DIY home sauna: description, construction steps and recommendations

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Residents of large and small cities with their busy work schedule and constant lack of free time simply have no time to visit a suna or a bath. However, a fairy tale can come true, today a home sauna in an apartment no longer seems to be something unrealistic. What is new for the Russian consumer is quite natural in neighboring Finland. There, similar structures are installed in every second apartment. Of course, if you are lucky enough to live in the private sector, then most likely there is nothing better for you than a home bath. The sauna is suitable for those lovers of steam who live in an apartment, not even too big.

Is it possible to arrange a sauna in the apartment

For some, the preparation of the necessary documents for installing a home steam room may seem a little troublesome, but it's worth it. To arrange such a pleasure for yourself in a typical high-rise building today, almost everyone can do it.

Before construction begins, you need to draw up and draw up a project that provides for the followingconditions:

Sauna must be equipped only with a special electric oven, manufactured in an industrial way (at the factory). No homemade products "from Uncle Vasya" are unacceptable here, even if his hands are really golden. The oven must have an automatic shutdown function when the temperature rises above 130˚C. Also, the controller should work after 8 hours of continuous operation.

The installation of an emergency fire extinguishing system is required, in accordance with SNiP.

Walls and ceilings should be treated with anti-fungal compounds.

In order to save yourself from various troubles in the future, you need to coordinate the project with all the necessary services at the development stage. You may need permission from:

• housing inspection;
• construction and architectural supervision;
• homeowners associations;
• fire department;
• Rospotrebnadzor;
• sanitary and epidemiological service.

Attention! For each region, the list of organizations may be different.

Design benefits

Of course, home sauna has many undeniable advantages:

1. Significant time savings. You can rest and relax when it suits you. No need to waste time on the road, sign up for a specific time.
2. No need to conduct a separate sewage system and water pipes. You can connect to an existing water supply system.
3. Reduces tominimize the risk of getting a cold. After the procedure, there is no need to go outside.
4. The risk of “picking up” a fungus or some other surprise is reduced to almost zero. Only you and your family members will use your sauna.
5. Sauna has a beneficial effect on the entire body, helps to remove toxins, strengthen the cardiovascular system, removes toxins and more.
6. Home steam room is an excellent tool for a comprehensive recovery of the body.

Types of steam rooms

All home complexes of this kind can be divided into several groups. Which one to choose depends on your financial capabilities and the availability of free space.

Home mini-saunas. Under this name, several design options can be hidden:

• a small complex, occupying an area of no more than 1-2 square meters. meters; the power of the furnace here does not exceed 2 kW, and it can work from a regular 220V socket;
• sauna-barrel; the design is actually a barrel made of cedar, and a steam generator located inside; the peculiarity of such a sauna is that the person's head is outside, which eliminates the possibility of overheating;
• folding fabric sauna; it consists of a special thermal fabric, which is stretched over the frame; for such a design to work in the apartment, there must be quite powerful wiring; this sauna is extremely compact and mobile, it can be easily rolled up.

Home infrared sauna. As is clear fromnames, instead of a stove, this design is equipped with a special emitter that heats not the air around, but the human body itself. The temperature in such a sauna is very gentle - about 45–60˚C. This allows it to be used for the treatment and prevention of diseases in the elderly and children, as well as those who suffer from cardiovascular diseases and for whom the usual steam room is contraindicated.

Finnish sauna. This design is usually designed for the simultaneous stay of two or more people, so it takes up quite a lot of space. In a small apartment, this option cannot be installed. Any Finnish sauna is characterized by exceptionally dry steam. At a temperature of about 100–110˚C, the humidity in it does not exceed 20%. Therefore, the heat is tolerated quite easily.

What does a home steam room consist of

Now let's talk about what actually consists of a home sauna. Almost any such design includes the following components:

• Special electric furnace of suitable capacity. The manufacturer's specialists will help you choose the right option; the power here is usually selected based on the calculation of 1 kW / m ³ . ^{To make the stove safe, it is securely fixed to the wall, and a special wooden touch guard.}
• The cabin frame itself, made of hardwood. This design can be made by yourself or at the factory. Despite the fact that the life of hardwood is slightly less, softwooduse is still not recommended; so that coniferous wood can be used for the sauna, it must be carefully deresined (properly dried and devoid of resin); it is quite difficult to find one on the Russian market, and it is quite expensive.
• Corner and ceiling metal mounts to securely fix the cab.
• Ventilation grilles and channels. The installation of such structures is mandatory, they help to avoid such troubles as fungus, mold, stale air in the booth, high humidity in the room. The inlet is usually located under the stove, then the air heats up quickly and the temperature in the sauna does not drop.
• Floor frame. The cheapest way is to use grating treated with special impregnation. Connoisseurs make the frame of aluminum or galvanized, and the floor is often tiled.
• Wooden loungers, benches or seats.
• Heat-resistant glass door block. Some use wooden blind blocks to reduce the cost of construction, but this option can cause bouts of claustrophobia.

Materials

As already mentioned, wood, preferably hardwood, is most often used to make a home steam room. The walls are a panel structure made of two-layer lining, with an insulator laid in the middle and a vapor barrier layer. Saunas made of alder, spruce or pine last the longest, however, remember the resin content of these species and their cost.

The inner skin is also made from a block profile usingwood devoid of resin and knots. To avoid injury, lining with rounded profiles is used.

To maintain comfortable lighting inside the cabin, special moisture-resistant diode lamps are installed, reliably protected from steam and moisture.

Begin installation

You probably already understood that a home sauna with your own hands is not so difficult. Of course, the easiest way is to purchase a ready-made structure and mount it according to the instructions, but if you do everything from scratch on your own, you can save an impressive amount. So, you will need:

• board or lining for wall cladding;
• boards for making the base of the floor;
• sanded deck boards;
• heat-protective plate (for example, asbestos);
• mineral wool;
• foil or vapor barrier;
• heat-resistant electrical cable;
• electric oven or infrared element;
• pair of LED waterproof fixtures;
• door (preferably glass).

When everything is ready, you can proceed with the installation:

1. Determining the dimensions - a minimum of 1.5 m is needed2 per person.
2. Clean walls from paint or plaster to bare brick or concrete.
3. We build a solid wooden frame and lay it with floorboards, or lay tiles.
4. Laying the electrical cable, securely fixing all connections.
5. We treat the walls with a disinfectant and antifungal solution. If this is not done, then from changes in humidityMold may grow and the sauna will have to be dismantled.
6. On concrete or brick walls we install a frame-crate for the walls of the sauna, securely fastening the parts together.
7. In the gaps of the frame we lay a thick layer of insulation, and fix the foil or vapor barrier on top.
8. We cover the walls and ceiling with a board or clapboard.
9. We install sunbeds or benches and mount the stove. It is best to have a qualified electrician do this.
10. We mount the hood in the upper corner opposite from the stove. We fix the lamps.
11. We mount the door in such a way that it opens outward and in no case has locks.

Where is the best place to set up a steam room

Of course, the bathroom is best for installing a mini steam room in an apartment. But if its dimensions are too small, a home sauna can be installed elsewhere - for example, in a former storage room or even on a loggia. In this case, you will have to take care of making the appropriate communications and the process may take more time and effort.

Get Started

When the home sauna is completely ready, it is necessary to carry out its preliminary “break-in”. It is very easy to do this. On the first day, heat the steam room to 60˚C with all doors and latches open. "Drive" your steam room in this mode for 3 hours. The next day, repeat the procedure, only raise the temperature to 90˚C. Third day - keep t=100˚C for 3 hours, and then raise toas much as possible and leave it for 40 minutes. At the same time, periodically pour water on the stones on the electric furnace. The very next day, you can safely use the steam room for your pleasure.

Conclusion

As you already understood, sauna at home is easy. Whatever design you decide to install in your apartment, you will certainly be satisfied with the result. After all, the sauna is not only fashionable, but also very useful.