In Russia, the Russian bathhouse is highly valued, since the “Russian bathhouse” is not just our tradition, it can be said to be our national phenomenon. A place where you can simultaneously improve your health, strengthen your spirit, and relax with family and friends. Of course, the bathhouse is one of the favorite places of summer residents, because the bathhouse allows you to wash off not only dirt, but also fatigue.
It’s good to have a bathhouse at your dacha, albeit small, but real! I put on my parka and felt as if I had been born again. But when the construction of a bathhouse moves into the practical plane, then the same summer residents have a question: “Which stove model to choose, and in general, what parameters to pay attention to when evaluating various proposals?” Indeed, there are enough criteria for evaluating a stove, and even a well-read summer resident can easily get confused in them.
In this article we will try not only to consider, but also to systematize the various criteria for choosing a sauna stove. The main goal is that uniquely magical effect from taking bath procedures that a steam room should provide.
But before we move on to the parameters for choosing a stove, let's decide what makes an ordinary Russian bathhouse, because... it is the furnace that will provide the necessary conditions for its creation.
Fig 1. That very favorite Russian bathhouse
Cast iron stoves
Cast iron is chosen not only by lovers of Russian baths. This metal is famous for its durability, although it is fragile and is susceptible to temperature changes. Taking a metal stove made of cast iron to a bathhouse means spending twenty years in its company.
Of course, there are not many manufacturers, but among them there are better and worse ones. We will help you figure out who is who in the bathhouse cast iron market. Read the article about metal stoves made of cast iron with the self-explanatory name “Cast Iron”.
Metal sauna stoves: cast iron, usually wood-burning. Of course, you can also make a gas stove from cast iron, but on sale you will only find wood-burning cast-iron sauna stoves. By the way, there are non-bathhouses, but also made of this metal - they don’t have any heater at all. Take a closer look at the available options described in the article “Cast iron wood-burning stoves for baths.”
Cast iron with closed heater
Lovers of Russian baths know that they need a stove with a closed heater . And if there is no good stove maker to install a brick stove, then the best option would be a cast iron one. That is why they are looking for manufacturers of the necessary stoves.
We have collected all the available information in the review “Limited Selection: Cast Iron Stoves with a Closed Heater” - there are all the manufacturers, models and their features available on the market.
The best cast iron
A stove for a sauna made of cast iron metal is sought by those who understand a lot about durable metal. If treated with care, cast iron will be the best of metal sauna stoves, because it will last for twenty, if not thirty years. However, there are very few manufacturers of such units. You can learn about them and the advantages of their products from the article “The best cast iron stoves for a bath.”
Main advantages
A metal heater has several important advantages compared to its brick or stone counterpart:
- Compactness. Its dimensions are quite small, which allows installation in confined spaces. When using suitable finishing materials, such stove equipment fits perfectly and complements the interior.
- Durability. Metal heaters have a long service life. The material can withstand repeated expansion due to temperature changes.
- Reliability. With careful use, metal heaters will last for a long time without maintenance or repair.
- Easy to install. There is no need to perform complex masonry, carefully prepare the room, or take care of thermal insulation. All you need is a little time. After all, with some skill, you can install the heater yourself.
- Availability. Inexpensive wood-burning sauna stoves made of metal are more affordable than their stone and brick counterparts. At the same time, modern metal models are not inferior in attractiveness.
- Fast warm-up. A traditional stone or brick oven takes a long time to heat up. The average heating time for a metal furnace is about 1.5 hours. Because A metal heater has good heat transfer, warming up the steam room much faster.
Steel wood stoves
A cast iron stove is not cheap, a steel sauna stove is much more affordable, and the choice of models is so wide that it makes your eyes wide open. If you look only at steel wood-burning ones, then even so there are still a lot of them. There is only one way out - to decide on your preferences and look for a manufacturer that best suits them .
Iron stove: the best for a Russian bath
Everyone knows that the best ones for a Russian bath are brick ones, however, iron stoves are not all the same; among them there are undoubted leaders and outsiders. You can get acquainted with the first ones if you follow the link leading to the article “Choosing the best stoves for a Russian bath: models with a closed heater and a rating of the best stoves.”
The best wood-burning iron stoves for a bathhouse
Those who decide to buy an iron stove for a bathhouse, of course, want to know which one is better. And since firewood is still the main type of fuel in our country, we decided first of all to orient the reader on wood-burning stoves - “How to choose the best wood-burning stove for a bathhouse (for 3 categories of bathhouse attendants).”
The best iron stove for a bath
The choice of the bathhouse owner is small: either he will have an iron or a brick stove. And if the second option is definitely not considered for one reason or another (and brick is not without many disadvantages), then all that remains is to look for the best option from iron ones. We are ready to share with you not only our findings, but also the popular rating, in which everyone can take part. You will find it in this article.
Wood-burning sauna stove “Harvia”, stainless steel
The Finnish Harvia is very popular, and people like both its electric heaters and wood-burning stoves. Moreover, she has all models of sauna stoves made of stainless steel and/or structural steel . Details of the model ranges in the article “Review of wood-burning stoves for bathhouses “Harvia”: features, marking meanings and other nuances.”
Varieties
With water tank
A few words about metal sauna stoves, wood-burning, with a water tank. A water tank is a useful device when there is no centralized hot water supply, but we’re not used to it, right? Therefore, we will choose wood-burning metal sauna stoves that are suitable for installing tanks. Descriptions of suitable stoves are in the article “Which sauna stove with a water tank is suitable for your steam room.”
With heat exchanger
There may also be an iron sauna stove with a heat exchanger. If the owner prefers a remote tank, which will also heat the room, then it is worth thinking about a stove with a heat exchanger - this is where the water is heated, which then goes into the remote tank. You will find a variety of designs in the article “Choosing a stove for a bath with a heat exchanger for water and heating.”
Stove-fireplace
Let's take a brief look at these iron sauna stoves: fireplace stove. A nice addition to a successful stove is a large fireplace glass or portal. The main thing is to choose the right one: so that the glass is fastened correctly (not pointwise), so that some kind of glass self-cleaning system is present (otherwise you will have to constantly wipe off the soot by hand). About what you have to choose from - our article “Choosing a stove-fireplace for a bath: options and nuances with a door, tips for self-construction.”
Sauna stoves
The Finnish sauna is the main place where iron stoves are used. They are perfect for each other. And this opens up the widest possibilities for choice - the quality of the steam does not matter (a sauna is a dry-air bath), heating is permissible to high temperatures. In general, everything that is easier to manufacture and use is a welcome guest in this bathhouse. If you want to know what to look for when choosing, read the article “Sauna stove.”
Wood burning
Although the sauna is increasingly associated with electric heaters, wood-burning sauna stoves are still popular - both in the homeland of the sauna in Finland and abroad. Moreover, everything that does not fit well in a Russian bathhouse can be safely placed in a Finnish one. And it's all about condition. Details are in the article “What are wood-burning sauna stoves and what to base the choice of such a stove on? Buy or make?
Metal stove design for a Russian bath
The Russian bath has several requirements for stoves, one of which is purely structural. Let's put it this way: if this part is not included in the design of the metal stove, then there is no point in installing it in a Russian steam room at all. What kind of detail is this and what kind of stove in a Russian bath should generally correspond to - read the article “Features of stoves for a Russian bath.”
Stove for a Russian bath with a closed heater
Well, above, we were probably in vain to intrigue so harshly about the secrets of the stove for the Russian bath. In fact, everything is very simple: it must have a closed heater. Cast iron and brick stoves with a closed heater are popular. Not all manufacturers on the market make these. Therefore, it is worth getting to know those who make them better and finding out which models are better. Take a look at the article “Choosing the best stoves for a Russian bath: models with a closed heater and rating of the best stoves.”
Design of a metal sauna stove for a steam room
A variety of metal stove designs are suitable for a country steam room. The main thing is that the owner knows exactly his preferences and they are taken into account in this very design.
Those who like a Russian steam room choose stoves with closed heaters, lined with brick on all sides. The rest choose between top and bottom ignition, vertical and horizontal design and other nuances.
We devoted the article “Types of stoves for steam rooms: wood-burning, gas and electric stoves” to what kind of stove can be placed in a steam room.
Metal stoves for baths made of pipes
One of the extremely popular solutions when making a homemade metal stove for a bath is to use an industrial pipe of large diameter - usually half a meter . But don’t think that it’s just the ease of manufacture that captivates you. Heat spreads radially, so the cylindrical shape is as close to ideal as possible . That's why metal pipe sauna stoves are an excellent solution.
If you want to learn more, get acquainted with the diagrams, and try out how to create your own stove, read “Stove for a bathhouse made from a pipe.”
Cost of a wood-burning stove for a sauna
The total cost of a metal heater depends on its size, weight, and the volume of the steam room. To choose the appropriate furnace equipment for the bath, you need to pay attention to its power. Even a slight discrepancy between this characteristic and the total volume of the steam room can cause incomplete heating or, conversely, overheating, as a result of which the procedures will not bring the maximum effect. If necessary, it makes sense to use the recommendations of specialists.
You can buy a stove for a Russian wood-burning bath at. We cooperate directly with manufacturers, which allows us to set low prices for our products. Our specialists, having studied your requirements and budget, will choose the optimal solution that will suit you in all respects. They will also carry out delivery, installation and commissioning in compliance with deadlines and all fire safety requirements.
Regardless of the budget and complexity of the project, we will make your dreams come true by building and equipping a steam room taking into account all your wishes.
Common Questions
Below are detailed answers to questions that often arise regarding metal sauna stoves.
Brick or metal stove for a bath
The ancient debate among bathhouse attendants about the merits and demerits of different types of stoves will never end. And we do not at all pretend to put the last point in it. We just want you to be informed about both the pros and cons of both options.
Briefly and to the point: the advantage of a brick stove is, first of all, that it provides uniform, soft heat for a long time, while the stones in a closed heater heat up as they should and give off light steam. The brick one can be recommended to lovers of Russian baths, but they should know this: it takes a long time to heat, several hours . You need to heat it skillfully so that the chimney does not crack . During operation, constant care will be required for the masonry - it can crumble due to temperature. In general, the stove is for a skilled bathhouse attendant, even if installed correctly. The disadvantages include the high cost and rarity of good craftsmen .
The advantage of a metal stove is almost exclusively in the heating speed of the steam room . Everything else is shortcomings that can be partially smoothed out. It cools down quickly. This can be adjusted using a brick or stone casing. It will also extinguish hard infrared radiation. Steel stoves are made from thin (2 mm on average) steel and have seams . If the steel is not chrome-plated, then everything burns out, rusts, and the seams burst. Not right away, of course. Cast iron ones last longer in this regard - they are cast and thicker.
How to line iron sauna stoves with bricks
Before you take up the trowel, figure out what function the brick casing for an iron stove in a bathhouse performs - this will determine the shape and thickness of the masonry. After this, you need to calculate the required number of bricks. And if the base under the stove is already ready, then you can proceed with these data. Unless you want to stay a quarter of an hour to read the article “How to line an iron stove in a bathhouse with bricks.”
Metal stoves for a bath: photos of brick lining options.
Sauna stove: cast iron or steel
A little has already been said above about why a cast iron stove is better than a steel one. But here is a question of budget - those who can afford an expensive cast-iron stove can choose chromium-alloyed steel , which is also quite durable. And so - steel ones are cheaper, last less than cast iron ones, and are not afraid of mechanical and thermal damage (well, not to the same extent as cast iron ones).
Cast iron ones are taken by those who want to invest once and for a long time. And lovers of Russian baths also take them - they line them with bricks and the result is almost a brick stove.
Read some of our articles about cast iron stoves to get a more complete understanding of this metal in the bathhouse (see above).
Metal bath stove: installation in a steam room
You need to think about the stove even before building a bathhouse, because there are a number of requirements related to its place in the steam room. A metal sauna stove is dangerous - anyone who would not want to burn down their own sauna understands this. We advise you to familiarize yourself with the basic rules for installing a stove in a steam room, which minimize the risk of fire, described in the article “Installing a metal stove in a bathhouse.”
How to properly heat a sauna with a metal stove
Among metal stoves there are units with two types of ignition. The most common is bottom ignition. It is used in furnaces with a grate and an ash pan.
To start kindling, you need to prepare a certain amount of finely chopped firewood, literally splinters, and a newspaper will also come in handy. Then you should open the gate and the blower damper - this is done to create maximum draft inside the furnace. However, depending on the weather, cravings may not occur immediately. The solution to this problem is to warm up the chimney. However, you should prepare for the fact that when lighting, some of the smoke will end up inside the bathhouse. (Note that this does not happen with all stoves, although it depends on the chimney design.)
ADVICE! Warm up the chimney by burning newspaper. A few crumpled sheets are enough to get the traction going.
Then they begin
to lay the first portion of firewood . The volume of the filling is one-third or two-thirds of the volume of the combustion chamber. Not more! Needless to say that they must be dry and correspond in length to the dimensions of the firebox ? It happens that the owner puts in longer wood than the combustion chamber can accommodate; it sticks out and can cause a fire at any moment!
The blower door or damper is kept open until the first coals appear. Then they cover it, but carefully watch how the colors change: the darker and redder the flame, the less oxygen in the firebox - the door still needs to be opened slightly again, but if the flame is light, whitish and the hum of the stove is heard , then there is clearly excessive draft - adjust it with the blower door and damper. The correct color of the fire in the firebox is yellow, the color of straw.
The second bookmark is made only after the first burns down to coals. The number of bookmarks depends on how warm the bath is. When the room temperature reaches the desired level, you can switch to the slow burning mode. To do this, the draft is reduced, and only 1-2 logs are placed in the firebox.
IMPORTANT! Never close the gate completely. This not only promises trouble in the form of smoke entering the room, but also makes carbon monoxide poisoning . However, there are gates with gaps that are physically impossible to close completely.
The type of wood also matters: conifers will quickly clog your chimney as they emit a lot of resins. The best are birch logs, as well as oak, alder, and aspen. Firewood from fruit trees is also good. It is acceptable to use fuel briquettes.
ATTENTION! You cannot heat a sauna stove with coal. Do not use charcoal lighter fluid. And you shouldn't burn garbage in the oven.
Why does the iron stove smoke in the bathhouse?
If you are not the first to notice that an iron stove in a bathhouse is smoking, then first of all you should check the design for defects . This applies primarily to homemade stoves, however, factory ones can also be defective. Or the stove may simply burn out from old age and intensive use - if the firebox has lost its tightness , smoke will inevitably escape into the room.
The second common cause of smoke is lack of traction. You need to check the chimney to see if it needs cleaning.
It was said above that firewood should not fill the firebox more than 2/3. Otherwise, smoke may appear.
Do not forget! Combustion must not be allowed outside the furnace, that is, in the combustion tunnel. This happens when firewood is laid longer than the firebox.
It is also worth paying attention to the regularity of the appearance of smoke and the surrounding circumstances. In some cases, only when there is wind does the smoke return to the bathhouse, then the solution is simple: you need to place a protective cap (deflector) on the top of the pipe.
In other cases, the cause may be a nearby high wind obstruction. But it must really be close to the pipe, then smoke appears because of it - increasing the length of the pipe and installing a deflector will help. The problem with insufficient pipe height above the roof ridge is solved in a similar way - the minimum distance should be half a meter.
How to paint an iron stove in a bathhouse
Heat-resistant paint that can withstand heating of several hundred degrees is suitable for painting In addition, such dyes are usually also resistant to rust.
For example,
organosilicon enamel (SO) can easily withstand temperatures of 600 degrees or more. It is not afraid of temperature changes and has excellent adhesion to metal.
The Russian “ Certa ” can survive more than 700 degrees. And if you take black paint, then its heat resistance is even higher - it doesn’t even care about 900 degrees.
Tikkurila produces Thermal , a durable alkyd enamel that can also be used to paint an iron stove in a bathhouse .
But this is paint in cans. And if you want to paint from a spray can , take Kudo .
In addition, there are special dyes that are designed to withstand direct fire. These can be used to cover the inside of the firebox. But they are not cheap.
Important point! When choosing a paint, ask the consultants if it is designed for steam action . The issue of painting a stove is discussed in more detail in this separate article.
*** Well, our guide to the section of metal sauna stoves is complete. If you have any questions that you haven’t found an answer to, ask them on the contact page.
