Wood Fired Saunas And Ventilation
Wood fired saunas recreate that authentic Finnish sauna experience that
comes only from burning wood. The heater is the heart of the sauna room and a
roaring fire will quickly lead to an escalation in temperature. A proper
ventilation system is essential as the extreme heat (especially on an upper
bench) can cause difficulty breathing and may actually burn the skin.
A sauna ventilation system can be as simple as leaving an open space below the
entrance door. Wood fired sauna room
heaters consume a lot of oxygen and the user wants to make sure there is a
constant supply of fresh air. However, the amount of air entering under the door
is in most cases insufficient. The solution is to install a ventilator intake in
close proximity to the wood fired heater and a ventilator outlet on the opposite
wall just below the ceiling. These openings are usually 6” to 8” in diameter,
depending on the size of the sauna.
Another thing to consider when it comes to wood fired heaters and ventilation is
the kind of fire wood used. Deciduous trees such as maple and birch burn the
hottest. Coniferous trees such as pine and spruce burn at lower temperatures.
The temperature in a Finnish wood
burning sauna is also controlled by the amount of heat stored in the stones
on top of the heater. Bathers increase the humidity by splashing water over the
heated rocks. In any case, the more wood you burn, the hotter the fire gets.
There is no easy way to control the temperature of wood fired home saunas. A
ventilation system bringing fresh air into the room is a must.
Sometimes the idea of having to deal with ashes and an occasional waft of smoke
as you add wood to the fire is not desired. There are external-feed
sauna room heaters that can be
loaded from the outside, totally eliminating smoke and ashes inside the sauna.
This type of heater may not require as much ventilation as an in-sauna feed
system.
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