How to make a ventilation system in a sauna with an electric heater: technical nuances

Oxygen-rich air is vital for people. Especially if a person is in an enclosed space. Therefore, ventilation in the sauna, bath, bathroom and other rooms with elevated temperature and humidity should be properly equipped.

Otherwise, you can face a lot of unpleasant surprises and their negative consequences. Among the consequences are listed not only damage to health, but also damage to building structures, the development of fungus, the gradual destruction of buildings.

You will learn all about the methods and features of organizing ventilation of Finnish and Russian steam rooms equipped with electric and wood stoves on our website. We will talk about the specifics of the device supply and exhaust systems. We list the typical errors that occur during illiterate construction.

Do I need ventilation in the sauna?

The fact that the presence of a ventilation system is not necessary for the sauna can often be heard on forums and in conversations with more experienced acquaintances who have been steaming in their own built bathhouse / sauna for the second year already.

Their main argument is their own example of the operation of the premises. After all, a ventilation device will take time and money.

Ventilation is easier to provide immediately, even before construction, than later to deal with problems arising from its absence.

The opinion that everything is working fine is fundamentally wrong. The first year or two will work, but subsequently the owner of such a steam room will face a lot of trouble. Yes, and the quality of bath procedures in an unventilated room can be argued.

It is in the steam room with fresh air that you can get high-quality procedures that have a beneficial effect on the body as a whole

The main problems to be encountered with an improperly equipped or completely absent ventilation system in a home sauna with an electric heater are as follows:

• lack of oxygen;
• unpleasant odor;
• rotting structures;
• reduced service life of the premises;
• drafts;
• increased fuel consumption for heating.

All these signs, or only part of them, one after another will begin to appear in the sauna / bathhouse, which has inoperative ventilation. If there is no influx of fresh street air, and several people are in the steam room at once, then there is a danger of getting burned. Especially if vacationers are intoxicated, which, unfortunately, can often be found.

Regarding the unpleasant odor, it appears due to the accumulation of sweat and insufficient removal of moisture in the room. After all, in the absence of ventilation, drying the steam room after use is problematic - you need to open the doors and make sure that everything is well ventilated and dried.

And this applies to all rooms - for relaxing, swimming, changing rooms and others, built by a prudent owner.

It is convenient to use special lattices and latches - so no living creatures will fly, and inflow / outflow can be controlled

An unpleasant odor still appears as a result of rotting a tree that does not have time to dry. This happens within two to three years from the start of the use of the sauna. So, some craftsmen even recommend a special technology for the interior decoration of the steam room - so that it is convenient to remove the rotten boards from below and replace them with new ones.

Many craftsmen do not even think that in a sauna with properly equipped ventilation, nothing will rot

Therefore, it is important to provide a ventilation system before starting the construction in order to avoid putrefactive aromas and problems with replacing rotten boards in the future.

In addition to this problem, one can observe an active mold overgrowth on walls and ceilings, condensation and swelling of wooden structures. All these troubles begin, like a snowball, to fall on the head of the sauna owner.

As a result, a significant reduction in service life. Instead of 20-30 years, the steam room can last only 5-6 years. Moreover, an unpleasant smell will accompany guests enjoying bathing procedures, all these years.

If there is a ventilation system, but it is not arranged correctly, then there will be a problem of drafts walking around the soaring feet. And this does not add to the joy of taking hygiene procedures.

Another nuisance is the increase in fuel consumption for heating the steam room. This is often found with an overly active exhaust hood that removes excess heat from the room.

A properly planned ventilation system in the sauna can protect the owner from unnecessary expenses and save not only money, but also health

To avoid such problems, you need to plan ahead and calculate ventilation system, choosing the optimal scheme for its arrangement. Moreover, there is no single correct solution to this issue - everything will depend on the specific room and its location.

Rules for organizing ventilation

The question is how to make effective ventilation in the bath and a sauna, excites many owners of country cottages, summer residences and just small houses. After all, you can equip a steam room almost anywhere, the main thing is the desire and the availability of certain funds for the implementation of this plan.

What is an electric sauna heater?

Sauna or bathhouse, the heart of which is electric stove, Not unusual. Often it is the electric option that is preferred for safety and minimal effort to properly heat the bathhouse.

The dimensions of the sauna heater can be chosen as you wish - this can be a very miniature option for a small steam room on the balcony

Kamenka furnaces offered in the market of equipment for saunas and baths are presented by such options:

• Finnish sauna heater;
• for small saunas;
• with a steam generator;
• for a Russian bath.

You can choose any model, the main thing before buying is not to forget to check the availability of technical documentation, a quality certificate and a guarantee from the manufacturer from the seller.

Also, depending on the selected furnace, there may be different requirements for the arrangement of the ventilation system. Manufacturer's recommendations are usually spelled out in the equipment manual. The most acceptable ventilation device layout is also provided.

The sauna heater is convenient not only in installation, but also in further operation. It does not require laying a chimney and thinking out additional options for the preparation and storage of firewood or other fuel. The only negative is the dependence on electricity. If in the country there are problems with this resource, then it is better to choose a different type of stove.

The electric furnace with stones is very compact, there are models of low weight - up to 70 kg. Therefore, equipping a steam room on the balcony is not a problem

An electric stove-heater comes with various additional functions and capabilities - a temperature sensor and humidity controller, control panel. Also, for the safety of users and protection against overheating, electric furnaces are equipped with thermostats and fuses.

If you purchased a highly functional model of equipment in which you can optionally set the humidity level and temperature, then the sauna can easily turn into a bathhouse and vice versa.

Technical nuances of ventilation in the bath / sauna

Sauna is a non-residential room, but it needs no less residential intensive air exchange. Without a sufficient supply of fresh air, the steam room will not be able to fully recover.

And the visitor will feel uncomfortable - the air is stale, stale and breathing heavily. Therefore, it is important when planning a ventilation system in a sauna to take into account the technical subtleties of its arrangement.

The requirements for installing a ventilation system in a sauna are significantly different from ventilation in other rooms

AT steam room with a heater It is important to provide 3 types of ventilation at once:

• the stove itself;
• steam rooms;
• adjoining rooms (rest, locker rooms, shower room and others if available).

If it was possible to ensure the correct circulation of fresh air through the sauna, then there will be no problems with its operation.

It is important that the supply air from the street immediately enters the heated stove, heating up from it and cooling it at the same time. Then it, already warm, but still fresh, rises up and mixes with room air masses, forcing the part out into the street through the exhaust hole.

Therefore, schemes where the supply valve is located far from the furnace, it is undesirable to apply. Better to consider a more acceptable ventilation option.

Technical requirements for the ventilation system in the sauna:

• the gap under the door is 2-5 cm;
• without drafts;
• regulated inflow / conclusion;
• cyclical air renewal;
• the flow of clean air from the street;
• the correct direction of the air masses through the duct;
• optimal cross-section of ventilation openings;
• the correct height of the ventilation duct above the roof.

To ensure an adjustable inflow and outflow of air masses, valves must be used. This is a very convenient invention, which has come to us for a long time and has received modern performance.

As for cycling, according to the standards, the air in the steam room should be updated 5-6 times per hour, and if it is a dry sauna, then at least 10 times per hour. Its inflow should be carried out not from internal premises, but from the street. It is important that the incoming air is as saturated as possible with oxygen.

The air masses moving through the duct should go in the direction “from the steam room” - first the air got from the street to the steam room, then continued on through adjacent rooms, completing the path with a technical room, closet, pantry

Exhaust air with a high percentage of carbon dioxide can exit through the ventilation duct discharged above the roof. In this case, its height must be optimal in order to provide good traction, but not higher than 3 m. The height depends on the location of the channel.

The optimum duct section is calculated by the volume of the steam room. So, at 1 m³ rooms need 24 cm² sections

In a sauna with an electric heater, you don’t have to worry about installing a separate chimney or ventilation duct to remove combustion products. This is an absolute plus when arranging ventilation.

System device features

The quality of the procedures in the steam room, the mood and health of users, the duration of the service life of the room depend on the correctness of the ventilation system device. And the maintenance costs also depend on how efficiently the air exchange takes place.

Choosing a scheme for ventilation system devices depends on many indicators - the size of the sauna / bath, the number of associated rooms, location, type of sauna heater. So, it could be:

• detached building;
• sauna in the room adjacent to the bath;
• sauna in the basement of the cottage;
• steam room on the balcony of a city apartment.

It is important that at least one wall faces the street. It is in it that it is advisable to plan the installation supply valves and windows. If this is not possible, then consider options with forced injection of fresh air using fans.

It is convenient when one wall is adjacent to the street - the supply valve with a valve can be mounted in it, providing an influx of clean air

Depending on the type of control, ventilation in steam rooms can be:

• natural;
• forced;
• mixed.

Most often, the latter option is used, when the inflow occurs naturally and the outflow using exhaust fans. To do this, a supply valve is mounted below the furnace at a height of about 30 cm from the floor. Well, if this wall is adjacent to the street.

If not, it’s possible to build a ventilation duct using flexible ductby leading him to the right place. Sharp turns should be avoided, choosing the smoothest and shortest path.Inside, it is advisable to put a shutter or install a valve with a gate.

When street air enters the steam room, it immediately runs into an electric sauna heater. It, heated up, warms it up, allowing it to rise up, where it mixes with the air masses, displacing the part. When the cooled air goes down, it is drawn in by the exhaust fan into the hole and starts to move up the ventilation box.

Exhaust openings are usually made on the opposite wall. Moreover, one is located below, and the second above. Between themselves they are connected by a ventilation duct. Also, the exhaust system is equipped with an exhaust fan.

The air exchange with the supply and exhaust circuit occurs most efficiently - fresh air is uniformly warmed up, mixed with hot steam, displacing the exhaust into the exhaust outlet

Additional circulation of air flows through the cracks in the window and through the gap between the door and the floor. If the sauna is freestanding, and its frame was built in accordance with all the rules, then there will be a small gap between the lower logs, which provides additional ventilation of the room. This is necessary to prevent rotting of the tree and the appearance of mold on the walls inside the steam room.

Ventilation construction errors

If you take into account all the subtleties of the device ventilation system, the result will please more than one decade. But often inexperienced masters make annoying mistakes that directly affect the quality of the procedures and the mood of vacationers in the sauna / bath.

The most common mistake - layout duct layout upon completion of construction. This is the most unpleasant, because such work should be done at the very beginning. Then, not only will it be convenient to mount everything, but it is also easy to hide communications by decorating them.

Excessive tightness of the walls and floor can lead to the fact that they will soon require replacement

Secondly, excessive tightness of the room can serve not the best role. So, if there is no gap at least 2-3 cm under the door, windows and openings for the influx, then in such a steam room you can suffocate. This is an extremely unfortunate option.

The third mistake made when arranging the ventilation system is to make only an exhaust hole under the ceiling. It will provide a greenhouse effect when air exchange does not occur. To inhale a breath of fresh air, you have to open a window or door.

The exhaust and air inlet should be provided with a valve - it is convenient to use, and it can fit into any interior without violating the general concept

Fourthly, it is impossible to leave openings of an entrance / exit of air masses without gate valve. Its presence will help optimally regulate the indoor microclimate in any weather and outside temperature.

It is the valve that helps to clearly select a comfortable temperature and humidity, releasing excess hot air. With the shutter closed, on the contrary, you can quickly heat a well-ventilated room.

The presence of a protective grill at the inlet or outlet will protect from accidental ingress of insects, birds and other animals into the steam room

The fifth mistake is to place the inlet and outlet valves at the same level opposite each other. With this scheme, drafts walking along the legs and the complete absence of mixing of air masses can be observed. The air coming from the street will not have time to heat up and mix into the steam mixture under the ceiling of the room.

The sixth mistake is the installation of complex, expensive ventilation systems. The equipment does not withstand sudden changes in temperature for a long time and requires periodic repair and replacement of individual devices.

Complex systems are an expensive pleasure, especially if you use the steam room from time to time - a couple of times a year

Therefore, when choosing the optimal ventilation scheme, you should take into account the features of your room, its dimensions, the height of the ceilings. It is important not to forget about this even at the planning stage of construction work, so as not to overpay later.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

In the sauna, ventilation can be arranged using improvised means. Video clip about installing a supply in the sauna:

The second part of the economical arrangement of ventilation in the steam room is the laying of an exhaust duct:

The video discusses various ventilation schemes in baths and saunas:

The creation of an effective ventilation system in the steam room is detailed in the video clip:

About the correct design of the ventilation system in the sauna and the main mistakes made by home masters are described in the video:

Having familiarized yourself with the features of the ventilation system in the sauna, you can correctly design and equip ventilation with an electric sauna. Moreover, having a small sauna and a desire to do everything yourself, you can cope with the installation yourself.

The main thing is to correctly calculate the location of the inlet and outlet openings and to perform high-quality installation of air ducts.

Please write comments in the block below. Tell us about your experience in the ventilation device in the sauna or bath. Ask questions, share useful information, post pictures on the topic.