also be heated by electricity.
Gas boilers for baths
The most profitable and efficient gas units to use: compact, simple and inexpensive to operate, multifunctional. There is no need to constantly purchase fuel. They are used for heating dressing rooms and washrooms, and heating hot water.
During the combustion process, gas heating equipment does not emit any burning or odor. Since gas devices are explosive, it is not recommended to make them yourself. There are specialized gas sauna boilers that are intended only for heating stones, a steam room, and a small dressing room.
For large bath complexes, or simultaneous heating of residential premises and extensions, gas boilers for the home are used:
- Single-circuit - for heating a small bathhouse, heating water in the washing room.
- Double-circuit - they heat the dressing room and heat the water. If the bathhouse is attached to the house, then the equipment can also be used for its individual heating.
- Three-circuit - for heating the floors of a room, and when a small pool is equipped with a bathhouse.
Gas pressure is an important criterion when choosing a boiler for a sauna
It should be taken into account that when supplying gas to the boiler from the central line, or even more so from a cylinder, it is necessary to monitor the pressure. When purchasing a boiler, the pressure in the network is one of the criteria for its selection, since manufacturers warn that a disruption in the energy supply is not safe for the operation of the device.
Solid fuel boilers for baths
Solid fuel units store heat for a long time and do not require additional connection to a power source. But their operation is expensive, so they are used only for heating water in the washing room, and, less often, for heating a small dressing room.
For this type of boiler, coal of a certain fraction and humidity is required, since too much firewood will be needed to heat the water. Because of coal, there will be specific dust in the room, which is difficult to get rid of. In addition, this equipment cannot operate in automatic mode. And the most unpleasant moment is that the boiler will need regular cleaning.
The operating principle of a solid fuel sauna stove with an external firebox is described in detail in our article.
Most often, for small baths, simple wood-burning boilers are used, which are also classified as solid fuel. Such equipment is usually installed together with the stove during the construction of a bathhouse. Unlike other types of energy carriers, you can make a wood-burning stove and a boiler for a bathhouse with your own hands, but this will require some experience in construction.
Making a wood-burning boiler for a sauna
The first step is to prepare a place to place the equipment: strengthen the floor covering. Materials used:
- Fireclay brick;
- Asbestos cardboard, more than a centimeter thick;
- Metal sheet, one millimeter thick.
The base is made smooth and durable. For the manufacture of the chimney, only non-combustible materials are used. On the outside it is additionally covered with thermal insulation. It is important to know: the junction of the heating device with the chimney pipe is made collapsible.
The manufacturing process consists of three stages: preparation of materials, welding of supports, creation of a screen.
Materials
Having chosen a boiler in a cylindrical bathhouse, use a metal barrel of 200 liters. A thick pipe with a diameter of half a meter and a length of up to a meter will do.
Also prepare:
- Reinforcement 14 mm thick, making three sections of 3 cm each for supports.
- Metal sheet 4 mm thick;
- Metal sheet 5 mm thick;
- Bricks and cement.
Assembly
We weld three supports parallel to the body. The first one, the bottom one at the very bottom. The middle one is located depending on the location of the blower door. The third is 20 cm lower from the top of the body.
- Next, cut out the bottom and lid from sheets of metal. We make a hole in the chimney ring in the lid.
- We make a hole in the side of the body for the box. We install oven and blower doors there.
- Inside the box we make a partition for the compartments. And we make a screen: we lay out a brick wall or completely cover the boiler.
- We leave a hole at the bottom for air convection. But first, we weld the box into a barrel or pipe.
- Insert the bottom, lid, grate. We install a chimney.
Even if you save on self-assembly of a boiler for a bath, a lot of money and time will be spent on purchasing and searching for materials, not to mention installation work. If your site has a centralized gas supply, it is better to use more modern heating equipment.
Choosing boilers for the bathhouse
To maintain a stable, optimal hot water temperature, it is recommended to install equipment with cast iron heat exchangers. They heat up slowly, but maintain the desired temperature for a long time.
The following facts speak in favor of installing gas heating equipment in a bathhouse:
- Savings in fuel consumption and payment when compared with electric or solid fuel equipment.
- Environmentally friendly: no burning, no smell, no harmful emissions.
- Easy to install, configure, operate, repair.
- Electricity consumption is only 40 kW.
- Compactness.
- Simultaneous heating of the room and water.
Considering all these factors, we can conclude that installing a gas device is an economical and environmentally friendly solution. It is chosen taking into account the parameters of the bath and the functions it performs. A gas boiler for a bath is selected according to the following characteristics: thermal power, availability of automation, control equipment. When selecting equipment, you need to pay attention to its rated performance.
You will find detailed information about choosing a gas boiler for heating your home in our material.
For a wooden bathhouse, you should not purchase wall-mounted equipment, only floor-mounted equipment. Since in this case the high temperature of combustion products is unacceptable. According to fire safety rules, gas boilers can be installed in a bathhouse whose room height is at least three meters. And the width of door and window openings is at least 80 cm.
If the boiler is installed individually for a bathhouse, then it is recommended to pay attention to the equipment of the latest models, which can operate on two energy sources. You can choose whether to use gas or wood. Vivid examples of such devices are: Teplodar, Uralochka, Sinara, Termofor.
Since modern equipment makes it possible to use any energy source, the choice of device depends less and less on their availability. Therefore, when buying a boiler, you should pay more attention to:
- total area of the steam room;
- quality and thickness of the furnace metal;
- heating speed and temperature;
- water tank volume;
- sizes and dimensions: pipes, stoves, tanks.
Installing a gas boiler in a bathhouse with your own hands
Before connecting the equipment, it is necessary to obtain the appropriate permits and approve the project with the authorities. Develop a gas supply project in a specialized service, and then send it and accompanying documents for approval, for example, to Gorgaz. You will need papers from the manufacturer: equipment data sheet, instructions, certificate of conformity.
Work with gas equipment is carried out by specialists in accordance with accepted rules and regulations: SNiP 42-01-2002 and II-35-76, set of rules: SP-41-104-2000. They provide a detailed description of how to properly perform this work, and what is strictly prohibited from doing. For example, the diameter of the chimney is selected in accordance with the power of the device using special formulas.
Having received the necessary permits, you can begin work: install a gas pipeline and water supply, line the wall with fireproof material, make a hole for the chimney.
- Flush the device's pipe systems.
- Attach wall-mounted equipment to the slats.
- Make holes in the wall, secure the planks with anchors or self-tapping screws.
- Secure the boiler to the mounting strips.
- Attach taps and filters to the pipes;
- Connect the taps at the inlet and outlet;
- Install squeegees;
- Connect the heating system;
- Connect the squeegee to the heating;
- Connect the water supply;
- Connect the chimney.
A separate room is allocated for floor equipment. The walls and floor are covered with special fireproof materials. The unit is screwed to the floor. The rest of the connection diagram is identical to the wall-mounted version.
Bottom line
Today there are many options for boilers for baths, so everyone can choose the necessary equipment for their needs. When installing, assembling, or connecting the unit yourself, follow all the standards and rules specified by the manufacturer - the safety of you and your family depends on this. Remember, gas equipment is explosive.
A good alternative to a brick sauna stove is a metal boiler with a heater. You can make it yourself if you have welding skills, and the quality will not be inferior to the purchased one. The material for making the boiler can be a metal pipe, a thick-walled barrel or sheet iron.
Features of the boiler design for the furnace
The boiler, like any other sauna stove, must necessarily consist of the following structural parts:
- The furnace in which fuel combustion occurs;
- A chimney through which smoke from burnt fuel is removed;
- Ash pan for ash extraction;
- A heater that allows you to redistribute and remove heat;
- Water tank.
You can make a boiler without a heater; in this case, the heating of the bath will occur only from the walls of the boiler and the tank, but the steam in such a bath will be heavy, because the heat from the firebox will only be used to heat the water, while it will quickly boil and fill the bath with thick steam .
The boiler firebox is made of thick-walled metal - it carries the greatest thermal load, and thin metal will quickly burn out. The bottom of the firebox must be equipped with a grate through which the ash from the firewood is poured into the ash pan. The thickness of the grate must be at least 5 mm.
An ash pan is a space under the firebox, the purpose of which is to collect ash and conveniently remove it. Through the ash pan door, air is drawn into the firebox, causing fuel to burn.
The chimney is part of the combustion system. It must be equipped with a valve or gate, the degree of opening of which can be adjusted to the draft. The chimney passes through the tank or heater, heats it and ends in a chimney.
A heater is a built-in or mounted container in a boiler in which special stones for a bath are placed. The volume of the heater depends on the size of the boiler and the sauna itself: a heater that is too small will not be able to warm up the room, and a heater that is too large will require prolonged heating of the stones, during which time the water in the tank will boil and the sauna will be filled with water vapor, making it hot and uncomfortable. Therefore, you should adhere to the rule: the volumes of the heater, water tank and firebox should not differ much.
1 – lining with refractory bricks; 2 – steel barrel; 3 – metal pipe; 4 – water tank; 6 – partition between the heater and the firebox made of channel or reinforcement; 7 – combustion chamber.
Necessary tools, materials
To make a sauna boiler you will need the following tool:
- Welding machine;
- Grinder with cutting wheel.
In addition to sheet metal or barrels, you will also need:
- trimmings of reinforcement and channel for the manufacture of internal through partitions;
- sheet of thick-walled (minimum 5 mm) metal for the grate;
- pipe with a diameter of about 100 mm;
- metal hinges for the door;
- tank tap.
To create a screen that allows for better heat distribution throughout the steam room, fire-resistant bricks are used. It is laid out on the outer side of the walls closely or at some distance, or the inner walls of the firebox are lined with it.
Boiler for sauna from a barrel
The simplest design that allows you to make a boiler from scrap materials. Such a boiler is made from a metal barrel with a wall thickness of at least 3 mm - thinner walls will quickly burn out.
- The bottom of the barrel is cut out and instead a metal bottom with a thickness of at least 5 mm is installed with legs welded to it from scraps of a channel or I-beam.
- At a distance of 3-5 cm from the bottom, use a grinder to cut out a window measuring 15x10 cm - this will be the door of the ash pan and ash pit. The door itself is made from a sawn piece of metal. Weld hinges and a latch handle to the door. Fasten the door in place.
- Above the ash pit, 5-7 cm, a grate is welded into the barrel - a sheet of metal cut to the shape of a barrel, with holes for air intake and ash discharge. The holes are usually made longitudinal, in the center, 1/2 the diameter of the grate. You can simply weld a row of thick reinforcement rods inside the grate.
- 5-10 cm above the grate, by analogy with the ash door, cut out the firebox door, measuring at least 25x40 cm, otherwise it will be inconvenient to put firewood into it. They also weld the latch handle and hinges, and put the door in place. The walls of the firebox are lined with refractory bricks.
- A heater is located above the firebox, and the height of the firebox is selected as 1/3 of the height of the barrel minus the ash pan. The partition between the firebox and the heater is not solid; it is made from channel scraps, and the holes between them should not exceed the size of the stones. The height of the heater is approximately equal to the height of the firebox. In the middle part of the heater it is necessary to make a window with a door - through it stones are placed inside the boiler, and water is added into it when steaming.
- The top of the barrel acts as a water tank. The partition between the heater and the tank must be solid, the seams are well welded, and in the center of the partition there is a hole with a diameter of about 100 mm, to which a piece of pipe is welded with a height twice as large as the height of the water tank. The water in such a tank is heated due to hot smoke passing through the pipe, as well as thermal radiation from the stones in the heater.
- The upper part of the tank is made in the form of a lid through which water is poured. You can just make a hole, but then the tank will be inconvenient to wash. A piece of half-inch pipe is welded into the lower part of the tank, and a tap is attached to it using a thread.
The resulting boiler is cleaned of scale and rust and, if desired, coated with heat-resistant polymer paint - it is sold in stores that sell sauna stoves.
Sheet metal boiler
It is carried out according to a similar scheme, but the cross-section of the boiler will not be round, but square or rectangular. The main material is sheet metal with a thickness of 3 mm. The boiler doors can be made from scrap metal or welded on ready-made ones purchased at the store. You need to start making such a boiler with a drawing, since correct cutting will help save material.
The boiler consists of a water heating tank (a) with a chimney passing through it (1); heaters (b) with lining (3) and sinuses (4); combustion chamber (c) with a brick lining (5) and firebox and ash pan doors (6, 7). Limiters (2) are welded onto each section.
The arrangement of the structural elements is the same as in a pipe boiler: below is an ash pit, above it is a combustion chamber, above it is a heater. The boiler can be made dismountable if the sections are not connected to each other by welding. In this case, the joints are insulated from smoke using asbestos.
A boiler made of sheet metal allows you to slightly improve the design and move the combustion door into the dressing room or washing compartment, thereby lengthening the firebox. The water tank in a rectangular stove can be placed either above the heater or on one of the walls. With the second placement option, the water walls of the tank will serve as a screen from hard infrared radiation.
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M The dream of every owner of a country house or just a summer cottage is Russian or. This is due to the improvement and good vitality that a bathhouse is known to provide. But building and decorating it is not so easy. This requires a thorough approach. A wood-burning sauna stove with a water tank is the “heart” of a traditional health building. In the old fashioned way, firewood is used to fire it. A mandatory attribute is a container for heating water. This article will discuss variations of a wood-burning sauna stove with a water tank, popular models from manufacturers and the stages of DIY construction.
Wood burning stove with water tank
As you know, the main purpose of the stove is to heat the steam room building for a specific time. In order to work with maximum heat transfer, they are equipped with the following design elements:
- The heater is the main attribute of the stove. Its purpose is to maintain a stable flow of heat, which is carried out due to the mass of stones that gain heat from burning wood.
- Chimney. It is presented in the form of a pipe coming out of the firebox and discharging combustion products outside. As a result, wood-burning sauna stoves with a water tank are characterized by low efficiency.
- Door with passage tunnel. Designed to allow the sauna to be heated with wood in the next room, or in the dressing room.
- Heat exchanger. Installed for the purpose of heating water during combustion.
- The firebox is an area for storing fuel to warm it up; heat energy is immediately released. Often, a grate is mounted in it in different positions, which depend on the type of fuel. For firewood, the grate must be positioned at a level with the door firebox. Bevels are also made on three sides to roll combustion products forward.
- Ash pan. The place under the grate where the ash is located.
Operating principle of the furnace
Almost all wood-burning heat sources operate according to this principle: first, firewood is placed in the firebox, which heats the equipment, and its walls produce heat transfer. As a result, the room is quickly heated, but at the same time the temperature does not last long, which is why it is necessary to constantly add firewood.
Helpful information! Most often, wood is set on fire from below. Since the fire rises quickly, and in the end only coals remain, it is necessary to add fuel in a timely manner.
Long-burning heating devices differ from traditional stoves in the possibility of long-term heat transfer without the need to frequently add firewood. The intervals between tosses are about 20 hours. Such furnaces operate on the principle, the peculiarity of which is the reverse direction of the combustion process, that is, from top to bottom.
Construction of a long-burning furnace
Design requirements
The best type of stove for a wood-burning sauna with a water tank is equipment that is easy to use, compact, economical and aesthetically pleasing. It is recommended to use wood and processing as fuel. Here is a list of mandatory requirements that any oven must meet:
- a wide range of heat transfer power, which will be sufficient to heat the bath. It should also be noted that the power for heating may not be enough depending on the type of construction of the steam room;
- the mandatory presence of a steam generator and a heat generator, allowing you to regulate the furnace power;
- built-in convection control devices;
- high-strength coating.
Helpful information! If these requirements are met, a wood-burning sauna stove with a water tank will provide excellent heating and proper safety.
There are also requirements for the equipment from a fire safety point of view:
Types of wood-burning stoves for baths
Wood-burning sauna stoves with a water tank can be of two types depending on the base material:
- Metal stoves. Cast iron and steel devices are represented in a wide range on the modern construction market. The shape can be rectangular or square. They can be equipped with doors and heating containers. Among the advantages of steel and cast iron stoves, the following are noted: affordable price, simple installation, no need for a powerful base, quick heating of the room, the ability to install the tank on a chimney. Among the disadvantages are the rapid cooling of the stove and instability to temperature changes.
- Brick stoves for a wood-burning sauna with a water tank. Brick devices do not have the disadvantages of metal ones, because they retain heat in the steam room much longer and have a long service life. Their good appearance is especially appreciated.
Helpful information! Among the disadvantages of the brick option are the high price, complexity of construction and the need for a special foundation. It is also worth noting the need for more fuel.
Tank placement options
Heat exchangers are often made of stainless steel with an enamel coating. The location of the tank is of great importance, here are the main options:
- internal (built into the firebox);
Bath stove "Siberia" with built-in tank
- Mounted (attached to the body);
Wood-burning stove “Varvara” with a hanging tank
- Remote (with heating from the smoke outlet);
- Remote (heated from a mounted tank in the firebox);
Helpful information! It is not recommended to equip brick stoves with an external tank heated by a chimney, so they are more often found with internal and external heat exchangers.
Popular models of wood stoves with a heat exchanger
This list contains the top most popular ones for a bathhouse with a water tank:
- Teplodar "Sahara 10 LB". The equipment is made of steel. Design features: painted and remote door with passage tunnel. Designed for heating small rooms measuring 4-10 cubic meters. The design includes a domed heater and a chimney. The combustion is carried out from another room. The advantages of the furnace include resistance to burnout and scale formation. The package includes a mounted heat exchanger with a capacity of 33 liters.
Model range "Sahara"
- Stove-heater "Kolibri 9B". Designed for heating steam rooms for individual use. The package includes a mounted built-in heat exchanger. The equipment is made of stainless steel. Among the features of this model, it is worth noting the ability to produce water steam and hot water at the same time, and control liquid flow. The latter allows you to significantly save water resources during operation. The design features a minimal number of welding seams.
Model "Hummingbird"
Video: review of the Termofor Geyser stove
Foundation preparation
The furnace is laid using clay mortar. The bricks are laid in compliance with the chosen order, leaving a seam no more than 5 mm thick. It is recommended to build the base of the firebox from. In order not to delay construction, it is better to first stock up on doors, valves, grates and a water register.
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