Do-it-yourself sauna heater: detailed instructions

In our country it is rare to meet a person who has a “cool” attitude towards the bathhouse. Therefore, when building a house or cottage, the bathhouse is often the first to be built on the site. Let's figure out how to build a sauna heater with your own hands. After all, many people prefer traditional stoves, although now an electric heater can also be purchased.

DIY sauna heater

Advantages of a brick stove

Brick stove-heater
A stove made of brick has a large closed heater; designs of other materials cannot compete with it in terms of the quality of the steam produced. The advantages of this design are:

• Fire safety;
• long-term heat retention;
• the ability to heat a large area;
• ease of operation and no need to add fuel during the washing process;
• uniform heating of the room;
• lack of contact between stones and combustion products.

The disadvantages of a stone stove include its impressive weight, which requires laying a separate foundation, and the need to preheat the bath.

Metal heaters: pros and cons

Made of metal
If desired, you can weld a steel stove for a bath. A container for stones is installed above its firebox. This option is cheaper and can be manufactured faster and easier than a brick structure. Cast iron cannot be used for metal heaters; cracks will occur when water gets on it. Among the advantages of a steel heating device:

• compact size;
• light weight;
• fast warm-up.

When choosing how to make a heater for a bath, the disadvantages of the stove are also taken into account; rapid cooling after combustion stops, uneven heating of the bath, fire hazard.

The brick stove is installed so that it heats all the rooms. Its front part with the combustion door and ash pan goes to the dressing room. The location for the structure is chosen when designing the bathhouse, because you need to take into account the required distance from the wall to the stove and build a solid foundation.

Metal heater stove, is it suitable for a bath?

Metal stove heater

This furnace design is the simplest. For work you will need sheets of steel with a thickness of at least 5 mm, a welding machine and a grinder (or a gas cutter), pipes for water supply and drainage, refractory bricks, stove clay solution, stones, pipes for the chimney, tap, stove doors with latches and hinges, metal profile for mounting the stove support.

Sample furnace heater

The structure itself consists of a water tank with pipes and a tap connected to it. The tank is heated from the back wall of the stove, the internal space of which, in turn, is zoned into a firebox and an open heater. Flue gases are disposed of through a chimney exiting the firebox through the heater and the walls of the bathhouse.

First of all, it is necessary to cut out the bottom and side walls of the future stove from steel sheets and connect them by welding. We weld corners inside the stove - they will support the sheet of metal on which we will lay the stones.

Making a frame for the stove

On the front wall we cut out a rectangular hole for the door, and from the cut out rectangle we make a door. You can weld it around the perimeter with strips of steel for a tighter fit. We drill several holes in the lower part of the door or front wall of the firebox to allow air to enter the stove. We weld the door hinges and the hinge for the bolt.

Making a door

We line the interior of the furnace with fireclay bricks

To make a chimney, we will prepare a pipe and make a hole in the sheet of metal on which the heater will be located. We weld the pipe to the steel sheet.

Metal stove for a bath

Let's start installing the water tank. It consists of three walls and a bottom, hermetically welded together and the back wall of the furnace. We weld the inlet and outlet pipes for water to one of the side walls of the tank. Then we weld the tap at the bottom of the tank. We install the entire structure on a frame made of steel profiles or on a brick base 20-30 cm high. We cover the metal parts of the stove with fireproof paint. We lay stones on top (soapstone, porphyrite, basalts, etc.) ranging in size from 5 to 12 cm. We install the chimney and chimney, pour water into the tank, cover it with a lid and ignite the finished stove, checking the structure for the presence of draft and the absence of smoke in room.

To modernize a potbelly stove for a bath, you can equip it with an ash pit with a grate and a box for collecting ash. This will greatly simplify cleaning the stove, and the ash door will help to better regulate the draft, and, accordingly, the temperature and rate of fuel combustion. For the same purpose (regulating the heating temperature of the stove), as well as to reduce heat loss through the chimney, it is equipped with a valve. It can be a gate type or any other.

Chimney damper

Gate valve - view 2

Heater location

Depending on the area of ​​the steam room, a stove of a suitable size is designed. If, as a result, the heater takes up space up to 2 m2, then it can be installed in a specially made niche in the wall. Due to this, heat loss can be prevented, since its combustion will be carried out directly from the steam room. Although in most cases the heater is designed in such a way that its firebox is carried out from the next room.

A sauna stove should be installed so that the heat from it spreads into the dressing room, washing room and steam room. Thanks to this, it will be possible to make a common chimney with three separate chimney channels for a gas boiler, fireplace and heater stove.

Useful properties of steam

It is impossible to imagine a real Russian bathhouse without steam. Steam expands skin pores and removes harmful toxins from the body. The skin becomes more elastic and firm.

Heat dilates blood vessels, stimulating metabolism. The human brain is freed from mental and emotional stress, bringing the entire body into a peaceful state.

The heat of a steam room is an excellent cure for joint disease. It was not for nothing that our ancestors loved going to the bathhouse, mercilessly whipping themselves there with brooms, and to get steam, you would need a sauna heater. Let's figure out how to choose a heater for a bath or make it yourself. Most often, a traditional wood stove is used, although an electric one can be installed.

Water container

Immediately before building the stove, it is important to determine the volume of the tank in which the water will be heated. The volume of the tank will depend on the intensity of visiting the steam room. So, the calculation is made based on one liter of hot water per person. It is best to use an open container. Although there will be evaporation, there are a number of positive aspects:

• Convenient when filling the container.
• The ability to carry out maintenance or repair of the internal part if necessary, for example, remove scale, clean and dry.
• In winter, completely remove water, protecting the tank from freezing the water in it.

Foundation for a brick stove-heater

If you want the stove you made to last for many years, you should take care of making a reliable foundation for it. In this case, be sure to take into account the following nuances:

1. The foundation of the bathhouse and heater must be different, especially if the total mass of the stove exceeds 700 kg. There must be a distance of at least 500 mm between them.
2. The foundation for the heater must have a depth below the soil freezing level of an average of 700 mm. In different regions of Russia, the level of soil freezing is different.
3. The size of the foundation should be half a brick larger than the stove itself on each side.

So, let's look at the step-by-step process of making a foundation for a stove:

• To begin, dig a pit with a depth below the soil freezing level, on average 700 mm. The size of the pit around the perimeter should be 100–150 mm wider. This will allow you to easily install the formwork, and fill the resulting gap with sand or gravel.
• At the bottom of the pit we make a sand cushion. At the exit it should have a thickness of 150 mm. After pouring a layer of sand, water it with water to compact it. As water is absorbed, the sand will settle, so you will need to add it to the desired thickness.
• When the water is completely absorbed, a layer of stones or broken bricks is poured on top of the sand. It needs to be compacted. The resulting gaps between the stones should be filled with sand and watered. It is very important that the sand fills the space between the battle and the stones as densely as possible. The thickness of this layer, in our example, will be 250 mm.
• If the sand has stopped settling, then the next layer of crushed stone can be backfilled. It also needs to be compacted well.
• Now you need to make formwork from boards 40 mm thick. The internal size of the formwork must correspond to the size of the foundation. The top of the formwork must be leveled. It should be securely fixed in the pit and a reinforcement cage should be placed inside it. There should be 50 mm between the formwork walls and the frame.
• At the next stage, perform concreting. In this case, it is necessary to tamp with a piece of steel reinforcement or a wooden beam. The upper level of liquid concrete must be brought to the edges of the formwork. The surface of the screed should be smooth. As a result, the formwork should be on the same level as the subfloor of the bathhouse. The poured concrete must be left for several days to set.
• When the concrete has acquired sufficient strength, the formwork must be removed. The surface of the concrete is covered with two layers of molten tar. After this, fill the space between the walls of the soil and the concrete with sand or gravel. After this, cover the concreted area with plastic film and wait 7 days. Then you can start laying bricks.

The base for the furnace is made of reinforced concrete slabs

There is another way to make a foundation if you are installing a sauna stove with your own hands. A 150-mm reinforced concrete slab with a reinforced layer at the bottom is laid in the base. The larger the area of ​​the stove, the higher the reliability of the stove structure.

When the soil in the area is moist clayey (loamy), then to prevent seasonal fluctuations in the foundation it is necessary to lay several piles under the reinforced concrete foundation so that the slab has support.

Piles are made in the following sequence:

1. Using a garden auger with a diameter of 20 centimeters, make a cylindrical hole one meter deep.
2. Rubble is poured into the bottom of the pit in a layer of 15 centimeters and compacted.
3. Then a kind of tube is rolled out of roofing felt, which will become the formwork. She is lowered into the pit.
4. The solution is poured to the slab installation level.
5. After 10 days, a reinforced concrete product is placed on the finished piles.

An important point that you need to pay attention to is the need to waterproof the top edge to prevent moisture from the soil from penetrating into the brickwork of the stove.

To do this, spread roofing felt overlapping in two layers on the mounted slab, coating it with hot bitumen. The waterproofing should extend beyond the base by 5 centimeters. Its second layer is placed perpendicular to the first.

Masonry bricks

For laying a stove, it is important to purchase well-fired and high-quality bricks. It should not have chips or cracks. Its edges must be smooth. The quality of a brick can be checked very simply. If, when dropped, it falls apart into several large pieces, then the brick is suitable. If, when dropped, it crumbles into many small pieces, then such a batch of bricks is not suitable for a heater.

Possible mistakes

It is recommended to choose basalt stone for the heater.
The heater in the bathhouse will function for a long time and correctly if you follow certain recommendations when arranging it.

1. For laying the body, it is better to use red clay bricks. Only fireclay is suitable for the firebox; replacement is not allowed.
2. It is important to choose the correct consistency of clay mortar for masonry. If it is too dry and liquid, the masonry will crumble; if it is too greasy, the joints will be loose.
3. Not every stone is suitable for a heater. Choose basalt, soapstone, and andesite.
4. The stones are selected to be relatively flat in shape and placed in a vertical position. When placed horizontally, heat is distributed unevenly.

Test ignition is carried out after the masonry has completely dried, it lasts no more than 5 minutes. For 3 days, the procedure is repeated several times a day. Only after this do they begin to fully heat the steam room.

Masonry mortar

For laying fireclay bricks, a mortar prepared from white fireclay clay is used. You can also purchase a ready-made composition for laying fireclay. You cannot place the entire oven on this solution. Why? This solution is sintered into a monolith at a temperature of 700–800°C. There are no such temperatures in external masonry. Therefore, after a short time it will crack and spill out, which will lead to the destruction of the masonry.

For external masonry, a solution of quartz sand and clay is used in a ratio of 1 (clay) : 5 (sand). The sand must be of river origin or quarry. River sand is somewhat worse, since its grains of sand are round and round, and the solution itself will have worse characteristics. Therefore, preference is given to quarry sand. The sand is sifted through a mesh with cells of 2–2.5 mm. This will prevent large particles from getting into the solution.

As for clay, it can also be obtained from a quarry from a depth of at least two meters. The quality of the clay should be checked. To do this, soak 200 g of clay in water for a day. Then roll the clay into a “bun” and leave it to dry under a canopy in the open air. After 2 days, drop it onto a stone slab from a height of 170 cm. If the “bun” has crumbled into several large parts, then clay is suitable.

The selected clay must be soaked in water to a paste-like state and ground through a sieve. First through large cells, and again through small ones.

Creation of sand-clay composition

After preparing the base, the next step is mixing clay and sand. It would seem that why exactly such a composition is needed if there is cement, but the answer is obvious - the cement mortar is completely unable to withstand exposure to high temperatures. That is why all designs of a brick heater stove for a bathhouse require a sand-clay composition.

The best clay for laying a stove in a bathhouse can be obtained at a depth of about half a meter. Naturally, the material must be thoroughly cleaned and soaked for several days before use. For soaking, you can make a small groove next to the bath. It is necessary to prepare not only clay, but also sand - it must be cleaned of various impurities and thoroughly sifted so that there is no debris in the masonry joints.

The clay is kneaded directly in front of the slave. Experienced stove makers use a special “oar” for these purposes, which is perfect for these purposes. Next, water is added to the clay, and it all mixes well until it becomes sour cream. Moistened sand is added to the clay mixed with water.

To determine the quality of the resulting solution, a dry and clean stick is lowered into it, and the result is determined by the following criteria:

• If a layer of mixture less than 1 mm thick has stuck to the stick, you need to add clay;
• If the thickness of the adhering layer exceeds 3 mm, sand is added;
• If 2 mm of the mixture adheres to the stick, then the solution is suitable for use.

Masonry

The masonry process is very painstaking and complex. There are a large number of subtleties and nuances here, understanding some of which comes only with experience. Therefore, to make this work easier for you, this section contains several videos that tell you step by step and show how to lay row by row.

As an example, consider the manufacture of an open small stove-heater. The size of such a stove is 102x62 cm. It is capable of heating a steam room with a tank, while the tank itself is located separately. It uses an interesting water heating system - an open siphon. So, a pipe is welded into the tank at a slight angle, which is sealed at the end. It should be under an open fire in the firebox. As soon as the water in the pipe boils, it rises into the tank, and cold water comes in its place.

The diagram below shows an example of a stove with an open heater:

Diagram of an open heater
And also a diagram of the arrangement of the firebox of an open heater:

Order of the firebox
Below in the diagram is the order of the brickwork of the stove:

Order of brick laying
If you want to make a closed stove-heater, then keep in mind that this is much more difficult to implement. There are many nuances that must be taken into account when laying it. It is quite difficult to describe the entire technological process, so we suggest you watch an introductory video. The peculiarity of such a furnace is that the reservoir for stones is lined with fireclay bricks:

Video about making a closed stove:

It is worth noting that upon completion of the masonry, drying should be 10 days. At the same time, drafts are unacceptable. Only after this time can the first fire be fired.

Photo instructions for ordering the heater stove

Stage 1-4

Stage 5-8

Stage 9-12

Stage 13-16

Stage 17-21

Stage 22-25

Modernization methods

You can make the oven more powerful and convenient yourself. There are several proven options for this:

1. Place a tank of water over the stones. It can be used for rinsing after staying in the steam room and taking a shower the next day.
2. Inside the brick stove equipment, you can install pipes to make a heating circuit that is filled with water. By installing a special pump, you can make a homemade heating system suitable for heating large bathhouses.
3. If the heater is an open type, problems may arise with poor heating of the upper stones. To fix this, you need to make a special opening metal lid on the heater.

Modernization should not reduce the fire safety of the structure.

Construction of a firebox and ash pit

It is very important to correctly calculate the dimensions of the firebox. In this case, it is worth taking into account various factors, starting from the presence of a collector for heating water and ending with the type of fuel for heating the bath. The average depth of the firebox is 800 mm. 250 mm is allocated for the hot water system, and 550 mm is the usual length of firewood. The height of the firebox can reach 350 mm and the width 400 mm. With such dimensions, 8 to 10 logs of firewood can be placed in the firebox.

Chimney

The heater stove differs from its analogues in that natural stones are used to accumulate heat. The first segment of the pipe passes through just such a compartment with stones. The chimney can also pass inside a container of water to heat it. In all other respects, there are no special differences in the construction of the chimney. It can be assembled from sandwich pipes or ceramic blocks. The manufactured chimney must be insulated.

As for the lower part of the chimney, it is made of steel, right up to the ceiling. It is necessary to install a damper when passing through the ceiling pipe.

The gate is designed to improve combustion intensity, as well as to regulate draft.

If a sandwich pipe is used, then it has two walls, between which there is a heat-insulating material. They can be installed in the area from the ceiling to the fungus on the roof. Basalt mats are used to insulate a brick chimney. They wrap the pipe. Wire is used to secure the mats. An umbrella or fungus must be installed on the chimney. This will protect the chimney pipe from sediment entering it.

When arranging a chimney, you should decide what type it will be: external or internal.

You can learn about other subtleties of arranging a chimney pipe from the video:

Types of construction

Nowadays you can see a variety of portable heating elements in hardware stores, but people mostly prefer a traditional brick stove.

Instagram @barbekiukaminypechi

If you decide to install it, then before starting its construction, measure the room, because the traditional type of heating element may simply not fit there. Most often, their width exceeds 100 cm, and their height varies from 160 to 220 cm.

For all its massiveness, such a unit has a number of significant advantages:

• fireproof;
• retains heat well;
• warms large rooms.

However, if you do not have enough money for materials or the space does not allow you to build a full-fledged stove, then you should give your preference to the compact metal version.

Finishing

Most often, the stove-heater is left without finishing. Red brick is laid out for jointing, and all bulges and irregularities are sanded. At the same time, it is also practiced to enhance the color of bricks with a solution of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid. However, the stove-heater can be plastered or tiled.

If you decide to plaster, then the layer should be made up to approximately 15 mm. For this work, you can use the following compositions with proportions:

• clay (1) – asbestos (0.2) – sand (2);
• lime (2) – sand (0.2) – asbestos and gypsum (2);
• sand (3) – clay (1) – cement (1) – asbestos (0.2).

Immediately before plastering, the oven is heated. After this, the first continuous layer is wetted and applied. When the first layer has set, the next layer is applied. As a result, the surface of the wall should be rubbed so that the wall is smooth and looks neat. Finally, whitewashing can be done.

Commissioning

Before you are going to light the stove, you should let it dry thoroughly. To do this, open the doors, vent and vents open for 7 days, this way the oven will dry out faster. If the stove does not smoke when lighting, it means the draft is good.

You should not rush to light the stove. Otherwise, if there is insufficient drying, cracks may form in the masonry.

Necessary tool

To lay a stove, you will need the following set of tools:

• small trowel;
• hammer-pick;
• square 60×40 cm;
• plumb line;
• steel level 60–90 cm;
• grinder with cutting disc for stone;
• protective glasses.

Selection of stones

River stone
Based on the name of the stove, it uses special stones that undergo sanitary and geological examination. As for the specific choice of stone, there are several options:

• Soapstone chlorite.
• Jade.
• Gabbro-diabase.
• Raspberry quartzite.
• Porphyrite.

For baths, sea stones are considered to be the best option. However, such an opinion is unfounded. As practice shows, river stone can withstand high temperatures much better. Sea stone is destroyed very quickly, as it does not have sufficient strength.

Types of stones
But in addition to the type of stone, you should choose the right size and shape. For example, these could be medium stones with a smooth structure. Remember that there must be enough stones, as this affects the quality of heating and steam release.

So, when deciding which stone is best to use for a stove, remember not only practicality, but also the beauty of the room. Beautifully shaped stones will be a real decoration of a Russian bathhouse.

In this article we familiarized ourselves with the most common type of stove that is used to equip a Russian bath. As you can see, the process of its construction is quite complex and responsible. Therefore, there is no need to rush to start work. Carefully study all the recommendations in this article, diagrams, photographs and video material.

How to install it yourself?

When choosing the correct location for the stove, take into account the location of the components that must be accessible for periodic inspection. A reliable and high-quality pedestal will be a screed with insulation, poured over a primed base, at the same time as the foundation during construction. If the floors in the bathhouse are non-flammable, for example, made of cement or concrete floors, no additional protection is needed. Fire retardant materials are used only for wooden floors.

If the soil on the site is heaving, there is no need to lay a slab pedestal for a stove that is not connected to the foundation on screw piles. It may be connected to the base of the bathhouse if the device is shallow. For the connection, the foundations of both the stove and the bathhouse are anchored.

Rules for arranging a pedestal for a stove

The dimensions of the base should be larger than the dimensions of a metal stove with protective screens of 20 cm. The height of the base should be equal to the depth of the bathhouse foundation. The free part can be filled with brickwork.

The technological step-by-step process involves:

• Preparing the pit.
• Installation of formwork.
• Laying the armored mesh.

• Pouring with cement mortar.
• Covering the settled base with a layer of waterproofing.
• Laying bricks in several rows.

Installing a separate pedestal for the heat exchanger can be avoided if the joists and subfloor are strong enough to support the weight of the structure.

Solutions options:

• laying a metal sheet on top of a basalt sheet;
• laying a brick or stone base under the stove;
• laying ceramic or porcelain tiles.

The vertical parts that will come into contact with the structure are protected with heat-resistant sheet material. Specific parameter values ​​are indicated in the sauna stove manufacturer's instructions. The values ​​are interrelated with the actual thermal level of the stove and its design nuances.

Photo

Kamenka buller (buleryan)

Sauna stove-heater “Breneran”

Stove Sayany Vitra Termofor

Stove for Russian bath

Made of cast iron

In the steam room, the heater is combined with a fireplace in the dressing room

Fireclay furnace fencing

Homemade stove-stove
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Safety precautions

To avoid getting burns from hot surfaces and to reduce the risk of fire, you must follow the safety rules:

1. There must be a fire extinguisher in bathhouses.
2. Regularly clean furnace equipment from soot and ash.
3. Install the stove at a distance of at least 80 cm from the walls, cover them with heat-resistant material with reflective screens.
4. Perform a test firing of a homemade stove to check the tightness of the connections.

To protect visitors from possible burns, you can make a protective fence made of wood. Before this, the slats are impregnated with a fire-resistant compound.

After building a bathhouse, a person must choose the appropriate stove equipment. If you don’t have enough money, you can make a stove yourself. To do this, you need to select the material from which the heating unit will be made and prepare the base. After the foundation has hardened, the manufacture of the furnace can begin.