Sauna of the barrel with your own hands

Construction of a bath in a small area is a troublesome business: you need to build a foundation, put a frame, equip a roof. Much easier and more economical is the invention of our northern neighbors Finns - a bath-barrel. You can build it yourself, without extra costs to pay for construction workers.

Advantages of the bath-barrel:

• Does not require a massive capital base, to install a fairly flat area with a hard surface;
• Due to the compact dimensions, the bath-tub can be placed on a small area;
• The tub-barrel has a collapsible design, therefore installation and dismantling, and also replacement of elements can be carried out without attraction of heavy equipment;
• Mobility design and light weight allows you to transport the bath and install it in places of temporary residence: in the camp, in the summer cottage;
• Optimum use of internal space is achieved by eliminating corners from the design. The baths are heated very quickly;
• Versatility of design - in a bath-tub you can install both a wood-burning stove and an electric stove, which allows you to get wet or dry steam to choose from.
• The original design will allow the bath to become an ornament of any site.

The bath-barrel has its drawbacks. The main one is the need to insulate the structure for use in winter. As a heater, roll materials are used: they do not rot, they have good thermal insulation, but the cost of the bath increases and increases the labor intensity.

Construction of bath-tub

The tub-barrel is a room in the form of a cylinder laid on its side. The diameter, and hence the height of the bath is from 2 to 3 meters, and the length can be any, usually from 3 to 6 meters according to the standard length of the board. The bath-tub can consist of one steam room or include an additional washing compartment or shower room, rest room and a veranda. The design of the bath at the same time varies only due to the number of internal partitions. To the washing room and steam room you can bring water and sewerage.

Materials and tool

To install the bath tub on the site you will need:

• Profiled sheet pile with a thickness of 45 mm and a width of 90 mm. The length depends on the size of the bath. It is not recommended to take a grooved board with a larger width - it will be difficult to dock when laying along a circle;
• Cutting board 50 mm wide with a width of 200 mm;
• Metal hoops-ties;
• Door and window units;
• Polog;
• Furnace-heater, wood or electric.

Manufacturers of lumber offer ready-made sets for the construction of bath-tubs, having a different size. To save material, time and effort, you can buy a complete set and install it yourself.

Of the varieties of wood for bath-tubs are suitable as coniferous: spruce, pine, larch, and hardwood. At the same time, it is better to make a frame of coniferous wood, and deciduous varieties to use for finishing the bath - they do not smolder and do not cause burns.

Basement or platform for bathing

The foundation for a bath-tub is optional. It can be installed on any level ground, excluding the contact of wood with the soil. This may be a pavement paved with paving slab, filled with concrete or covered with gravel. In the absence of such a platform, it is possible to make a concrete base: remove the soil layer to a depth of 15-20 cm, install a formwork, make a ten-centimeter sand cushion, lay the reinforcement and pour concrete. After hardening of the concrete, which lasts up to 3 weeks, you can collect a bath.

ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLY

If you purchased a complete kit, you only need to assemble it in accordance with the instructions. Otherwise it will be necessary to pre-process the lumber.

Manufacturing technology

1. It is necessary to prepare the base of the bath. Board 50x200 mm sawed into parts equal to the diameter of the bath. Support boards should be installed at a distance of not more than 1.5 meters, so their number will depend on the length of the bath. In the upper part of the boards a groove is cut out, repeating the shape of the bath circle. The width of the remaining part of the board should be at least 10 cm.
2. The end walls and internal partitions are assembled from the sheet pile, fastening them with cross bars. Bars need to be fastened so that they do not interfere with the installation of door and window openings. In the finished sets, the end parts are delivered glued assembled.
3. Cut the grooved board along the length of the bath, butt ends grind. The boards are treated with an antiseptic for the bath.
4. Install the support boards at equal distances from each other. Spread on them the bottom of the bath-barrel of several boards, connecting them by the way "spike in the groove."When the boards form a sector of the circle, sufficient for the installation of the end walls, put them in the appropriate place and continue to lay boards around them, completing the circle.
5. After assembly, the baths are fastened with metal hoops and the door and window blocks are installed.
6. Roof bath-tubs can be made both on the rafter system and cover it with a layer of waterproofing and soft roofing material. For the construction of the rafters use a bar of 50 mm, and as a roofing coating can be used metal roofing or corrugated board, laid on the lath of the boards.
7. If a bath-barrel is used only in the summer, it is not necessary to insulate it. Thanks to the ergonomic design, it warms up in half an hour and keeps the heat for two to three hours, which is enough to steam up a small company.
8. The collected bath from the outside is treated with flame retardant, and from the inside - with natural linseed oil.

Installation of the

In the bath-tub you can install both an electric heater and a conventional metal wood stove. The oven model must correspond to the volume of the steam room. During installation it is necessary to observe fire-fighting measures: to isolate wooden structures from heating elements with the help of special sheets, and pipe trimming to be performed with the use of basalt insulating mats.

By the way, we advise you to read an interesting article on the topic: how to choose stones for a bath.

Floors and interior trim

The interior trim of the bath and floor is better done from the hardwood flooring: they do not so heat up and make steam in the bath light and air - fragrant. The floor is made with a slope towards the drain of water, with enough inclination of 1 degree per meter of floor length. To improve circulation on the floor, put a grid of boards with gaps between them at least 1 cm. This will ensure the heating of the floor. The canopy and benches are set along the walls. Wiring is carried out during the assembly of the bath, while using a cable in non-flammable insulation and lighting devices hermetic execution.

Bath-tub is going to take several days, and to please you with a light steam will be for many years. Care and maintenance of the sauna is not difficult - it needs to be ventilated after use and covered with protective compounds once or twice a year from inside and outside. Of course you are advised to read about: a bath on wheels with their own hands, and also about a bath from a log with their own hands.