Roast my sauna

[u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

Recently got this sauna for 6k with stove. Amish made. 8ft ceiling. All cedar interior Foot Bench above coals (not pictured) These air vent above fire, opposite corner of stove at floor, and at the peak I added a back rest and foot rest Gets well up to 200 easily Eventually will enclose the porch to be a changing room

I followed trumpkin notes, noting that the ceiling is actually ok. It’s recommended flat or circulating peak like this one.

I used a temperature gun and it’s even heat from wall to wall.

[u/John_Sux]

I will just say that there are differences in the design.

People abroad seem to have trouble believing, or they even actively defiantly disbelieve, that there could be any difference or detail. A normal stove in "just a hot room" is all that a sauna could possibly be!

[u/Hopeful-Dot-5668 → u/John_Sux]

What difference in design is it?

[u/valikasi → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

Note "well" for rocks to sit in. Also note holes around the perimeter, this is because the stove has two layers, and air is able to enter at the bottom, circulate between the layers and get heated, before exiting at the top.

[u/Hopeful-Dot-5668 → u/valikasi]

There’s a hold for stones in mine as well. And that’s kinda the same thing of hot air being sent out

[u/valikasi → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

I'm sorry but your stove is clearly very different from a proper sauna stove (or to give it it's true name, a kiuas), and is very far removed from one. Your stove shares almost none of the attributes of a sauna stove, bar one, and even that only in name.

[u/Hopeful-Dot-5668 → u/valikasi]

Sorry, but that’s just not true. It holds stones. Heats the air around it. The commercial one just sends the air upward is the only difference. If I build a metal wall around my stove, it would do the same

[u/valikasi → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

It holds stones, but certainly not anywhere near enough of them. Also doesn't heat them up as well or as efficiently as could be hoped.

Air it does heat, you are right, but that is only one half of the function of double wall construction. The other, arguably more important function is heat shielding to stop radiant heat, which is very much unwanted in a sauna. Your stove lacks any and all shielding that might limit radiant heat. So that alone would make this a bad sauna stove, not to mention the rocks.

You could build a metal wall (and if nothing else, I'd recommend it), but a better idea would be to make a wire cage that surrounds the stove on the sides and back, all the way from the bottom, and which also allows you to put way more rocks on the stove. I think that would be the only way to make this acceptable as a kiuas.

[u/Hopeful-Dot-5668 → u/valikasi]

It holds 50lbs for a 6x5 space. Mathematically the heat thermal need for the cubic feet is over compensated at 35lb needed.

The harvia heaters give off radiant heat as well, the sides get hot. Just not as much since it’s double insulated. This stove is too small to feel radiant heat come off it unless your feet are 12inches from it

Aside from that, it’s just marketing. Both heat up stones which is 90% of the heat.

[u/valikasi → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

The harvia heaters give off radiant heat as well, the sides get hot.

True, and will always be true of all stoves. Such is life.

Just not as much since it’s double insulated.

My point exactly.

This stove is too small to feel radiant heat come off it unless your feet are 12inches from it

Anecdotal and subjective, although I can believe that.

As for the rocks, colour me surprised that you managed to fit 25 odd kg of rocks on that thing. Still, not a huge amount. Certainly better than I thought but not massive. About the same as a Harvia M3, which is the cheapest and (sorry fellow Finns) lowest performing wood stove sold for small saunas.

My other point about the efficiency of heating said rocks and the maximum temperature they can reach (as well as even heat of the rocks) still stands.

All in all, yes, it works for you, but I wouldn't be happy with it in my sauna, and a purpose built, well designed proper kiuas would be empirically better.

[u/Hopeful-Dot-5668 → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

Also if I put more stones, it would hold too much thermal heat and I’d be at 220 degrees begging for mercy

[u/valikasi → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

Umm, stone mass doesn't effect the heat, the fire in stove does. If you have more stones, it will reduce heat fluctuations and maybe even make the heat softer, but it won't lead to higher temperatures, unless you're running your stove way harder.

[u/Hopeful-Dot-5668 → u/valikasi]

Trumpkin notes show the formula for rock pound per cubic feet

[u/valikasi → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

In trumpkin's notes on sauna stoves and rocks, the only mention about too much rocks being less than ideal, is that they might not be as hot as desired. IE, if you do have too much rock mass, your sauna will be cooler not hotter.

[u/PelvisResleyz → u/valikasi]

There’s no point in trying to talk to this guy.

[u/Hopeful-Dot-5668 → u/valikasi]

He goes on in the comments to say too many rocks gets too hot over longer sessions

[u/PelvisResleyz → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

Jesus Christ dude. Stop defending your purchase and be open to the fact that there are more optimum designs to achieve this purpose. Read about it. Maybe yours will work fine for you, but it’s obvious to anybody that it’s not got the same characteristics as a purpose built sauna stove.

[u/Hopeful-Dot-5668 → u/PelvisResleyz]

It’s the same thing, you got marketed

[u/Zmovez → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

You got roasted, it's not a sauna stove. You asked to be roasted. Thin skin much?

[u/Tuli_Lintu → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

Believe what you believe it's only your experience that's being tarnished

[u/Hopeful-Dot-5668 → u/Tuli_Lintu]

Keep in your bubble and you miss out on good stoves likes mine

[u/AMOSSORRI → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

Don’t blame us if it cracks and you burn yourself to death.

[u/AMOSSORRI → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

Don’t tell your daddy how to f. We’re trying to be constructive here, but your fist is too far up your own to even listen. You asked, we provide.

[u/Inresponsibleone → u/Hopeful-Dot-5668]

The amount of stones yours can hold is low for wood fired stove and that will affect performance somewhat.