Not all rocks are equally useful. With regard to crimson quartzite, people are almost unanimous and often use it for baths, relying on its healing power. It is no coincidence that they even gave it their own popular name - the royal stone, in which respect for the popular breed is felt and a specific assessment of its use can be traced. However, is it possible that most people are mistaken? Let’s check it out right now: our focus is on raspberry quartzite for baths and all its beneficial properties.
Brief characteristics of the stone
Despite the fact that there are deposits of quartzite all over the world and even in Africa, most of the stone sold in our country is of local origin. We are talking about the Ural rocks. For baths, it is used not only as a means of kindling stoves, but also for decoration. However, this pleasure is not available to everyone due to its high cost.
- 95% consists of quartz;
- environmentally friendly and safe to use;
- has convincing heat resistance - can withstand temperatures up to 1600 degrees Celsius;
- does not contain any impurities hazardous to human life;
- has a record low level of radioactivity;
- very durable and reliable in operation.
It is clear that with such an impressive characteristic, crimson quartzite is literally created for a bathhouse, because many other rocks, when heated, emit substances that are harmful and sometimes even life-threatening to people. This also includes the ability of stones to accumulate radionuclides.
The royal stone has everything in order with this, which makes its use in baths and saunas completely safe. In addition, it has excellent thermal conductivity - which means that it gives off heat remarkably, maintaining the desired temperature in the steam room for a fairly long period. Add to this the incredibly pleasant bright crimson color - don’t forget about aesthetics in the steam room, although this, of course, is far from the most important issue.
In addition to quartz itself, the stone also includes the following minerals:
- iron hydroxides;
- mica;
- chalcedony.
In general, they do not have any pronounced positive properties, although it is iron hydroxides that give quartzite that characteristic crimson hue that people like so much.
About the ability of white quartzite to ozone the atmosphere of a steam room
This quality is widely advertised by sellers of bath stones and is extolled as the unique quality of this mineral, which can saturate a steam room with ozone, similar to the air after an intense May thunderstorm. The kinematics and nature of the phenomenon are stated as follows. The mineral contains silicon oxide in a very dense metamorphosed structure under the influence of high internal stresses.
As a result of rapid cooling, the structure contracts, which provokes the movement of individual crystals relative to each other and the occurrence of a piezoelectric effect, accompanied by the appearance of a spark, which, due to its electrical potential, converts an air oxygen molecule into an ozone molecule. Experts in mining safety have become interested in the problem, since in the event of a possible collapse of the roof of a mine opening, a spark can provoke a flash of a methane-air mixture and a subsequent explosion.
As a result of the study, the occurrence of a spark was confirmed, however, for its occurrence a number of key conditions are necessary, such as: a certain humidity, the quality of quartzite and applied kinetic energy. How much energy is needed for the transition of an oxygen molecule into an ozone molecule can be calculated using simple calculations. In general, this issue is very reminiscent of the story of filling car tires with inert gas, when every second tire shop had in its arsenal a black cylinder on which was written “Nitrogen” and from which domestic “Ladas” and “Priors” were sold with high racing technologies. The effect is approximately similar.
What are its benefits?
Of course, quartzite began to be used as a stone for baths precisely for its beneficial properties, which, perhaps, only the lazy do not talk about.
- helps well in the fight against rheumatism;
- perfectly eliminates pain in muscles and joints;
- regulates blood pressure;
- cures colds and strengthens the immune system;
- normalizes metabolism in the body.
Of course, these are not all the beneficial qualities that are usually mentioned in connection with the use of quartzite for baths.
The vast majority of people are also talking about stronger and healthier sleep - and just a general improvement in their well-being. Of course, you shouldn’t “blame” the royal stone alone for this: bath procedures, when properly organized, have no less a positive effect on the body, even if completely different rocks are used for kindling. If you often have a headache after a bath, then try quartzite: perhaps this is what will help you avoid the sad tradition.
Criteria for selecting quality material
To get the maximum benefit from using crimson quartzite for a bath, you need to wisely choose firebox and finishing stones. The main deposit of the rare, expensive mineral is Karelia, where quartzite for bathhouses is mined in slabs.
Raspberry quartzite has mainly a rich, bright pink hue, but its color palette is varied (on sale you can find stones of pink, brown, yellow shades interspersed with blue and purple). In rare cases, samples of black-brown and gray quartzite are found, which in appearance resemble granite and soapstone, respectively.
It is better to purchase raspberry quartzite for baths in packaged form. Chip rocks may have defects created during the manufacturing process. Therefore, before filling it into a heater or using it as a finishing material, the stone must be carefully sorted.
You can reject crimson quartzite by sound. To do this, you need to tap all copies with a hammer, the sound should be clear. A dull sound indicates the presence of hidden cracks and voids inside the stone, which can lead to its further destruction.
Note!
During the operation of the heater, any rocks, including quartzite for bathhouses, are subject to crumbling and splitting. This leads to deterioration in the operation of the furnace and a decrease in the quality of the steam generated. To prevent this, you should regularly disassemble the stack of furnace stones and throw away quartzite with defects.
Fact or fiction?
As soon as a bunch of enthusiastic reviews appear around a phenomenon, there are always those who question the legitimacy of this resonance. In the case of crimson quartzite, a similar situation is observed: people often note the very low quality of heat transfer from the stone placed on the stove, as well as its short service life - although, it would seem, everything should be quite the opposite.
This is not surprising: in the process of selecting quartzite, a lot of defective stones are missed, which are destroyed after just a couple of kindlings. Also, during the crushing process, invisible cracks may appear on individual fragments, which over time logically grow to larger ones. There is only one way to combat this - to purchase high-quality, well-selected crimson quartzite, which will not reveal all its beneficial properties in the bath, but will also last you longer than other rocks used.
It's easy to check: just hit it with a hammer. If the blow turns out loud, then you can be sure: you got an excellent sample!
As for the healing properties of quartzite, which are already legendary, it is not possible to find clear evidence for them in reality. Although after a series of bath procedures in the “company” of this stone, a person may well feel better and strengthen his immune system. However, is this the merit of quartzite?
In this regard, rumors about the effective treatment of erectile dysfunction in men look especially dubious.
Gabbro-diabase
Gabbro-diabase stone is similar to marble or granite
This volcanic rock is similar to marble or granite and is uniformly dark in color. It has high density, strength and low water absorption. When heated, gabbro-diabase expands evenly. In addition, these bath stones are mined in the most environmentally friendly corner of Russia - Karelia, and are inexpensive.
One of the disadvantages is that diabase takes a long time to heat up and cools down quickly. In addition, if these stones are heated strongly, they begin to emit a not strong, but specific odor.
The therapeutic effects of this breed have not been identified.
How to use the stone?
Everything here is quite simple: first you need to carefully examine all purchased copies. As a rule, defective ones are immediately noticeable: large cracks, unsightly shape, other damage on the surface - these can be safely thrown away immediately, they will be of little use.
You can arm yourself with a hammer and tap all the pebbles - the ringing test is a good way to reject low-quality material. For use in the oven, both the regular chopped version and the boned version, which looks more attractive, are suitable. Of course, it is also necessary to line the stove with bricks so that the high temperature in the steam room remains longer. What's next?
- thoroughly rinse the selected pieces;
- dry thoroughly;
- place in the oven, maintaining a certain distance between the specimens - this way air will circulate freely between them during the process;
- Also observe the ranking of the size of the stones: large ones are at the bottom, while small pieces should lie on the surface.
Origin and extraction of crimson quartzite
The rock, formed from fine-grained quartz particles, has a special strength and hardness. It consists of tiny tightly welded particles that make up solid elements. The rock contains virtually no foreign impurities and is environmentally friendly. A small part of iron oxides and hydroxides gives the stone a rich crimson or purple color.
The mineral can be mined in three ways: quarry, “explosive pad” and using a stone cutter. The first is the cheapest and occurs if it is necessary to extract crushed stone. It involves planting explosives and then seizing a large area. The “air cushion” method involves making a channel in the rock. A reservoir is placed in it, which is subsequently filled with air. The advantage of this method is a small number of microcracks. The third method, which is the most financially expensive, is a stone cutter. Thanks to it, you can accurately plan the location of a future rock fracture in order to extract exclusively natural stone.
Features of the heated state
Quartz cobblestones begin to break apart into separate pieces on their own. If you add water to it, the process will speed up and more oxygen ions will be released, and such procedures are known to be beneficial for the health of any person. The destruction of integrity does not occur at lightning speed, but in comparison with other minerals it is very fast.
Among the characteristics of quartz, its influence not only on the body, but also on other areas of life is noted:
- attracts good luck and success;
- improves financial condition;
- promotes better brain activity;
- treats respiratory diseases;
- stabilizes blood pressure;
- improves blood circulation.
