Health has always worried scientists in all fields of science. Maslov's bathhouse combines many years of experience and know-how in scientific and engineering thought. The Maslova bathhouse appeared in the 80s and gained popularity among many lovers of the traditional Russian bathhouse. We will tell you how to build a Maslova bathhouse with your own hands and what features it has in today’s article.
You don’t need a large room for a Maslov bath.
Banya Maslova: what is it?
Enthusiasts call the new product Maslov's Russian bath; skeptics criticize the design for being too wasteful of heat. In practice, the system is perfect for people who value comfort and the ability to customize the parameters of the steam room, its temperature and the heat transfer of the walls.
The secret of the Maslova bath, or its main feature, is maximum controllability of the heating process. Unlike conventional steam rooms with a wood-burning or electric stove, the air is heated not due to the radiation of heat from the hot sides of the heater, but through the gentle heating of the walls and floor of the bathhouse by built-in water radiators. The author of the idea is Maslov V.V. calls them aquapanels.
Structurally, the new bathhouse consists of four main elements:
- Electronic control unit for hot coolant supply;
- Heating boiler, electric, gas or diesel with two additional heat exchange circuits;
- Aluminum water panels with pipelines;
- Maslov's steam or heat generator, used to produce hot, moisture-saturated air in the steam compartment of a bathhouse.
In addition, the system uses a large number of electric valves that control the flow of hot water flowing through aluminum pipes embedded in the walls of the bathhouse.
Several heat exchangers are built into the Maslov stove, through which hot water moves at different heating temperatures, so in the bathhouse it is possible to separately heat the steam room, dressing room, floor, shower cabin according to a given program. It is even possible to cool overheated loungers or the floor in the steam room without changing the oven load.
For your information! It is believed that the Maslov system acts on the human body like the steam room of a Russian bath. Gentle, diffused heat in a humid atmosphere evenly warms tissue and muscles.
The design of Maslov's Russian bath is in many ways similar to a heating system using a water-heated floor. The differences between the two schemes lie in the amount of heat generated by the oven and the design of the heating element. The only original product in Maslov’s system remains the steam generation system.
Possibilities
The author declares full automation of all, without exception, processes that directly or indirectly affect the microclimate in the main functional areas of the bathhouse. Namely:
- The ability to set the ratio of temperature and humidity in modes from hammam to dry-air bath;
- Flexible microclimate adjustment in any zone;
- Control of all generating systems in real time;
- Quick access to operating mode, within 45 minutes;
- Programming modes by switching time and operating duration;
Important! There is no point in commenting on issues of electrical safety, in particular, the use of a step-down transformer for lighting and control, which are presented by the manufacturer as some kind of special achievement. They are clearly regulated and clearly stated in publicly available rules for the installation and operation of electrical installations. The “innovativeness” of the implementation should be described as follows: for about a century, human civilization has been using artificially low voltage in hazardous areas. And not even in such a critical place as a hot and humid bath, but, for example, in metal-cutting machines. Also, the lighting of the working area of a universal lathe has a voltage of 24 volts. In case of destruction of the lamp bulb or contact group with lubricating and cooling liquid, fatal electric shock to the operator can be avoided.
Maslov's heat generator: device
Regardless of the type of bathhouse, built-in in an apartment or mobile, there is always a massive steel box in the steam room to produce a stream of hot water vapor. Maslov's heat generator exists in two versions - electric and gas, for stationary and mobile bathhouse models, respectively.
The device works as follows:
- Inside the massive body of the heat generator made of stainless steel, two electric heating elements or a coil made of heat-resistant steel 310 are mounted, laid on a U-shaped pipe;
- Metal rods are laid inside the central pipe of the heat generator; when electric heaters operate or the hot combustion products of diesel fuel move, their surface heats up to a temperature of 350-400°C;
- A ladle is installed at the inlet of one of the pipes, from which water drips in a thin stream into the hot pipe, releasing a stream of hot steam.
According to the author, Maslov’s heat generator creates a humid and hot atmosphere in the steam room of the bathhouse, like a regular heater. By adjusting the heating, you can achieve the most comfortable room temperature. In addition, the heat generator design virtually eliminates the risk of being burned by steam or scalded by boiling water, as happens when handling a classic sauna stove.
Advantages
The main and main advantage of the Maslov system can be considered very precise adjustment of the humidity and temperature of the bathhouse atmosphere. In the classic version of a sauna building, a stove is considered very successful if the humidity and temperature inside the steam room are adjusted no more often than once every ten minutes. In Maslov's bathhouse, most of the problems are taken care of by automation and an electronic control unit.
Water heating is ideal for mobile or portable bathhouse models. Anyone who has ever spent the night in frame buildings, in cars, or in tents knows how difficult it is to ensure a comfortable indoor temperature.
Maslov’s scheme allows you to easily adjust and maintain heating of any section of a mobile frame room, even in early spring, when temperature changes can reach 15-20°C. Thanks to the special design of the furnace, the heat generator and the built-in valve system, the high temperature in the steam room can be maintained indefinitely.
Flaws
This is not to say that the Maslova bathhouse does not have any disadvantages; despite all the attractiveness of the modern approach to heating and providing heat, the Maslova bathhouse remains a problematic design for two reasons:
- A huge number of control electric valves, which are controlled by a set of controllers and microcircuits, at the slightest failure, the stove and heat generator will cause a fire or thermal burns;
- The high cost of building a Maslov bathhouse. This is a high-tech facility, the price of which is 2-3 times higher than the best steam room, planned and assembled by a professional according to a classical design.
In addition, all elements of Maslov’s bathhouse, especially its most dangerous components - the stove and heat generator, directly depend on the availability of electricity. If the steam room loses power, the boiler, stove, pumps, and computer may fail.
We must pay tribute to V.V. Maslov, the safety and maintainability of the bathhouse were thoroughly thought out. In the absence of electricity, neither the heat generator nor the stove will cause thermal destruction of the structure or burns from boiling water. Most of the excess heat accumulated in the stove will transfer to the aluminum heating panels and be evenly dissipated indoors.
Advantages
- fast heating, ease of operation and the presence of a large number of different operating modes of the bath;
- high fire safety, since there is no source of fire (open fire in a sauna stove);
- the heated steam is light, which creates comfortable conditions for staying in the steam room;
- The compact dimensions of the bath allow you to combine a steam room with a washing room;
- IR radiation can cure colds, joint pain and has a rejuvenating effect on the skin.
Do-it-yourself Maslova bathhouse
The design of a modern steam room with a heat generator and computer control is ideal for building a mobile version of the bathhouse. The construction estimate is quite large, since the list of things needed to make a motorbath includes:
- Car trailer with a platform size of 2x3.5 m;
- Steel corner or square with an edge of 30 mm, at least 40 m;
- Moisture-resistant OSB board 8 mm thick, you will need at least 45 m2;
- Mineral wool;
- Aluminum thermal panels with an area of at least 10 m2;
- Linden lining or bamboo veneer;
- Polymer-aluminum pipes ½ inch, 70-75 m;
- Control electrovalves – 14 pieces;
- Computer;
- Heat generator and diesel furnace of an industrial model, thermal power of at least 1.5 kW.
For your information! Assembly work and construction of the Maslov car bathhouse box will cost 1.5-2 thousand dollars without installing a stove and heat generator.
Heating aluminum panels can be purchased at a price of 850-900 rubles. per m2, the control system will cost 3-4 thousand rubles. You can make a heat generator with your own hands or order it from craftsmen for 3,500 rubles. The price of a diesel furnace driven by a car battery is 4-20 thousand rubles, depending on the condition and power.
Construction technology
At the initial stage, the sides are removed from the trailer platform, the frame of the future bathhouse is welded on, stiffeners are installed, and the casing is sewn on. The design of the Maslov bathhouse box is no different from any other mobile steam room.
The walls are insulated with mineral wool, this is important, since the steam room is supposed to use a stove and a heat generator that burn solar fuel in an open burner. The outer surface is sheathed with OSB sheets and coated with weather-resistant paint.
Inside the box, waterproof aluminum panels are laid on the walls and floor.
Next, a system of pipelines and control electric valves is installed. All communications are covered with cladding; the walls and floor of the Maslov bathhouse are traditionally laid out with ceramic mosaics.
Bath heating
In stationary steam rooms, heating of the walls can be carried out using built-in film carbon elements used in the installation of heated floors. For a mobile sauna, Maslov uses aluminum aqua panels connected to a solar furnace. The hot flow of exhaust gases is also used to heat the internal circuit of the heat generator.
A pump built into the subfloor of the steam room pumps antifreeze through the coil in the stove and directs it to the aquapanel. Using electrovalves, the computer regulates the heating speed and temperature.
Lighting and ventilation
For a mobile sauna, you will need to connect to a car battery or your own electric generator. Most of the light enters the bathhouse through windows and a system of LED strips stretched along the ceiling plinth.
A dual-mode ventilation system is installed under the ceiling of the steam room. In the first case, the fan takes air from the bathhouse and disperses it throughout the steam room. This ventilation system design is designed to work together with a heat generator.
The heat generator housing is located directly under the fan. After filling the heating pipe with the next portion of water, a stream of steam rises under the blades and is accelerated by the air flow throughout the steam room. According to V.V. Maslov, this is the safest way to saturate the bathhouse atmosphere with a hot steam flow.
The second mode is dehumidification of the bathhouse from residual moisture and condensation. In this case, the fan takes air from the street, pumps it through the hot body of a switched-off stove or heat generator and directs the flow to the walls and floor. That’s why the lining in Maslov’s bathhouse is made of ceramics.
Temperature and humidity in a Finnish sauna
The Finnish sauna is a dry-air sauna, i.e.
It is characterized by low humidity at very high air temperatures. Therefore, the sauna can be heated even up to 130? C, but only experienced sauna connoisseurs can withstand such “hellish” heat. The statistically average and most acceptable temperature for most visitors is considered to be from 70°C to 110°C, and its golden mean is 90 degrees Celsius. At such a high temperature, the humidity in the Finnish sauna room is no more than 10-15%. Even children and the elderly can tolerate this temperature quite comfortably. Due to the low humidity, the human body tolerates air heating up to 110-120°C quite easily, although steam lovers often note dryness of the mucous membranes and respiratory tract, as well as a burning sensation in the nasal cavity.
How did the idea come about?
Victor Maslov is not just a physicist, but also an inventor. The idea of creating an unusual bathhouse came to him completely by accident. Having bought an old house for his mother in the Moscow region, he decided to restore order there. I collected all the garbage and various rubbish and decided to burn it not on the site, but in the Russian stove that was in the house. The furnace overheated greatly, so it needed to be repaired.
Viktor Valentinovich had to climb inside the furnace to straighten the bricks and cover the cracks with clay. The stove didn't cool down completely, it was warm and cozy there. After finishing work, he noticed that his back stopped hurting. Therefore, he came up with the idea of laying a bed inside the stove and resting there for several hours. And at the same time to warm up, since after the repair I had to wash off the snow outside. As a result, he spent the whole night there, and the next morning he got the idea to build a bathhouse according to a new principle.
RBM interior: ceramics, stone, glass, metal
Maslova's bathhouse consists of one room - a kind of bath-shower cabin. The floor, walls, ceiling, sun loungers - everything here is covered with ceramic tiles, natural stone, glass mosaic. A shower is installed near the lounger so that the bathhouse visitor can wash while sitting or lying down, with maximum comfort. You can clean the steam room without any hindrance - there is a drain on the floor for water drainage.
A mandatory element of this steam room is a heat generator (steam generator), which is a rectangular stove-heater in a heat-insulated casing. To save space, the heat generator is usually fixed to the wall, at a height of 1.5 m from the floor.
Heating RBM: electric panels EINT
Maslov's original bathhouse is heated by EINT long-wave infrared panels mounted under the facing surfaces. The advantages of these electrical panels are that the range of their thermal radiation completely coincides with the radiation of the heated wall of a Russian stove. And it is the impact of long heat waves that has a beneficial effect on human health - this has been proven by modern medical research.
The temperature of each panel can be adjusted by changing the degree of heating of the bath surfaces. It has been experimentally proven that for the most comfortable heat for the body, the floor temperature should be in the range of 35-40˚C, sunbeds - 42-50˚C, wall surfaces - 45-50˚C, ceiling - 55-60˚C.
It is important to note that when using EINT panels, energy savings reach 20-30% compared to standard heating systems
Design Features
It should be noted that Maslov’s bathhouse is not built like all similar establishments. In fact, everything here is multi-layered: the walls, the ceiling and even the sun lounger. First, the frame is made, and then it is sheathed with metal. Next come the heat-resistant panels. They are necessarily two-layer, since the temperature sensors are located in the middle. Cables are laid from the sensors. All this is then covered with galvanized mesh, and then comes waterproofing and a special thermal solution. The finishing trim is already attached to it.
All this helps to ensure that the room can warm up as much as possible. The effect is achieved not only due to this, but also thanks to well-heated natural materials. And first of all, this concerns the sun lounger. But one very important point must be taken into account: it is better to use natural stone as finishing. But if ceramics are used, it should also be made only from natural ingredients. Otherwise, when heated, harmful fumes will emanate from it. So now it should be clear what Maslov’s bathhouse is and what is its peculiarity.
Check valve
There must be a check valve at the end of the suction hose (link to aliexpress), otherwise the pumping station will take a long time to pump water, or you will even need to add water to the filler hole, as before the first start, the fact is that the pumping station cannot lift water from barrels, if there is air in its pump.
A check valve looks like this, they are available for different diameters, there are also plastic ones (cheap), but they should not be used, they quickly fail.
When starting the pumping station for the first time, you need to fill it with water (1).
We did not have the opportunity to make a pipeline from the well, as it would freeze, so we installed a 200 liter plastic barrel, which we filled as needed.
