Modern bath heating devices are designed to maintain optimal air temperature and create a favorable indoor microclimate.
An increasingly popular option for a heating device is a fireplace stove for a bath. It has wide functionality and also has an attractive appearance. Reliable and durable materials are used as cladding - glass, tiles, artificial stone and tiles.
Materials from which sauna stoves are made
It is important that the device is able to provide the required amount of steam, generate enough heat and allow you to enjoy the sight of burning logs. Therefore, a durable fire-resistant material is selected for the manufacture of the firebox. Heat-resistant high-alloy steel has these properties.
Some people prefer to install brick fireplace stoves in the bathhouse. They are not sold ready-made, so they can be made to order or with your own hands. Compared to a steel oven, building a brick unit will take more time and effort. The result of the work will depend on how accurately the calculations were made and the brick was laid.
It is better to entrust the development of an engineering project to a professional or a specialized company, since a stove-fireplace for a bath is considered a rather complex system that requires care and precision during construction. For such structures it is necessary to build a reliable foundation.
Advantages of a brick kiln:
- Possibility to build units of any size and shape. There are different heating methods (water, air) and two types of firebox (open, closed).
- The design is perfect for a wooden steam room.
- The brick heats up quickly and cools down slowly, so the heat is retained in the room for a long time.
- Quiet operation.
If desired, you can improve the design of a brick wood-burning stove-fireplace. For example, if you make some changes, it can be used to cook food over charcoal.
Why is there a second floor above the bathhouse?
If there is a house on the site, then, it would seem, why another additional building? However, sometimes there is a need for an additional, more compact structure. This could be a change house, a summer kitchen, a house for overnight guests, a living room for spending time together, a billiard room, a games room, a meeting house, a workshop, a studio or a mini-gym.
This solution allows you to protect the additional activities of one of the residents of the house from the life of the family and give individual family members more freedom. For example, in the workshop you can make more noise than you could afford in a house with children, in the living room with friends you don’t have to think about how late it is, in the gym you don’t have to worry about the sounds made when doing jumping and other exercises.
If, for a number of justifiable reasons, including those listed above, you decide to organize a bathhouse as a separate structure, the second floor will allow you to implement one or more of the ideas listed above.
On the second floor of the bathhouse you can meet friends, accommodate guests, equip a billiard room or a relaxation room. Most often, a full-fledged living space is organized on the second floor of the bathhouse, and the first floor is supplemented with office space.
Usually the second floor of the bathhouse is covered with wood: lining, block house. This creates special comfort.
The video shows one example of the implementation of the second floor above the bathhouse:
Considering that the bathhouse requires a chimney, it can be equipped with a fireplace, which will be located on the second floor, thus decorating it with a heating source and a place for preparing barbecue. An interesting solution, the implementation of which can be seen in the video:
Please note: this solution saves on heating the entire main house. Indeed, in winter you can come to the dacha, take a steam bath, relax on the second floor with a fireplace and barbecue, and spend the night there in the warmth without heating the entire large house.
A fireplace is a symbol of comfort. If you want to create an atmosphere of relaxation, it is better to plan a fireplace, which can be located both on the second floor and on the first, in a specially designated recreation room. It all depends on the design and purpose of each of the premises of the structure.
The fireplace in the interior of the bathhouse looks excellent:
Most often it is located in the rest room - the dining room.
Types of sauna stoves with fireplace
There are two ways to heat the unit:
- from the dressing room;
- from the steam room.
It is considered best to install the stove when the heater is facing the steam room, and the firebox is pulled out on the back side of the structure. It is believed that it is more convenient to place firewood in a remote device for burning fuel. This method allows you to install the unit simultaneously in the steam room and dressing room.
Certain models of metal stoves are equipped with a water tank , which is usually made of stainless steel and holds a minimum of 50 liters of liquid. The following installation methods are possible:
- remote;
- built-in;
- mounted
How to choose a stove
The best sauna stoves are those that completely match the parameters of steam rooms. Before purchasing, you need to measure the volume of the room so as not to miss the heater’s power.
The choice of stove material depends on the intensity of use of the bath and personal preferences. If you like quick heating, then you should prefer steel; if it is uniform and long, then cast iron is suitable.
It is important to consider where the firewood will come from. For a steam room that is heated from the dressing room, you should choose models with an external tunnel, in other cases - with a regular one.
If you want to purchase a wood-burning stove, check whether the ash pan of the stove you like is large enough.
Fuel types
It is necessary to pay attention to what flammable substance is used to fire the device. This affects both the price of the unit and its appearance. Depending on the energy source, bath heating devices are of the following types:
- Wood-burning . The wood burning stove is a classic. This type of fuel was used several centuries ago, and to this day timber products do not lose their relevance. This method of heating a bathhouse is quite functional, because the room warms up very quickly - within an hour. A wood stove consumes little energy, but provides heating for a room with an area of 4 to 50 m². The disadvantage of the unit is the need for constant cleaning of accumulated coal and ash.
- Gas. These are convenient and economical devices. They do not require constant fueling and cleaning, since their design provides automated control. This type of stove also allows you to enjoy a burning fireplace, creating the effect of a real flame. But it is not always possible to install such a device in a bathhouse, since it requires from 1.5 to 4.5 m² of gas per hour. It is difficult to provide such a volume without a central gas supply system. This is especially true for country houses and dachas. The stove can be powered by a gas cylinder, which is unsafe, so it is recommended to choose a different device model.
- Electrical. Such a stove is considered a relatively expensive pleasure. Electricity consumption due to the increased load is quite high - up to 5 kW/hour to heat the air in a room of 50 m². However, this type of oven has certain advantages: convenience and safety of operation. At the same time, for the correct functioning of the device, you will need reliable wiring and a separate electrical panel.
Interior layout of the bathhouse with billiards
Taking into account the customer's requests, we made the most spacious living room. One half of it will be a traditional leisure area with a couch and a TV, the second will house a billiard table.
In addition, the project provides for a locker room, a washing room with a corner bathtub, a steam room, a bathroom and technical rooms. You can get inside through a covered terrace and vestibule.
By the way, there are three terraces in our bathhouse with billiards. One of them is closed, unheated, with sliding glass partitions that allow enough sunlight into the room and at the same time can protect vacationers from wind and precipitation in bad weather. There is a barbecue area, a cauldron oven and a large dining table. If necessary, you can bring furniture here, light a warming grill and move from another terrace - open. It is designed in the form of a wooden pergola lattice - a structure that becomes a support for climbing plants in the warm season. In a suburban area, this is an excellent solution, not only providing comfort, privacy and security, but also giving a feeling of unity with nature, so we paid special attention to the pergola project. In addition, it is planned to install a cozy and safe open fireplace.
Another terrace – narrow and long – is located along the side wall of the house. There is a firewood shed on it, therefore, in addition to steps, the plan includes a ramp, for example, for a garden cart.
Stones
So, when a stove for a sauna is chosen, it’s time to think about buying quality stones that produce thick steam. The most important requirement for the material is its zero radioactivity. You need to choose dense cobblestones with a uniform structure. When they heat up, the heat is distributed evenly, gradually entering the steam room.
It is unacceptable to use stones with chips and cracks. To test the strength of cobblestones, you need to hit them against each other: good dense material will not crack, and no defects will appear on its surface.
To ensure good air circulation, large stones are placed on the bottom, medium ones on top, and the smallest ones on top. It is better to buy them in specialized stores.
The following types of stones are considered the most popular:
- vulcanite;
- basalt;
- jade.
For a Finnish sauna
| 1st place Harvia |
| Series M. The best metal stoves for a sauna with a medium steam room. Due to the elongated body, these heaters are compact. The convector of the stove is designed in such a way that a short period of time after igniting the logs in the steam room begins to get warmer. Legs that can be adjusted in height allow you to install the stove strictly vertically even on an uneven surface. And also adjust the height to the height of the owner. + Fast warm-up. + Compact. + Light weight. - Not detected |
| 2nd place Greivari |
| Model: Cuirassier 25 standard. Powerful heavy heater for large steam rooms with a volumetric firebox (100 l). The steel of the body is of high quality, so you can load 90 kg of stones into the heater, despite the fact that the weight of the stove itself is one kilogram less. The air heats up very quickly, which is facilitated by a four-sided convector. This is the best stove for a wood-fired sauna for those who love a hot sauna, because it will not be difficult for the Cuirassier to bring hundred-degree heat into the steam room. + Walls 6 mm. + Power. + External tunnel. + Aesthetic appearance. - Not detected. |
| 3rd place Teplodar |
| Model: Sahara 16 LK Profi. In the furnace body, engineers used two types of chrome-plated steel: the main elements contain 13% chromium, and those that experience particularly strong heating contain 17%. The heater is immersed in the firebox, so the stones are heated from the sides and below. The oven is extremely powerful, capable of heating the steam room to 110 °C in 50 minutes. It has several heating modes, so the steam room can have both a Finnish sauna and a Russian bath. + Chromed steel. + External tunnel. + Heat-resistant enamel. - Price. |
Famous manufacturers
Termofor is one of the most popular stove manufacturers. To create products, the company uses components made in Switzerland. The assortment is represented by a wide selection of models, which allows each buyer to find a suitable option. There are open and closed heaters, devices with a heat exchanger or water heating tank. Almost every sauna stove-fireplace holds about 100 kg of stones.
brand units are quite common
. The stoves of this manufacturer have a characteristic feature: the steam room reaches a comfortable temperature in a short time due to the presence of several independent channels for fuel combustion. Moreover, this stove has a long service life, and it can be serviced even while in the dressing room.
Main characteristics of the fireplace stove
In essence, a fireplace stove is a combined type sauna stove with a built-in fireplace portal. The portal can be open or closed by installing a glass-ceramic door. A similar design began to be used not so long ago, but it gained popularity due to its unique technical and external characteristics. Such stoves are heated from a dressing room or steam room.
In the first case, the firebox is mounted in such a way that, in addition to maintaining the optimal temperature in the steam room, visitors can comfortably spend time in front of the fireplace. It is believed that this type of design makes the rest of visitors more convenient and comfortable.
Placing the firebox inside the steam compartment does not allow it to be used as a fireplace hearth, since at high temperatures it is unlikely that you will be able to admire the blazing fire for a long time.
