Sauna

 Today we will talk about a bath, but not about a bath as a whole which concept as a rule includes a little making (per capita, pair, a waiting room, pool and so on) but only about a sweating room. In a sauna, with dry steam it is called a sauna, in Russian bath, with wet steam - a steam room. But there are certain common rules and recommendations - how to make or construct a sauna or a sweating room. Earlier the bath was under construction as a rule a separate structure or in a special premise, but today thanks to modern finishing and izoyatsionnyim to materials and technologies, the sauna can be constructed practically anywhere. In the private house, it can be a premise near to a bathroom on an inhabited floor, at office near to per capita and even in the most usual serial apartment. So to no small degree all it became possible thanks to occurrence of modern electric ovens for saunas.

 Besides today on sale there are ready panel board saunas which gather from ready elements, in a current of one working day. But as such saunas have the standard sizes, often they cannot be established in a concrete premise, on it we will not consider them here.

 We will speak about building of a sauna or a steam room in any premise. It can be as a sauna with own walls, possessed in any premise where there is still something, and a premise (room) completely used under a sauna. That a sauna on the individual sizes and requests.

 To describe all completely, simply it is not possible, as in each case the individual approach is necessary, therefore more low I will try to tell any general moments which approach in most cases and if you have questions come to us on a forum where I or my colleagues will try to help you.

 Sauna volume

 The first with what is necessary for beginning is to define sauna appointment. That will-whether be it a sauna for one family from two - three persons or the sauna will be used for rest with friends - that to 5-7 persons, or in general for commercial use - 10 and more persons. The volume of a steam room and accordingly capacity of an oven that will in turn be reflected in expenses for operation will depend on it.

 The volume of the smallest sauna which it is possible to possess even in apartment, begins somewhere with 4 cubic metre, the area somewhere 2 square metres and 2 m. height. For the average private house on one family, the sauna in volume to 7 - 8 cubic metre, it approximately 1,5 on 2 metres with height of ceilings to 2,5 metres perfectly will approach. In general such saunas are received the most effective and if it is possible so to say cosy.

 Bigger saunas, in volume of 10 and more cubes, meet less often and are intended already for public use, for example in any centres of rest. Well and accordingly more powerful oven here is required.

 Oven for a sauna

 When were defined with volume, it is possible to pass to a choice of an oven for a sauna. Here there are as a rule two variants, the first is an oven on a solid fuel, we will admit on fire wood or an electric oven.

 The oven on a solid fuel is more natural heat, but the availability a flue number, more hlopotna in operation since that that it is necessary to enclose fire wood and finishing that behind it it is necessary to watch and clean constantly necessarily requires. In general such oven approaches for a separate bath and for those to a clod more so we will tell it is pleasant to these to attend. So if the sweating room will be used generally for wet steam - Russian bath, will approach an oven on a solid fuel more.

 Well and the second variant more comfortable and less hlopotnyiy is an electric oven. Modern electric ovens - are safe, fast warm up a sauna, practically do not require care, are very simple in management and allow to regulate easily temperature and is frequent, so allow to create wet steam. For definition of capacity of an electric oven it is possible to use simple method - 1 kw (watt) on each cubic metre of a sauna. At correctly constructed sauna it will allow to warm up fast it and if necessary to maintain temperature at level 90 - 100 degrees, though in the general the most optimum temperature 80 - 90 degrees.

 So big plus of electric ovens for saunas is that that the flue that allows to make a sauna anywhere, even in separate apartment of the many-storeyed house is not necessary.

 Lay-out and sauna ventilation

 One of the most important conditions, effective work of a sauna is having heated up and correct movement of air. On it in a sauna ventilation which includes giving and an exit of air should be arranged and the lay-out should meet several requests.

 • the Door and an oven should be possessed on one wall, it will allow to reduce considerably sauna cooling at door opening that occurs often enough.

 • On a wall, between a floor and an electric oven, should be constantly open source aperture of ventilation, for a usual sauna (2 on 1,5 metres) is a square aperture somewhere 12 on 12 centimetres. And the ventilation exit should be on a ceiling (or on a wall at the ceiling) in a distant corner on a diagonal from an oven. It is necessary to equip a ventilation exit with a latch which is better for closing at sauna heating, and further this latch it is possible to regulate temperature.

 • Benches is better to possess on a lateral and opposite wall from an oven and according to a door.

 Sauna thermal protection

 Now we pass to isolation of walls and ceilings in a sauna. It should consist necessarily of actually thermal protection - as a rule it is stone cotton wool and a reflector - in practice it is a metal foil. It is very convenient to use a special heater for saunas (Paroc, Isover) which consists of stone cotton wool in the thickness of 30 mm. And foil already pasted on it. Cotton wool with a reflector keeps within under a covering, a foil closely to covering boards - easier speaking to vagonke.

 The most optimum thickness of a thermal protection for a ceiling: 30 mm. Cotton wool with a foil plus from above 100 mm. Usual stone cotton wool; for walls: so 30 mm. Cotton wool with a foil under a covering plus of 50 mm. Usual stone cotton wool. Well and certainly cotton wool should be laid with overlapping of seams, without admissions, is dense and during that time is not rumpled.

 Door in a sauna

 As the door in a sauna, as well as all elements, will be subject to influence of a heat and the raised humidity, most correctly to establish a special ready door for saunas, and as not the usual. Glass doors from the special tempered glass are very well looked.

 As we already spoke above a door should place on one wall with an oven, necessarily open outside!!!, to be without the lock on a magnet or the special stopper, all it will ensure safety at sauna use.

 Covering of walls and sauna ceilings

 For a covering of walls and sauna streams, as a rule it is used vagonka from deciduous breeds of wood. As the covering all time will test strong temperature drops and humidity, it is necessary to pay special attention to quality vagonki and on quality of a material for a skeleton. The thickness vagonki should be a minimum of 15 mm., the width a maximum 10 see, and it is better still already, all it will make a covering of more durable and it will be deformed less. The covering should not reach a floor a minimum 2 see Well and be final all fastenings should reliable and secret is not on a face sheet to a covering because it can lead to a burn.

 Benches

 The flooring of benches necessarily not should be continuous, it is necessary for free air circulation. For benches is better to use a soft and easy tree, for example abaki (in shops is ready stroganyie boards) or an aspen. The convenient width of benches begins from 60 - 70 centimetres, the height of the bottom bench from a floor somewhere 50 - 60 centimetres, the top bench 100 - 110 see, but here much depends on ceiling height in a sauna and other individual conditions. If benches are done closed, with a back it is necessary to provide possibility of removal of these backs for sauna cleaning.

 Floor in a sauna

 Well and last it is floors in a sauna. In general the most optimum and hygienic variant is a stone, sexual tile, and already upward what not to slip, put wooden lattices which can be cleaned easily during cleaning. Very well if there is a possibility to make a gangway where water will leave. For this purpose we do a floor under a small bias to a gangway which is better to possess at a wall under an electric oven.

 12.05.2008 Vladimir Zima