Continuous operation furnace

Continuous sauna heaters are the most common because of their simplicity of design and operation. They come in a wide variety of sizes and are fired by wood, electricity or liquid fuel. The firebox of such a stove is separated from the stone load by a steel sheet or cast iron plate. It is therefore possible to heat the stove and use the sauna at the same time. All small stoves of the factory type, built on the floor in the corner of the steam room, are of this type. The relative disadvantage of this type of stove is that it heats up the air in the steam room considerably, even without water on the stones. They are therefore more suitable for dry and hot saunas.

Wood stoves

Wood-burning stoves are considered to have better steam than electric stoves. This is because a wood-burning stove does not have the hot heating elements of an electric stove, which not only give the steam an unpleasant "metallic" taste but also burn more oxygen. The running costs of wood stoves are lower, but the time costs (to build and maintain the sauna) are much higher than for electric stoves. Wood-burning stoves are also available in a variety of types: open and closed (heat accumulating), with or without water heating.
The same principles apply when choosing a wood-burning stove as for electric stoves, but there are additional conditions. An electric stove can be hung directly on a wooden wall, while a solid fuel stove is subject to increased safety requirements. There must be a clear space of 1 metre in front of the stove and two layers of metal or concrete fibre sheeting behind the stove. If the stove is placed in a refractory recess in concrete or stonework, the distance from the wall to the stove should be at least 10 cm. Reliable protective casings and non-combustible bases are available from stove manufacturers' showrooms.

Caution - boiling water!

A common design error in these stoves is the open hot boiling water tank. Boiling water in a steam cooker is generally considered a sign of bad taste! If the sauna has an iron stove with open metal sides and a boiling water tank, the sauna practitioner spends most of the time "winding down" the too hot and too humid microclimate of the sauna.

Kaip pagerinti garinės mikroklimatą?

As this type of stove is very common and is unlikely to be abandoned, it is important to know at least the basic ways to improve the microclimate created by a permanent stove.

We recommend that the sides of permanent stoves are bricked up, with a minimum distance of 5-10 cm. This will reduce air convection at the sides of the stove and prevent it from radiating heat openly.