Many people living not only in villages, but also in large cities, are very fond of a real Russian bathhouse. However, in order to heat it, you have to make a decent effort and spend a lot of time: you need to bring water, chop wood, light the stove, wait until a comfortable temperature is established in the steam room. All this leads to serious labor costs. More and more bathhouse owners are taking the simpler route - installing a gas stove. It heats the room much faster, does not require additional physical costs, and runs on fairly cheap fuel.
If you decide to install such equipment in your bathhouse, then our rating of the best gas stoves for bathhouses will be very useful for you. In it we will take a detailed look at the key characteristics of the most popular models among consumers, give some useful tips that will certainly help you when buying this device, and tell you how to further save gas when heating a sauna.
New quality of gas fuel boiler
From an economic point of view, it is advisable to use gas in cylinders for small and tiny steam rooms, for example, for a bathhouse on a trailer or a sauna in a fishing house.
Using a gas boiler for a sauna or bathhouse allows you to solve several serious problems:
- Get rid of the fumes and the smell of scale that accompany almost all wood-burning stoves. Gas fuel combustion products consist of 99% harmless carbon dioxide and water;
- To ensure smooth and accurate heating of the air in the bathhouse, in many modern gas boilers for saunas the automation is able to maintain the temperature even more accurately than in the case of electric heaters;
- Get the desired compactness of gas equipment. A modern gas boiler is only slightly larger in size than an electric heater.
For your information!
The temperature of the combustion front of methane fuel in the gas furnace of a boiler is only 850°C, while the intensive formation of deadly carbon monoxide and the release of fine soot begin at 1000-1100°C. For comparison, when burning firewood produces a flame 150-200°C higher than in the case of gas fuel. This means that a branded gas boiler is much safer than any wood-burning stove. If you do not interfere with the operation of burners and control equipment installed by a specialized specialist, the chimney will remain sterile clean, and the risk of fire or poisoning is practically zero.
Top 1. Kutkin G–2.0 Premium
Rating (2021): 4.65
Popular manufacturer in Russia The popularity of stoves from the famous Russian inventor is facilitated by his personal active presence on thematic forums, the company’s readiness to provide high-quality after-sales service and the quality of the design.
Spectacular design The “Premium” version offers stove finishing with natural stones made of serpentine, soapstone or jadeite. In addition, the fuel channel door can be replaced with a fireplace insert. Together these details create a WOW effect.
- Characteristics
Average price: 50,500 rub.
- Country Russia
- Heated volume: 20‒25 cubic meters. m.
- Power: 20 kW
- Gas burner: option
- Kamenka: closed
- Remote tank: option
The inventor and owner of the manufacturing company Kutkin M.M. created a sauna stove capable of creating microclimatic conditions for all types of steam rooms - from an infrared sauna to a Russian bath. His brainchild managed to collect many awards. The main differences in the design are the mandatory closed heater, the absence of convection and the presence of several temperature conditions, including low temperature. Owners of heating units in their reviews emphasize other advantages - high heating dynamics, pleasant dry steam, modern design and several finishing options. There are also disadvantages: the oven can easily overheat; in order to achieve the ideal temperature and humidity ratio of 50/60 or 60/50, you need to gain experience.
Advantages and disadvantages
- High-quality materials - AISI steel, art. 3
- Inexpensive price compared to analogues
- Noble look of cladding
- Possibility of conversion into a fireplace stove
- Proven durability
- It takes time to master firebox skills
See also:
- 10 best hot tub manufacturers
to the beginning of the rating
Costs for a gas boiler for a bath
Installing a gas fuel boiler in a home bath is always more difficult than a wood-burning or electric version of a heater stove:
- It will be necessary to complete a project for pipe routing and installation of heating equipment;
- Buy only certified equipment, and the power and design of the gas boiler must exactly match the parameters of the steam room and bath;
- Conclude an agreement and pay for the work of UGH or any other office with a license to install and start up a gas boiler in the bathhouse.
It turns out to be expensive and troublesome, but if the installation is carried out in good faith and all service conditions are met, the gas boiler can work in a bathhouse for a couple of decades. Wood stoves and fireboxes burn through to holes during this time. The best part is that after 2-3 years of operation, switching to gas will show savings in the cost of maintaining the bathhouse.
It’s easy to calculate; heating a bathhouse requires 270-280 kcal for every 0.5 m3 of room volume. To place a steam room less than 10 m2 with a gas sauna boiler, you will need about 1-1.1 m3/h of methane fuel; according to tariffs for private households, this will be only 6-7 rubles per hour. For an electric boiler in a bathhouse of a similar design, you will need to spend 3-6 kW/h, which is approximately 20-25 rubles/hour, the difference is obvious. That is, the more the boiler works in the bathhouse, the faster the investment will pay off.
Choice
What are the characteristics of gas stoves intended for baths?
Stones
The traditional stove for a Russian bath - a heater - is distinguished by a large number of round stones placed in a tray. The tray is located above the firebox and, after lighting the stove, heats up quite quickly; the stones heat up to temperatures of 200 degrees or more.
They perform a dual function:
- By accumulating heat, the stones maintain a high temperature in the steam room after the wood burns out.
- The very name “steam room” implies the presence of steam. The traditional mode for a Russian bath is 60 degrees with very high humidity. To add steam, just splash water from a ladle onto the stones.
Gas heater Ermak.
If you are a fan of the Russian bathhouse, a heater is your obvious choice. If you want to use a sauna with high temperatures and minimal humidity, you don't need stones. Heat accumulation in the case of gas, you understand, is of no value.
Water tank location
It may be located in the stove body or around the chimney. In the first case, the heat source for heating water is the burner flame, in the second - combustion products. In the author’s humble opinion, the second option is preferable: the tank additionally cools the combustion products, increasing the efficiency of the device.
Gas stoves
If you use bottled gas, a stove that combines two types of fuel would be an excellent solution for you. When the cylinder runs out, you can light the stove with wood.
Burner
Often it is purchased separately.
What should you pay attention to when purchasing?
- With a steam room volume of 18 m3, the reasonable maximum gas consumption by the burner is 1.5 m3 per hour. It is easy to recalculate the required productivity for your volume.
- The registration certificate and markings must be present. Automatic shutdown when the flame goes out is mandatory (in fact, now it is available almost everywhere).
- Any damage, even seemingly uncritical, puts an end to the device. Big and fat. We are talking about people's lives and health.
Domestic burner Teplofor.
Typical designs of gas heaters
To heat and heat baths, several main types of boiler equipment are used:
- Brick stoves with a gas fuel burner built into the firebox;
- Combined gas sauna boilers;
- Low-power metal gas stoves with a bulk heater.
For your information! All of them are united by a similar design of the burner apparatus and control equipment; otherwise, all of the listed devices have significant differences.
Therefore, the selection of the most suitable gas boiler model is carried out in each specific case according to the individual parameters of the steam room and the bath itself.
Ignition of the furnace
The cheapest equipment is one that does not have automatic start. In most cases, such stoves are installed both in bathhouses and in residential buildings. You need to ignite them yourself. It is performed using matches or paper set on fire in advance.
This procedure must be carried out as carefully as possible. First you need to place the fire source in a special window and only then open the gas supply
If the wick goes out during the ignition process, you must turn off the gas supply and wait a few minutes, and then repeat the procedure. Failure to comply with these rules can lead to gas accumulating in the chimney pipes and causing an explosion - not strong, but its power is enough to damage the chimney duct and cause injury.
Otherwise, operating a gas stove in a bathhouse is convenient, economical and safe. A gas or gas-wood boiler is an excellent alternative to solid fuel heating devices.
Gas boiler-heaters in standard version
In appearance, standard models of gas boilers for baths, photo, are practically indistinguishable from wood-burning versions. The same high rectangular metal body, a filling heater in the upper part of the structure and a side tunnel for supplying air and fuel.
Modern models of domestically produced gas equipment copy well-known Finnish and Italian brands in shape and design.
A gas appliance is always easily recognizable by its automatic control unit. Where a wood-burning stove has a door or hatch for loading firewood, gas boilers for a bathhouse have a panel with nozzles, a fire front sensor and an ignition device.
The outer walls are made of thin sheet steel, which provides reliable protection from the hot combustion chamber. Its shape and dimensions are much smaller than a wood firebox, almost always made of heat-resistant alloy steel.
Inside the firebox there is a package of two or three nozzles. The dimensions and shape of the combustion chamber of a gas boiler are carefully selected and calculated during the production process. Therefore, you cannot simply take and install a gas burner into the combustion chamber of a wood stove. The firebox will burn out within a few months of use.
There are gas-wood models of heaters for baths. In this case, the dimensions of the combustion chamber are made such that they can burn wood with a very small combustion front and gas with a high flame height. But even in such designs, only the gas burner that comes with the boiler can be converted and installed; the use of a burner device of any model leads to burnout of the chamber walls and outlet channels.
In a classic gas boiler, tubular heat exchangers are always installed to heat water. To heat the bathhouse, the registers are connected to a storage tank and a pump that pumps hot coolant through radiators or underfloor heating pipes.
In low-power boiler systems, instead of a built-in heat exchanger, mounted water tanks are used, similar to tanks in wood-burning stoves. In powerful gas boilers, double-circuit coaxial heat exchangers can be installed to heat the bath. Essentially, these are two pipes, one inside the other. Water flows through the inner tube, which is heated to spray the heater; the coolant of the heating system usually flows in the space between the walls.
Top 3. Kusaterm 10/20 kW
Rating (2021): 4.48
- Characteristics
Average price: RUB 1,348,072.
- Country: Germany
- Heated volume: up to 20 cubic meters. m.
- Power: 20 kW
- Gas burner: included
- Kamenka: open
- Remote tank: no
A high-quality German stove is designed for small areas, so it is often installed in family baths and saunas. When choosing this gas appliance, you don’t have to worry about safety - the model is equipped with protective railings, and strong Foamglas foam glass reliably insulates the floor from heat. In general, the quality and class are confirmed by the CE marking. This mark is a guarantee of compliance with all EU directives. Reviews praise the model for its technology - the built-in fan has a low noise level, and all control is carried out via a digital panel. The highlight of the device is its universal design, which allows you to decorate it yourself with natural stone and thereby fit the model into any interior.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Low noise level
- CE marking
- Floor protection with foam glass Foamglas
- Small area work
- High price
Gas heaters
Using natural gas as a fuel for heating a bath provides one undeniable advantage. Low-power household boilers are made without a combustion product exhaust system; heated gases partially pass through a backfill of stones, partially through side windows and channels for heating water containers.
The absence of a chimney above the heater greatly simplifies the process of temperature control; there is no particular need to monitor air humidity, since most of the water is constantly evaporated by the flow of exhaust gases.
Of course, the thermal power of a gas heater is less than that of a standard heating boiler for a bath; it usually does not exceed 3 kW. Since some of the gases enter the steam room atmosphere, when installing the boiler it is necessary to use special exhaust ventilation and an alarm system with a sensor for the presence of CO in the air.
Many natural gas heaters do not have a built-in boiling water tank, so you must use a metal ladle and a grate placed on top of the backfill to obtain boiling water.
Adviсe
- Mikhail (gas service inspector)
Owners of bathhouses who want to install gas stoves to heat them must take into account that such a building must have a solid foundation. The volume of the room for installing the unit cannot be less than 8 cubic meters. m. There must be a passage space next to the stove that is at least 1 m wide. The windows of the bathhouse must open outward and have handles on both sides.
- Vitaly (master gas equipment adjuster)
Small baths with an area of no more than 3x3 m can be equipped with stoves running on bottled gas. Such equipment copes well with the task of heating rooms.
Disadvantages of gas boilers
Imported models of gas boilers for baths are always made with a reserve of mechanical strength of the body walls. Many domestically produced models are more similar in design to Chinese boilers due to the minimal thickness of the combustion chamber walls and design. As a result, when the internal heat exchanger is turned off, the firebox often overheats and becomes deformed.
One of the most common types of problems is the burner turning off spontaneously. In boiler apparatus from well-known manufacturers, gas automation is installed in a box protected from heat and water vapor. In cheaper boilers, the burner operation control board can simply be placed in an aluminum box. As a result of oxidation of the contacts in the humid atmosphere of the bathhouse, the flame control sensor is the first to fail. Repairing boiler burner equipment is not difficult, but in any case it must be done by a specialist, otherwise the equipment may be sealed and the owners may be fined.
Boiler installation methods
If the structure is equipped with an external tunnel, then the best option would be to install the boiler in the partition opening between the steam room and the dressing room. To control the operation of gas burners, use a remote control panel or control valves on the board. According to the standards for installing boilers and furnaces, the area in front of the tunnel must be illuminated either by an emergency lantern or through a window opening.
Methane heaters are installed mainly under the wall under the exhaust ventilation opening. For low-power models, you can choose a place next to the entrance door of the steam room.
Types of chimneys
Chimney with natural draft. Used for boilers with an open combustion chamber. When installing a chimney, certain requirements must be taken into account:
- The pipe must have a height of at least 5 m from the burner level to create good draft.
- When assembling a chimney, the pipes are connected along the combustion path.
- The connection between the gas boiler and the chimney must be sealed.
Chimneys with natural draft do not depend on power supply. But they have a number of disadvantages:
- Rigid binding of the boiler to a specific location;
- Labor-intensive and complex installation;
- Bulky;
- High cost of materials and installation compared to a coaxial chimney.
A coaxial chimney, when compared with a natural draft chimney, has many advantages. Installing such a chimney is simple.
The coaxial pipe is led out into the street in a horizontal position through a small hole in the wall. This significantly reduces financial costs and saves time. To install a coaxial chimney, you must have a fan that creates forced draft. All boilers with a closed combustion chamber have built-in equipment for forced removal of exhaust gas.
Flaws:
- Dependency on power supply;
- Background noise when the boiler is operating.
Stove burners
Steel boilers using gas fuel are not always convenient due to their low weight and high thermal conductivity of the body material. They work great for small home sauna extensions, but if you need to heat a sauna of 7-8 m2, then there is no better option than a brick stove.
In this case, a gas burner with automatic equipment is installed at a level of 40-50 cm above the ash line, and at a height of 40-50 cm above the plane of the combustion front, a heater is assembled from cast iron blocks. The next row is laid with stone backfill. You have to fill the water through the door in the wall.
The quality of heating a Russian bath with a gas boiler-stove cannot be compared with models made of steel and cast iron. The main advantage is that when igniting, there are no painful problems with draft and emission of fumes, which are usual for brick stoves, inside the bathhouse.
How to choose a manufacturer
Boilers are produced in many countries around the world, which makes choosing very difficult. In most parts of our country, the climate is not mild, so you should approach your choice responsibly. You should choose a manufacturer based on your needs and budget for the construction of a bathhouse.
- Domestic manufacturers offer simple and affordable boiler models. They are easy to maintain and can withstand severe Siberian frost or the unstable climate of the Moscow region. Equipment from Rostovgazoapparat, ZhMZ, Concord will fit within the minimum budget. Despite the affordable price, they will perfectly perform their functions.
- If you need to automate the process of heating a bath, then you should pay attention to expensive models from the Czech Republic, Korea, Italy, Spain, and Japan.
- Minimal intervention in the heating process will be required if you purchase an option from Germany or Sweden.
Regardless of your choice, this technique will be the right solution when arranging a bathhouse. You will be satisfied with your choice if you follow safety precautions during installation.
