Eternal battle "who is who", what is better: a metal or stove for a sauna?
About what kind of oven for a bath is better, you can talk for hours. The hottest disputes on the forums are devoted to this very issue. Fans of a brick kiln-stove fiercely defend their case, throwing opponents phrases: "A real Russian bath - only on stone and wood!" Fans of the metal model argue about the speed, convenience and presentability of the unit.
Let's choose the best "heart" for you. And the brick, and the metal heater has its pros and cons, so if you correctly beat them, you can achieve a healthy microclimate in a steam room with any stove.
So, read the key characteristics of these two stove-competitors and carefully "try" them for your project.
Desired "guest" from the past: a stone( brick) stove-heater
Such an aggregate is built only by hand, which is very troublesome due to the unstable dimensions of the brick. As fuel, wood is used most often, although for large public institutions, from an economic point of view, gas is preferable.
Advantages of the brick heater:
- uniform and gentle heating of the steam room;
- prolonged heat retention;
- excellent fire safety;
- heating of a large room( more than 25 m3);
- simplicity of management.
Disadvantages of a brick stove:
- weighs a lot( from 700 kg and above);
- requires a massive foundation;
- takes up a lot of space in the room( up to 3 m3);
- is melting for a long time( from 3-5 hours);
- its uncomfortable to clean.
There are two types of such units that differ in their operating principle:
- A bath oven with a closed batch oven, where the stones are located in the chimney. Use it is possible only after the complete combustion of fuel, that is, after 4-5 hours.
- A sauna stove with an open stove of constant action, where the stone bowl is open, therefore it requires constant feeding of fire. The heater is heated 2-2.5 hours and during the entire hovering session.
It is better to prefer the latest model, because in it carbon monoxide has no chance to get into the steam room. Furnaces for a bath with a closed stove are additionally heated by the energy of the smoke, but at the same time the soot settles on the stones, which according to the theory must completely burn. In practice, however, a small fraction of the dirt is still released into the atmosphere of the steam room.
A brick stove for a sauna is ideal for large paired rooms, where the owners have enough free time for its operation and maintenance. In addition, the heater should be used regularly( at least several times a week).
Smart and multifunctional "beauty": a metal oven-heater
The oven is manufactured in the factory, although there are many homemade schemes of the unit from improvised materials. It can be heated by solid fuels, electricity, gas, workings. Advantages of a metal sauna oven:
- compact dimensions;
- light weight( from 50 kg);
- fast warm-up( from 30 minutes);
- multifunctionality;
- modern design.
Disadvantages of the metal heater:
- uneven heating of the room;
- is less fire safe than a brick "friend";
- fast cooling;
- is designed for small rooms up to 25 m3.
All metal stoves for a sauna with a closed and open stove work according to the principle of permanent action, that is, they function all the time, while in the steam room there are visitors. Usually choose open stoves because of more effective design.
The variety of metal models is impressive. There is a round oven for a bath, which is located in the center of the steam room and is its peculiar decor. Alternatively, a wall-mounted, angled, mini-unit built into the wall, maximally liberating the space from unnecessary "barricades".
There is a great way to get rid of the wave-like heat spread by a metal heater. It is placed in a built brick or stone box. This is an ideal variant of the arrangement of this model of the furnace for a small steam room.
So, let's draw a conclusion, metal stove-heater for a bath is more suitable for small steam rooms , where the hosts get hit. For some half an hour the steam room will be ready to meet its guests.
