The popularity of bath procedures is growing every year, and many owners of private houses want to set up a bathhouse right in their yard. A trip to your own steam room will provide a boost of energy, excellent mood and relaxation. The “heart” of any sauna is the stove. It determines how functional and comfortable the bathhouse will be. You can do high-quality heating in a bathhouse yourself.
To build a heater with your own hands, you need to choose the type of stove, find out how it is built and what maintenance it requires. In addition to heating, you should take care of reliable thermal insulation.
Selection criteria
The main indicators that must be taken into account when choosing a stove are the following:
- mechanism of action;
- manufacturing materials;
- fuel.
Baths can be heated using permanent or temporary (periodic) stoves. The first ones need to be kept burning the entire time the steam room is in use. For the second, preliminary high-quality heating is enough.
The range of materials from which a heater can be made now includes a large number of traditional and new technological elements.
The best stoves are made of steel and brick.
Brick structures
The leaders in demand are heaters made of periodic bricks. Continuous combustion heaters are also used to provide heating for a bathhouse, but much less frequently.
Brick kilns of intermittent operation have both an advantage - they maintain a high temperature in the room for a long time, and a disadvantage - they need to be warmed up for at least 5 hours. In winter this takes even longer. Therefore, if bathing procedures are planned for the evening, then you need to start heating in the afternoon. After this, you can steam and not be distracted by other things, the heating will work without outside interference.
There is another disadvantage of such models - high cost. It is quite difficult to make such a heater yourself. To get a truly functional stove, you need an experienced stove maker. And his work is highly paid. The high cost of the heating structure can also be explained by the fact that it is necessary to lay a powerful foundation that will support a heavy brick heater.
Metal heat sources
Metal furnaces are characterized by the principle of constant operation. A stove with thin steel walls does not retain heat for long, which can be attributed to its disadvantages. And the advantage of metal sauna stove is that it will take much less time to warm up the room.
In winter, this will take no more than 2 hours. It is better to organize heating using a steel heater in a small bathhouse. You can install the stove yourself.
Fuel selection
Theoretically, a bathhouse building can be heated with any energy source. Depending on the fuel, stoves can be of the following types:
- gas;
- electric;
- wood;
- liquid fuel;
- multi-fuel.
It is very important to choose the right fuel so that heating a bathhouse in winter is cost-effective and easy. There is an opinion that only firewood is best suited for these purposes. It's hard to argue with that.
During the combustion of timber, the room is filled with an indescribable aroma and special warmth. Such an atmosphere cannot be achieved if the bathhouse is heated with electricity.
If such an environmentally friendly fuel is chosen, then you need to think about how to heat the bathhouse in winter? Storing firewood is much more difficult than unscrewing a valve on a gas pipe.
The choice is made taking into account the availability and efficiency of fuel. Heating with wood is expensive. Using electricity is easy. This is a convenient and generally accessible, however, unprofitable method.
A liquid fuel stove is a high risk of fire, inconvenient to maintain and high material costs. You can use gas, with which heating in the bathhouse will be somewhat cheaper and more convenient. But not all private houses are connected to the central gas supply.
Heater location
Usually the bathhouse is heated using one heat source. For a house next to which a unique bath complex is built (with a dressing room, a steam room, a swimming pool, a relaxation room, and a room for playing billiards), a generally accepted heating system is required.
If heating is designed for a classic bath, then the stove is positioned so that it can be used to warm up each room. A tank of water is allocated a place near the washing room.
The ideal is a “through” arrangement of the furnace. The firebox door can be opened while in the dressing room. The stove itself will be located in the steam room, and the water tank will be located in the wash room.
It is important that each of the combustible elements of the furnace structure is protected from fire-resistant material. To comply with this, you can build a heater from brick, but it will have large dimensions and take up a lot of space.
A practical option is to build a stove, the design of which includes a tank and an open heater. The firebox for heating water is equipped with a register, which will prevent premature boiling of water, during which the unheated bath is filled with damp steam. in this way requires compliance important nuance– the bottom edge of the tank should be 50 cm above the register.
Algorithm for constructing a metal furnace
The foundation for the stove should be made of non-combustible material. Fireclay brick will do, sheet metal or concrete. To make the base aesthetically pleasing, it can be tiled. The firebox door is directed to the opposite corner. The floors are made of fireproof material. If wood is used, it is covered with a metal sheet 60 cm wide.
To create a classic interior design in a bathhouse, a metal stove can be lined with brick. In addition to being beautiful, this move will prevent burns. To properly build a chimney and determine at what distance from the walls the heater should be placed, be sure to study the instructions.
The main problem that arises when installing a brick heater is the massiveness of the structure. This requires the construction of a reinforced concrete foundation. For those who do not have experience in building sauna stoves with their own hands, the following tips may be useful.
If you put between the brick seams thick layer solution, then under the influence of high temperatures it will begin to collapse and the heater will become leaky. Vice versa, thin layer mortar between brick joints will negatively affect the life of the structure.
Each vertical layer of masonry must be covered with a top brick. It is advisable to make the ceilings in half a brick.
There are other nuances. So, if cut bricks are used, then the whole side should be turned inside the furnace. To ensure uniform linear expansion, cast iron elements are installed with a gap. To secure the upper part of the stove door, it is better to use a metal clamp.
Gas is an explosive fuel. If you plan to use gas, then the stove must be equipped with an automatic system that will shut off the fuel supply in the event of no flame.
When the house is connected to a central gas main, natural gas can serve as fuel for the heater. If the heating is individual, propane or butane will do.
Gas heating in the bathhouse at any time of the year is carried out according to the rules fire safety established for hazardous fuels.
Construction of a smoke exhaust system
Combustion products must be removed correctly and promptly. Violation of chimney construction technology is fraught with huge troubles.
The chimney includes the following elements:
- ceiling-passage unit;
- passage through the roof;
- "umbrella".
The sandwich pipe is connected to the furnace outlet and led through the ceiling using a ceiling-passage assembly. The place where the chimney exits to the outside should be protected with heat-insulating material. An “umbrella” is installed on top of the pipe to protect it from precipitation.
The main rule for constructing a heating bath of any type is safety and reliability of the structure!
To maintain optimal temperature In all bath rooms, it is best to heat the bath from a heater installed in the steam room. For small baths, consisting of a dressing room, a wash room and a steam room, a single stove, as a rule, is installed in such a way that the heater is in the steam room, the stove firebox is located in the dressing room, and the storage tank for heated water is located in the washing room.
Simplified bath heating systems
The easiest to manufacture, maintain and operate is the system in which the bath is heated from a stove in the steam room. That is, the stove-heater, which provides maximum heating of the surrounding air and the production of heated steam, is located in a steam room, and its combustion part, through which flammable material is loaded, is taken out to the dressing room. At the same time, due to the implementation of such a design, the bath is heated from the sauna stove simultaneously in both the steam room and the dressing room. In this case, the washing compartment of the bathhouse is heated by placing a hot water tank in it, and, if necessary, an additional heating battery.
The storage tank, located in the washing compartment of the bathhouse, is connected by pipes to a heat exchanger heated by a sauna stove. Heating water in storage tank produced using circulation pump pumping water through a heat exchanger located either directly in the fuel combustion area or on the chimney pipe of the stove.
Bath stove with heat exchanger for heating and receiving required quantity hot water is the most effective and in a simple way maintaining optimal temperature in all rooms of the bath. Such combined design It is quite economical in terms of fuel consumption, generates a large amount of heat and has a relatively short time to reach operating mode.
Bath stoves and their features
If necessary, with a heating circuit, it can be quite universal both in terms of operating mode and the fuel used in it. Such a furnace can be used either in a continuous combustion mode, or in a cyclic mode, with periodic loading of combustible material. Natural gas, wood, charcoal or fuel pellets can be used as fuel. In addition, electric stoves of appropriate power can be used to heat the bath and heat the water.
Continuous combustion furnaces are usually made from steel. Such a stove heats up quickly and cools down quickly when the fuel supply to it is stopped. Sometimes the surface of steel stoves is lined with decorative non-flammable material, which increases its safety and heat capacity.
Stoves used in cyclic mode for heating a room must have a high heat capacity and the ability to retain heat for a long time after the fuel supply has stopped. They are made from refractory bricks, which have a large mass and high heat capacity. Such an oven, after heating, can maintain a high temperature sufficiently long time. The disadvantages of such furnaces include a long time to reach the operating mode, that is, a long time for heating the furnace in a cold state.
To organize the supply of hot water to the bathhouse, as well as for heating the premises, stoves equipped with systems are used forced circulation hot water, as well as heat exchangers.
Furnaces with heat exchangers
Furnaces equipped with heat exchange devices allow you to successfully solve all the problems of heating a room, heating water, and creating steam. Heating a bathhouse from the heat exchanger of a bathhouse stove can include not only the main rooms of the bathhouse, but also auxiliary ones, for example, a shower room, a relaxation room, a swimming pool, a billiard room, etc.
When designing a stove equipped with heat exchange devices, even at the stage of building a bathhouse, the following should be taken into account:
- dimensions of the bathhouse and area of heated premises;
- dimensions and weight of the furnace;
- specific gravity of the heating device;
- the number of heat exchange devices included in the furnace kit;
- the total volume and composition of the circulating coolant;
- diameter and length of the chimney.
Sauna stoves with a heat exchanger can be connected using heat-insulated pipes:
- To a remote tank for heating water used in the washing section of the bathhouse.
- To heating radiators located in the service areas of the bathhouse - recreation room, billiard room, etc.
- To a hot water supply and water heating system, which includes not only the main and service areas of the bathhouse, but also the living areas of the house.
Stoves for heating baths with wood come with an internal or external heat exchanger. The internal heat exchanger is located in the combustion chamber between the body and the casing. It uses heat obtained directly from the combustion of fuel and heating of the furnace.
An external heat exchanger is installed around the chimney pipe. It uses the heat given off by heated gases when they are removed outside. Due to the increased volume of the external heat exchanger, its operating efficiency increases. Using the heat of gases escaping through the chimney allows you to save fuel and increase the efficiency of the furnace by reducing the temperature of the exhaust gases.
IN cast iron stove The water in the heat exchanger is heated by exhaust flue gases and thermal radiation. The heat exchanger body is located in the upper part of the firebox in the area of the chimney.
A brick stove for a bath involves the location of a heat exchanger inside the brickwork in close proximity to the firebox. This somewhat increases the thermal inertia of the heat exchanger, and also reduces the likelihood of its overheating or oxidation of its surface under the influence of open fire.
The heat exchanger that provides heating of the bath from the stove in the steam room must correspond in technical parameters to the effective power of the water heating system, the operating pressure in the system, the volume and composition of the circulating coolant.
Features of a sauna stove with a heat exchanger
A sauna stove equipped with a heat exchanger has certain design features.
These include, in particular:
- tube supply system for coolant circulation;
- thickened body walls;
- increased volume of the heater;
- the presence of an air distributor is mandatory;
- firebox door made of heat-resistant glass.
The heat exchanger operates due to the constant circulation of water through all devices that make up the heating system in the bathhouse. For effective use heat exchanger, the length of each connecting pipe should be a maximum of 3 m. Especially if there is no external thermal insulation of the pipe.
Subject to compliance, as well as the presence of forced ventilation and thermoregulation systems, a universal stove for baths and home heating can be equipped with a heat exchanger. The stove itself can be located in the bathhouse and connected to the living quarters of the house using a thermally insulated heating pipeline and supplying the home with hot water.
To organize water circulation in the centralized heating system, as well as to supply hot water to the premises of the house and to the washing compartment, an automated bathhouse is used to maintain constant pressure in the line.
The most simple design A universal stove is an electric stove with separate electric heaters for the stove sections with a heat exchanger and the heater.
Such a furnace can operate in several modes, namely:
- In the mode of heating the residential premises of the house and its hot water supply (DHW) while maintaining the minimum required temperature in the bathhouse premises during the cold season.
- In heating mode for baths and the entire house with hot water supply during the cold season.
- Organization of heating of the bathhouse and heater in the summer.
A similar stove for bathing and heating at the same time can be created in the form of a device continuous action on natural gas or fuel pellets. Using charcoal or wood as fuel in this case is difficult and has certain technical difficulties. After all, wood or coal stoves do not provide the possibility automatic adjustment temperature. This can lead to sudden temperature changes in the heating line.
If it is possible to connect to the main line natural gas or an industrial voltage electric cable, you can make a sauna stove from a heating boiler operating, respectively, on gas or electricity. Such a stove can perform the functions of a heating and water heating system. Together with the heating boiler in the bathhouse, you can also install a small steel wood-burning stove in the steam room.
If the central heating system of the house has sufficient power, the auxiliary rooms of the bathhouse can be heated using it. To do this, heat-insulated pipes are laid from the home heating system to the bathhouse, to which heating radiators for the auxiliary rooms of the bathhouse are connected. In this case, the stove-heater can only be used to heat the steam or washing section of the bath, if necessary.
If the distance from the water heating boiler of a residential building to the bathhouse is small, then heat loss with such a heating system can be minimal. In addition, the presence of an independent external heating system will allow you to maintain the optimal temperature in the bathhouse during winter period. This is required to prevent freezing of water supply and sewerage pipes, as well as the bathhouse itself. The combination of heating systems for a residential building and a bathhouse in this case can be of an auxiliary, backup nature.
Since ancient times, the heart of the bathhouse has been the stove. But today the heat in modern steam rooms goes along other paths - sometimes the most unimaginable. So, if the steam room and washing steam room are used cyclically, i.e. from time to time, there is no point in organizing too complex heating in the bathhouse - it will be enough to install a simple stove and stock up on fuel. But, if the bathhouse is used often and not only for its intended purpose (when they do laundry in it, when there is no bathtub in the house, and if it is a bathhouse), then it will not be possible to heat it with a stove alone all day long - it is too expensive. But the Russian peasant, of course, has a solution to all questions - and today’s bathhouses are heated with whatever extra means - and warm floors, and radiators, and using heating mains, and automatic boilers. We’ll try to figure all this out right now.
By the way, according to many bath attendants, the most budget-friendly and optimal option is not to use a stove for baths and heating with huge units of various types - this is one gas pipe and a wall-mounted boiler. But this system is not suitable for every steam room - a lot depends on the material from which the walls are built and on its total area.
Bath heating system with heated floors
Recently, it has become fashionable to have heated floors in bathhouses - how additional source heat. The pleasure, of course, is not cheap, but for those who use the steam room all year round, this is a good option. It is not suitable for periodic use - pipes, of course, tolerate freezing normally, but concrete mortar does not do well.
Warm floors - water or infrared - in a bathhouse are most often installed in the relaxation room, wash room and steam room. If the coolant is heated with wood, then this will require approximately 45 watts of electricity for two circulation pumps. Making such a floor is not difficult - to do this, you first need to select the correct diameter of the pipes, calculate the resistance of the circuits and the power of the pump. But the fashionable infrared floor also heats the surrounding objects - and this is its advantage.
A couple of important points about warm water floors in a bathhouse:
- Be sure to make two separate circuits - one for the relaxation room, the second for the steam room and washing room. Both circuits have taps so that the temperature can be adjusted as needed. Such floors can be heated with a gas boiler, and it will only be used halfway, or with a wood boiler if the pump is installed at three speed positions.
- It is advisable to make the length of the pipes in the loops the same - so that later you do not have to install regulators in each loop. If it turns out that the floors do not heat enough, you can install a more powerful circular pump or heat exchanger.
- A security system is also necessary - this is a second circuit and an additional one on the porch of the bathhouse, so that winter time melt snow, and in summer - remove excess heat.
- It is advisable to connect a hot water tank for heated floors to the boiler copper pipes with a diameter of 22 mm - they are smooth and help increase the speed of water circulation in the system.
Some bath attendants pour antifreeze into this floor instead of water - it is much less afraid of frost.
An electric heated floor is very suitable for a relaxation room - according to statistics, it is the one most often chosen by bathhouse attendants
A warm water floor in a bathhouse is non-toxic, cheap and easy to use. But they use it in combination with other types of heating: radiator, electric and air. What does he look like? Here's how: between the base of the floor and its fine coating a pipe distribution system has been installed, through which it circulates hot water(or ethylene glycol, or antifreeze, or the same tasol). And so that the heat does not escape to the bottom, the entire pipe distribution is initially placed on a heat-insulating material - mineral mats or polystyrene foam with aluminum foil. So the heat flow only goes up and heats the bath well. And, although it is impossible to provide full heating of a bathhouse with the floor alone, even a small one, the floors can heat up to 35 degrees, which is a good addition to the main heating and its savings.
How to make heating in a bathhouse using convectors?
The bathhouse is also heated by convectors - gas and electric. This is much easier than installing heated floors, but also more expensive, of course. Many people do this: during bathing procedures they use an electric heater or oven, and for the rest of the time they leave the convectors in the “anti-defrosting” mode, which will constantly maintain a temperature of +5+10 degrees. In this case, you don’t have to pay much for electricity.
It is only important in such a system to adhere to safety precautions: the convector must have separate wiring, directly from the panel, the cable must be well insulated and located in a non-flammable channel.
Heating main: to decide or not?
Installing a boiler in a bathhouse is always a bit of a hassle. In a good way, we need a project - and an approved project, and this is bureaucracy. But even without it there are enough problems: it’s expensive, you need competent installation, you need different measures safety... That's why some bathhouse attendants are in favor of installing a heating main from the house. But there are some nuances here that you need to be aware of.
Firstly, there is no guarantee that groundwater will not accumulate at the pipe site at certain times of the year. Secondly, the heating main must be insulated - this is also an expense. Thirdly, if it is necessary to heat a bathhouse in winter in a trench, then all the pipes will have to be laid in a single pipe of a sufficiently large diameter - this is the only way to isolate communications from groundwater. But you can control the heat in the steam room using a simple remote control from home - and this is comfort.
But, no matter what alternative heating method is chosen, the main thing is to calculate everything in advance, and, if possible, invite a specialist: an experienced eye in this matter will not hurt.
In order to maintain a comfortable temperature in the main rooms of the bathhouse and ensure hot water supply, it is important to properly organize heating in the bathhouse from a heater located in the steam room, or use alternative sources. At the same time, each bathhouse owner can create an autonomous heating system independently, without involving outside help.
Need for additional heating
The classic option for heating a steam room for bathing procedures is a brick or metal heater. At the same time additional equipment used to maintain a given air heating temperature both in the steam room and in other rooms.
It is impossible to ensure quick and uniform heating of the dressing room and rest room from a sauna stove.
And if in summer this does not cause problems, then in winter such a situation can lead to a decrease in comfort when organizing a bathing holiday. In this case, all the heat produced will be accumulated in the steam room, and other rooms of the bath will remain unheated.
Installation of additional heating equipment will ensure the maintenance of a comfortable temperature necessary for a long stay in the dressing room.
Heating by stove-stove
For small baths, traditional heating remains the current heating option. In this case, it is enough to purchase or manufacture a heating unit of the required power.
Calculation of equipment power is determined by the formula: 1 kW of power per 1 sq. m of premises. To ensure a comfortable stay for visitors in the steam room, a thermal power reserve of 35 to 55% is additionally taken into account.
The popularity of the heating heater is explained by the following advantages:
- ease of installation and maintenance;
- accessibility of operation;
- using accessible type fuel.
When giving preference to a sauna stove, do not forget about some of the disadvantages of the device:
- impressive dimensions and weight;
- inability to automate the process of heating rooms;
- high fire hazard;
- formation of fuel combustion products.
Modern heaters operate on wood, electricity, liquid and gaseous fuel. The choice of the appropriate option depends on the financial capabilities and technical capabilities of the equipment.
To ensure effective heating of the room, heating the bath from the stove in the steam room is done as follows: the firebox is placed in the dressing room, the heater is in the steam room, and the tank with warm water is in the washing compartment.
Heating by furnaces with heat exchangers
At the design stage of heating equipment with a heat exchanger, the following data is taken into account:
- dimensions of the building and area of premises;
- design features of the furnace;
- weight of heating equipment;
- number of heat exchangers;
- coolant volume;
- length and diameter of the chimney pipe.
The following options for connecting heating equipment using pipes are possible:
- To expansion tank for hot water supply in the washing department;
- To heating radiators, installed in functional rooms;
- to hot water supply and water heating system in the main premises of the bathhouse and residential building.
Heating stoves are equipped with internal and external heat exchangers. The internal element is located in the firebox, the external element is located around the chimney pipe.
Electric heating system
Electric heating is the simplest and most affordable option organizing an autonomous bath heating system. When organizing it, it is worth taking into account the electrical wiring diagram, the total load on the network and the cross-section of the wires in order to carry out high-quality installation work.
The electric heating system involves the use of the following types of equipment:
- electric stove;
- electric convectors;
- infrared film;
- electric heating cables.
Modern electric boilers of low power are equipped with automation capable of maintaining a given temperature in bath rooms. To heat the bath, it is allowed to use induction, electrode and stepped boilers with heating elements.
An electric heater for a bath can be used as a main and additional source of heating. If possible, it is most convenient to use electric convectors. As with boilers, convectors are equipped with thermostats to maintain the optimal temperature automatically.
The electrical system can be operated year-round without the need for preparation and storage of fuel material. A significant drawback is the high electricity consumption.
Gas heating system
When connected to a gas main, heating a bathhouse with gas is the fastest and most effective option systems.
The system has two implementation options:
- traditional heater equipped with a gas burner;
- gas boiler with installation of heating radiators and water pipes.
The undoubted advantage of such heating is the absence unpleasant odors, formation of soot and soot. At the same time, gas equipment has a compact body, low weight and does not require much space during installation. The power of a standard boiler reaches 45 kW, which is enough to heat a room up to 280 square meters. m.
Water heating system
A practical and affordable way to organize heating of a bathhouse in winter is to install a water system.
Water is used as a coolant, gas, electricity, liquid and solid fuel are used as fuel, and a stove or boiler is used as heating equipment.
Water heating provides for fast and uniform heating of bath rooms with the ability to automatically maintain the set temperature.
There are the following options for arranging water heating:
- Radiator heating. Provides for laying pipes along the walls to which water radiators or convectors of the appropriate size and power are connected. The hot coolant from the boiler moves inside the system, providing space heating.
- Underfloor heating. Its operating principle is similar to that in the previous version. The only difference is that pipe installation is carried out in concrete base after its preliminary insulation and waterproofing. This design is of a non-removable type, and therefore requires compliance with installation technology.
Heating system with heated floors
Modern underfloor heating systems are represented by electric and water. Water floors - economical and affordable way heating of premises, which requires high-quality installation, since it is quite difficult to repair such a system.
To heat a rest room, dressing room or washing room, it is enough to install heated floors. All work can be done with your own hands. To do this, it is necessary to select pipes of a suitable diameter, calculate the operating resistance of the heating circuit and the required pump power, taking into account the area of the room.
Warm floors can be combined with radiator, electric and air heating.
Heating system from the heating main
A private bathhouse can be directly connected to the central heating main. To organize a similar heating option for a bath, you will need to install an additional circuit.
The connection of the circuit to the heating main is carried out in accordance with the design documentation and permits obtained from the relevant authorities.
Choosing this option involves some difficulties:
- the likelihood of accumulation of groundwater in places where pipes are laid;
- the need for additional insulation of the heating main;
- the need to attract professional installers.
Alternative and mixed heating options
Alternative options for heating baths are becoming in demand. These include the following types of equipment:
- heaters – ceramic and infrared;
- boilers – pyrolysis, pellet, diesel, long-burning;
- baseboard and ceiling heaters.
In cases where the bathhouse is rarely used, good option is the arrangement of a mixed heating system: a wood-burning stove combined with electric heating; pellet boiler with electric convectors. One type of equipment provides heating of rooms for bathing procedures, the other provides hot water supply and additional heating.
Combined heating system for bathhouse and home
If the residential building is connected to the central heating system, it is recommended to install auxiliary equipment for heating the bath.
Thus, the heating main from the house to the bathhouse is a practical and economical way heating of residential and functional premises.
In this case, the connection of the bathhouse to the heating system from the house is carried out through insulated pipes laid underground. In the bathhouse they are connected to heating radiators or convectors installed in all functional rooms. A sauna stove is used to heat the steam room and washing compartment.
At a short distance from the heating equipment installed in the house, up to bath room heat losses in such a system are insignificant.
In this case, the heating main of a residential building can be used for additional heating of the bathhouse, helping to maintain a comfortable temperature regime in winter. This will prevent possible freezing of sewer lines, water pipes and buildings.
Choice suitable system heating depends on design features baths and financial capabilities of the owner.
Some owners prefer traditional electric or wood-burning heaters, which provide soft and even heating of the premises. Others choose combination systems or advanced heating technologies.
But if you know how to make heating in a bathhouse, following the rules and recommendations, the operation of the building is possible throughout the year under any climatic conditions.
