Hot water boiler for a bath. Do-it-yourself boiler for a bath: making a boiler for a bath from a pipe, drawing and step-by-step manufacturing process. Review of models from Finnish manufacturers

Homemade bathhouse stoves are not reliable and often cause fires and other emergencies. Factory-manufactured boilers for wood-fired saunas with a water tank have high build quality, long service life and good performance.

Construction of a wood-burning boiler for a bathhouse

Modern heating wood boilers for baths are small in size and beautiful in appearance. The performance of heat generators is enough to warm up a room of any size and at the same time prepare a sufficient amount of hot water.

According to their internal structure, it is customary to classify boilers as follows:

• Heater type - boilers with a closed heater, take a long time to reach operating mode, but after warming up, provide soft heat for a long time. In a traditional Russian bathhouse, this is exactly the option used. Small saunas are most often built with an open-type heater.
  The advantage of this solution is the rapid heating of the room, the disadvantage is the need to constantly heat the boiler during the entire time of visiting the steam room.
• Firebox type - the most common are steel boilers for wood-fired saunas, with a water tank. Due to the light weight of the steel body and low cost, the models are in constant demand among domestic consumers.
  Cast iron boilers are distinguished by their long service life and the ability to maintain heat in the room for several days. The material is sensitive to sudden temperature changes. If you spray cold water on a heated case, the case may rupture and a crack will appear.

The design of a wood-burning boiler for baths and saunas is in many ways similar to that used in a classic stove. Only the smoke heated during the combustion process is not directed into the chimney, but is used to heat the stones located in the heater.

Although the type of heater and heat exchanger is important, the main consideration when choosing a model is the operating principle used to heat the water.

Boilers with built-in tank

Water heating boilers with a built-in water tank have compact dimensions, which is especially convenient for installation in small spaces. The container is located inside the housing. The fire produced during fuel combustion comes into direct contact with the walls of the tank, heating it.

The advantage of the built-in tank is:

• Small sizes.
• No need for additional installation work.

As disadvantages, we can highlight limitations associated with the total volume of heated water. The volume of the built-in container is limited by the size of the boiler. Over time, the steel of the tank may burn out, which will require significant repair costs.

Chimney mounted tank

Another common solution for providing hot water is a wood-burning boiler for a bathhouse with a water tank mounted on the chimney. The water in the container is in direct contact with the chimney pipe, heated to a temperature of over 500°C.

Installing a water heating tank on a chimney has the following advantages:

• There are no restrictions regarding tank volume.
• The water warms up quickly and evenly.
• Additional protection is provided against carbon monoxide entering the room, since the water surrounding the pipe serves as a kind of insulator.

The solution has its drawbacks. A tank of large volume will need to be additionally secured to the wall so that during the process of filling the container with water, the chimney will not be deformed.

Tank with connection to heat exchanger

Metal wood-burning boilers for baths with an external connected water tank have a built-in hot water circuit. A tank is connected to the pipes, acting as an external boiler. Hot water maintains its temperature for a long time, thanks to the heat-insulated casing of the storage tank.

There are several advantages of this solution:

• The boiler is equipped with flow-through water heating. A conventional geyser has a similar design. Flow heating allows you to get an almost unlimited amount of hot water.
• Tank location - you can install a storage tank in any room, and not just in a steam room, as is the case with designs with a built-in and wall-mounted tank.
• The resulting hot water can later be used for other domestic needs.

The disadvantages of a tank connected to a heat exchanger are certain inconveniences associated with the need for maintenance. The remaining water must be drained in winter. The pipeline connecting the boiler and the container is insulated. Installation is usually performed with metal pipes, which is quite inconvenient.

Possibility of converting the sauna boiler to gas

Domestic and foreign manufacturers offer consumers universal gas-wood boilers. For conversion, you just need to install an automatic burner, which is offered as an additional option. Using a special burner device, conventional wood boilers are modified. At the same time, several current rules are observed:

• An exclusively forced-air burner is used; atmospheric devices are not suitable for domestic purposes.
• According to the current rules, only boilers with a narrow combustion chamber are subject to conversion.
• Installation of the burner is possible only if the boiler door opens into the dressing room.

After the conversion and installation of the burner, a specialist, a representative of the Gas Service, is called. If the installation is completed without violations, a certificate of commissioning of the boiler is signed. As practice shows, independent re-equipment is no cheaper, and sometimes even more expensive, than purchasing a ready-made multi-fuel boiler.

How to choose a boiler for a wood-burning sauna

There are samples of heating boilers on the market that have different technical characteristics, performance, appearance, etc. When choosing, focus on several of the most important characteristics:

• Principle of operation - relatively recently, gas-fired wood-fired boilers appeared that operate from one load of firewood for at least 8-12 hours. Since the cost of models using the gas generation principle is quite high, equipment operating in conventional combustion mode is often purchased.
• Steel thickness - the sheets from which the heat exchanger structure is made must be thick enough to prevent possible burnout. At the same time, excessive thickness leads to a decrease in heat transfer. As a rule, the optimal decision is to purchase a boiler made of 5-8 mm steel.
• The service life of wood-burning boilers is guaranteed for 3-4 years. As practice shows, a steel boiler, if handled with care and following the manufacturer’s recommendations, will last for 10-12 years, and can burn out after 5-6 years if operating conditions are violated.
  The cast iron counterpart is not afraid of corrosion and burnout. Some models have been in operation for more than 20 years. The estimated service life of the products is approximately 25-30 years.

In addition to the design features, performance and other technical characteristics, when choosing, the manufacturer’s brand and the cost of the boiler for the bath are of no small importance.

Boilers for saunas from Finnish manufacturers

Finnish manufacturers are considered one of the best in the production of equipment for saunas and baths, characterized by beautiful design, thoughtful construction and high heat transfer.

The products of the following manufacturers are widely represented:

• – a company with almost 70 years of experience in the manufacture of boilers intended for baths and saunas. The product range includes equipment that runs only on solid fuel and models with the possibility of switching to gas. Special attention should be paid to Harvia boilers with a cast iron firebox, which are one of the best options for heating equipment offered on the domestic market.
• Kastor is one of the oldest manufacturers of bath boilers, offering its products for over 100 years. A characteristic feature of Kastor models is the principle of triple heating of the room. Heat is supplied through hot metal walls, a heater and convection currents. The design of the boiler allows you to effectively heat the room for some time after the firewood has died out.
• Aito - the company's products are better known in Finland, where the percentage of sales of brand boilers is about 85%. The equipment offered to domestic consumers is fully adapted for use in saunas, hammams and Russian baths. The buyer is presented with Aito wood-burning boilers in several series: with a built-in tank and an extended combustion tunnel.

Finnish equipment is primarily suitable for producing dry steam and creating an ideal microclimate in a sauna. In the Harvia and Aito models, series for the traditional Russian bath are presented separately.

Boilers for baths from a domestic manufacturer

Russian models of wood-burning boilers are recognized throughout the world as high-quality and reliable equipment without any frills and excessive automation of combustion processes. Understanding the wishes of the domestic consumer, heaters were created that are optimally suited for producing a large amount of steam:

• Termofor - the most popular models are and. In the Tunguska series, changes in the design were made relatively recently, taking into account the identified deficiencies. As a result of the changes, the stones located in the closed heater quickly heat up to 600°C.
  In the Hangar, an internal storage tank is used, which allows you to get hot water within 20 minutes after lighting the boiler. The thickness of parts exposed to fire was increased by 1.5 times.
• – the company has been operating since 1997. Since that moment, the production of more than 14 different models of wood-burning boilers has been launched, including multi-fuel or universal equipment, with the possibility of modification for gas. In the Teplodar line, domestic and industrial heaters have found a place, with a maximum steam room volume of 70 m³.
• – the model range includes only two series: Classic and Elite. The difference between the modifications lies in the materials used, equipment and the presence of panoramic glass. The performance of Ermak wood-burning boilers is sufficient to heat steam rooms from 6-50 m³.

Prices for sauna boilers

To select a boiler for a bath, you will need to take into account one more point, namely, the cost of the proposed equipment. Even with all the desire, not everyone can afford Finnish equipment. Thus, Harvia Legend, a model with an open firebox designed for heating small saunas, will cost about 35-40 thousand rubles. The products of other Finnish manufacturers are in approximately the same price category.

An Angara similar in characteristics and performance, from Termofor, will cost only 15 thousand rubles. Teplodar offers heaters with elongated portals and a panoramic fire door for 25-30 thousand rubles. Ermak 12, in the Elite series, can be bought for only 12 thousand rubles.

How to install a wood-burning boiler in a bathhouse

During operation, the steel of the sauna boiler heats up “red-hot”, which can easily cause a burn, if handled carelessly, and a fire. Installation rules are mainly related to ensuring the safe operation of the device:


It is almost impossible to fully take into account all the nuances of installing and connecting a wood-burning boiler in a bathhouse without specialized education and work experience. Therefore, it is better to have installation work performed by a qualified specialist.

We will send the material to you by e-mail

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 container for heating water is considered a mandatory attribute. 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 to heat 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 pit. 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 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.

Article

Construction of a bathhouse is a rather expensive process. If you purchase all the equipment in a store, the steam room can cost a significant amount. Therefore, craftsmen and simply people who want to see this structure on their plots strive to equip it. Last but not least, this also applies to heating devices.

What is better: taking a ready-made cauldron to the bathhouse or making it yourself? To solve this dilemma, you need to consider all the pros and cons of making it yourself and identify possible difficulties that may arise during its production. It must be said right away that it is better not to try to make a gas boiler for a bath yourself.

Firstly, a self-made unit can fly into the air, taking the bathhouse with it.

Secondly, the operation of such equipment is strictly prohibited by safety regulations.

At the same time, you can make a boiler for a wood-fired sauna yourself if you have all the necessary equipment and your hands grow from the right place. Boilers for wood-burning saunas can be made from a metal barrel with thick walls, pipes or sheets of steel. There is no shortage of them in any subsidiary farm.

Main components of a sauna boiler

Any stove, including sauna boilers, consists of the following elements:

• Firebox, in which the process of burning wood, coal and other types of fuel takes place. It is made of thick metal. This is due to the fact that the firebox has the highest thermal load, metal of insufficient thickness will quickly burn out, and a homemade boiler for a bath will become unusable. A wood-burning boiler for a bath, namely a firebox, must be equipped with grates. Through them, ash from burnt fuel spills into the ash pan. The thickness of the metal from which they are made must be at least 0.5 centimeters.
• Chimney through which smoke is removed. When deciding how to make a boiler for baths, you need to thoroughly understand the principle of operation of the chimney system and carefully calculate its dimensions. The slightest mistake when installing a chimney can lead to insufficient efficiency of the stove (heat will go into the chimney) or an inability to cope with the removal of combustion products. The chimney must be equipped with a valve, with which the draft level is regulated. In winter, a tightly closed valve greatly contributes to the preservation of heat in the room. The chimney pipe may pass through the heater or be part of a heat exchange system.
• Ash pan designed to accumulate ash. This boiler element is located under the firebox. In addition to its main function, it is responsible for the supply of air, which is an integral component of the combustion process. When making a boiler for a bath with your own hands from pipes, you should carefully calculate the dimensions of the ash pan. It should be able to hold enough combustion products to be cleaned once a day.
• , redistributing and removing thermal energy. It is a built-in or hanging container in which stones are placed. Its volume depends on the size of the boiler and steam room. A small heater will not be able to heat the room, and a large one will take too long to heat up. During this time, the water boilers have time to boil, which causes the room to fill with water vapor. At the same time, the steam room will become uncomfortable. The size of the heater and water tank should not be different. You can make a cauldron without a heater, but this is not entirely convenient. The room will be heated only from the walls of the boiler. In addition, it will not be possible to “give in to the park.”
• , which is part of the heat exchange system. Cast iron sauna boilers with a water tank are the most common solution.

After the main components of the device that produces heat have been identified, we should move on to the main question: how to make boilers for a bath from scrap materials?

What materials and tools are needed to make a boiler?

Boilers for steam rooms in Russian baths are made using the following tools:

• welding machine;
• grinders, with a cutting wheel designed for working with metal.

We’ll talk a little later about how homemade sauna boilers are made from a pipe or barrel. First, we should talk about the most common sheet metal option. In addition to this you will need:

• small pieces of reinforcement and channels - they are needed for the manufacture of internal partitions;
• a thick sheet of metal (minimum 0.5 centimeters) - it is necessary for the production of grate bars;
• pipe with a diameter of at least 10 centimeters;
• canopies for firebox and ash doors;
• faucet for tank.

When talking about how to weld boilers for a bath, we should mention the manufacture of a heat-distributing screen. It is best made from brick. All you need to do is to tightly surround the boiler with it.

Barrel stove

How to choose boilers for baths? What material should be used for their production?

Such decisions should be made independently, taking into account the availability of components. Some people find it more convenient to use sheet iron, while others think that it is better to make boilers for a bathhouse with your own hands from a barrel or pipe. They are no different and boast the same heating of water in containers and the room as a whole. The difference lies in the method of production.

To be fair, it must be said that it is much easier to make a boiler for a bathhouse with your own hands from a barrel. This is the simplest design. All you need is to find a metal container with a wall thickness of at least 0.3 centimeters. Thinner metal will burn quickly.

You need to make a boiler for a wood-burning sauna from a barrel in the following order:

• The bottom of the container is completely cut out. Instead, a sheet of iron with a thickness of at least 0.5 centimeters is installed. It is necessary to weld the legs to it in advance, which can be made from scraps of a T-beam.
• At a height of 5–7 centimeters from the bottom, you need to cut out a small window (approximately 20x15 cm). The blower door will be installed at this location. It is made from a sawn piece. You need to weld the hinges and handle to it, and then install it in its rightful place.
• The second door of the future boiler for a wood-burning sauna is installed 20 centimeters above the vent. It should be significantly larger than the first one (approximately 25x45 cm). Otherwise, the logs will not fit into it.
• A boiler for a wood-fired sauna contains grates in its design. They need to be placed 5–7 centimeters below the firebox door.
• A heater must be placed above the firebox. The most convenient place for its location is the second third of the barrel. The partition between these sections of the boiler should not be continuous. It is made from channels. The size of the heater is equal to the second third of the barrel. A door is needed in the middle of the heater. Stones are laid through it and water is poured in, if desired, to “give it to the park.”
• From a barrel you can make a boiler for a sauna with a tank. To do this, use the remaining third of the barrel. The heater and tank are separated by a solid partition, the seams are thoroughly boiled. A chimney pipe must be installed in the center of the tank.

Having studied the drawings of such structures, you can easily build a stove. There's nothing complicated about it. All you need to make a sauna cauldron with your own hands is to strictly follow the existing instructions. Before operation, the manufactured sauna boiler must be cleaned of scale and rust.

If desired, it can be painted with heat-resistant paints and varnishes. That's all. A DIY cauldron made from a barrel is ready. It can be installed in a bathhouse.

Heating into a bathhouse from a pipe is done in the same way. The only exception is the initial stage. You will not have to cut out the bottom of the barrel, but you will need to maintain the dimensions by cutting a pipe 1.2–1.4 meters long.

Sheet iron heating device

A similar stove with a metal boiler for a bathhouse is the most difficult to produce. This is due to the fact that there will be no prepared workpiece. Fundamentally, such a device is no different from the one described above. It also contains 4 compartments: an ash pan, a firebox, a heater and a tank.

The production of such a furnace will take longer. You will especially have to tinker with the water tank, which should be practically sealed. But the result will be a product no different from what was produced at the factory.

Horizontal boiler for a bath

Along with vertical heating devices, homemade stoves made from pipes and barrels with a horizontal design are no less popular. These products are easy to make:

• You need to take a two-hundred-liter barrel and cut several holes in it. Two of them are intended for installation. It should pass right through the barrel. Two more will serve as a blower and firebox door. The last hole is necessary for installing the chimney.
• You can make a heater in the upper part of the future stove. Part of the barrel is cut off, and reinforcement bars in the form of a lattice are welded in this place. Next, you need to weld a structure from sheets of iron in the shape of an unfinished inverted pyramid.
• The stove blank is equipped with legs, after which it must be connected to the chimney and heat exchange system.

Making such a structure is no more difficult than a boiler made from a barrel installed vertically. The disadvantage of this product is that it takes up a lot of space.

Electric heating in the bathhouse

If there is a need to heat only the steam room, then the ideal solution is a solid fuel stove. Otherwise, when you need to heat the dressing room, shower room and other rooms in the bathhouse building, this option can be safely discarded.

To heat a large area, it is better to use an electric boiler. Its production and installation do not have any technical difficulties. All that is needed is to weld the water heating elements into a container of water and properly arrange the heat exchange system.

The advantages of sauna boilers running on electricity are obvious:

• there is no need to equip a chimney system;
• ease of installation, operation and maintenance;
• high efficiency.

Along with the advantages, there is a significant drawback: significant energy consumption.

Installation work

How to install the boiler correctly so that it evenly heats the steam room and possibly adjacent rooms? Installing a boiler is a complex task. When installing, please consider:

• The path of the chimney and piping of the heat exchange system. When deciding how to install the boiler, you need to remember that the chimney, like the pipes of the heat exchange system, should not be very long. In the first case, the furnace will have weak draft, in the second, a large volume of water in the system will not be completely heated. At the same time, they should not be very short. This is fraught with “heat escaping into the pipe” and rapid boiling of the system. Thus, when deciding how to make a boiler, you need to correctly calculate the dimensions of the accompanying structures.
• Distance from flammable structures, such as log walls. If the boiler has, then this problem is not relevant. Otherwise, the distance to the walls must be at least a meter, or they must be finished with heat-insulating, non-combustible materials.
• Distance from shops. It is very easy to get burned in a steam room with a metal stove. This design is very dangerous, so it should be installed at a considerable distance from the shelves.

Installation rules must be strictly followed. Not only the efficiency of its operation, but also the safety of visitors to the steam room depends on how the stove is installed. A diagram of the correct installation of heating equipment is attached.

So what should you choose: a homemade oven or a ready-made one from the store? You don't even have to install it. Companies selling such products carry out delivery and installation themselves.

When choosing an acceptable option, you should take into account the effort and resources expended. People weld homemade products, spending money only on electricity and electrodes; everything else can be found in every subsidiary farm. Thus, a boiler for a bath costs “three kopecks.”

Making a device from iron sheets can take more than one day. It’s not a fact that everything will work out the first time. If you want to save money and have free time, then you can safely start assembling. Otherwise, we recommend choosing an option that is acceptable in terms of power in the store.

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 is not capable of heating 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

The topic of this article is boilers for wood-fired baths.

We will get acquainted with the advantages and disadvantages of the traditional solution and find out what you should pay attention to when purchasing.

Terminology

Let's start, however, with a small clarification. Strictly speaking, wood-burning boilers for saunas... are not used. If we adhere to precision in definitions, the heating equipment we are interested in is called a wood stove.

What is the difference? The fact is that the heating boiler uses thermal energy to heat the coolant. The furnace is a heat exchanger that heats the air directly.

Why can’t a boiler for a wood-burning sauna be used to heat a steam room? Yes, simply because the maximum coolant temperature at the outlet of its heat exchanger is only about 90 degrees. To get the usual +80 C for a steam room under the ceiling, you would literally have to hang all the walls with radiators.

However: sauna stoves are often equipped with a tank or heat exchanger for heating water.
Which, however, does not turn the stove into a wood-burning boiler for a sauna.

Advantages and disadvantages

Wood stoves are a traditional solution, but not the only one. Often, gas is used to heat the air in the steam room - mains or liquefied. It is against the background of the alternative that we will analyze the pros and cons of firewood.

Advantages

• The smell of burning wood is perhaps as common an attribute of a bathhouse as steam. A gas burner will deprive a fan of the Russian bath of this part of the pleasure.
• Mains gas is not available everywhere. In a dacha bathhouse, for example, there is simply no alternative to firewood. Carrying a refilled cylinder (especially if you don’t have your own vehicle) is, to put it mildly, inconvenient.
  In addition, liquefied gas costs several times more than main gas.
• By the way, about overhead costs: when you prepare firewood yourself, they are reduced to almost zero. But the price of a cubic meter of gas is growing year by year.
• Finally, gas is explosive, which cannot be said about firewood.

Flaws

• Temperature control in a wood-burning stove is carried out in the old-fashioned way - with a covered ash pan. It is clear that we are not talking about the accuracy of maintaining temperature or the convenience of adjusting it; inertia is also extremely high.
  For comparison: gas sauna stoves are equipped with thermostats that allow you to set and maintain a certain temperature in the room.
• A supply of dry firewood needs to be stored somewhere. Yes, it doesn’t take too many of them to light a small sauna; However, in the case of gas use, fuel storage is not a problem in principle.
• Kindling takes quite a long time. For a gas stove, all you need to do is press the piezo ignition button.
• The stove requires periodic maintenance (at a minimum, cleaning the ash pan).
• The spacious firebox, in which you can put large logs, and the presence of an ash pan do not allow you to make the product any compact.
• Smoke in the chimney also does not add enthusiasm.

The conclusions are obvious. In the vast majority of parameters, gas stoves are more convenient and practical than wood stoves. In the presence of main gas, the use of firewood can only be justified by respect for traditions.

The photo shows a gas oven with a remote temperature controller.

Choice

What should you pay attention to when choosing a stove for a sauna?

Volume

In the name or documentation, the estimated volume of the steam room in cubic meters is always indicated by the manufacturer.

However, the instructions for selecting a stove based on thermal power are somewhat more complicated than simply multiplying the overall dimensions of the room.

• Tiled floors without thermal insulation, windows or brickwork increase heat loss. Each square meter of these surfaces forces an addition of 1.2 cubic meters to the volume for which the oven must be designed.
• The glass door increases the volume by another one and a half cubic meters.
• If the walls are not with a layer of thermal insulation, but are simply made of logs, the calculated volume can be safely multiplied by a factor of 1.5.

Advice: do not take a stove with a large reserve of thermal power.
The steam room will simply be overheated; Constantly ventilating it will mean significant excess fuel consumption.

Material

Cast iron stoves are the most durable: unlike steel, cast iron is less susceptible to corrosion and does not burn out for a long time.

If the product is made of steel, then at least the firebox must be heat-resistant. Let us clarify: heat-resistant stainless steel contains at least 12.5% ​​chromium. The best samples are entirely made of heat-resistant stainless steel with a chromium content of 17% and a wall thickness of 4 millimeters.

“Siberia Panorama 20 Profi” is exactly like that. Material: heat-resistant stainless steel, 4 mm thick.

Firebox size

Large size is welcome. It means quick kindling; In addition, large firewood will not need to be cut.

Fuel channel

The typical location of a sauna stove is inside the steam room or in the wall separating the steam room from the dressing room. In this case, the fuel channel faces the dressing room.

Why is this necessary?

• In this case, when lighting, you will not trample in the steam room and will not leave debris and wood chips on its floor.
• What is equally important, the air to support combustion will not be taken from the small volume of the steam room.

If the wall thickness is significant, you should prefer products with an extended fuel channel. For Russian products it is usually designated by the index “U” in the name. Thus, Rus 18LU is a stove with an extended fuel channel, designed for a volume of 18 cubic meters.

Water heating

This can be done in one of three ways:

1. The heat exchanger is built into the housing and is heated by the flame in the firebox. The tank is connected to it by pipes.
2. The heat exchanger is placed on the pipe and removes heat from the combustion products.
3. The water tank is placed directly onto the pipe.

The choice of one scheme or another is a matter of personal preference; Let us note, however, two facts:

• Install it yourself. You don't have to connect the tank to the heat exchanger.