Finnish stoves for baths and saunas: which one is better to choose?

Complete set and principle of operation

Before thinking about making your own stove equipment or buying a ready-made model, you need to figure out the difference between a stove for a Finnish bath and equipment for a Russian one. To do this, you need to study the main structural elements:

1. Fuel chamber, in which firewood will be burned.
2. Chimney for evacuating evolved gases.
3. Stove for heat-resistant minerals.
4. A convector is a detail that distinguishes a sauna stove from equipment for a classic bath. This part provides quick heating of the steam room and the creation of dry steam.
5. Ash box.
6. Metal body.

In addition to the converter, steam generators can be installed on new models of furnace equipment to create steam.

Overview of Finnish sauna stove manufacturers

Finnish companies are confidently occupying the leading positions in the segment of bath equipment. Most of them have been in the market for decades and supply products all over the world.

• Tulikivi

The largest company producing stylish and almost timeless soapstone stoves. In case of failure of the firebox, it can be replaced, leaving the stove in its place. The Tulikivi range includes electric ovens, woodburning stoves and smoke sauna ovens, which have returned to steam rooms in a new look.

Smoke stove KSSK1000 (Tulikivi)

Nuoska ceramic electric heater from Tulikivi

• Kastor

Renowned manufacturer of steel furnace equipment. The products of this company are distinguished by high efficiency, have a special ventilation and filtration system and unique protection against accidental burns.

Kastor SAGA 27 TS1 with external fireplace insert

• Harvia

Produces steel units with durable cast iron furnaces. The specialists of this company have developed an innovative system that reduces carbon monoxide emissions by 80%. The range of the manufacturer includes several groups of furnace equipment - from furnaces for miniature steam rooms to powerful professional units with an automatic control system.

Harvia brand products

Harvia Legend models with a grate heater

• Narvi

Finnish wood-burning sauna stoves with low fuel consumption are produced under this brand. To heat the steam room to 80 degrees, one hour and two sets of firewood are enough. The pride of the company is the Steam Master Royal sauna stove with an enlarged stove with a closed hood that can hold up to 100 kg of stones. Another noteworthy Narvi Stony stove with a mesh casing and a remote insert will appeal to lovers of soft, wet steam.

Narvi Stony in the steam room

Any questions regarding the choice of a sauna heater should be considered even at the stage of planning a purchase. It is advisable to tell a professional about all the problems, and even better - to entrust the specialist with the calculation of the equipment power and its installation.

Varieties

Furnace equipment is classified according to various factors. By fuel type:

1. Electric models. There is no need to buy firewood for the equipment, you can accurately set the temperature regime. Among the shortcomings, one can single out the need to connect to the power supply network. Powerful designs operate from 380 volts, which requires the installation of an expensive transformer.
2. Wood-burning models. Popular oven equipment that works from different types of wood, compressed sawdust briquettes. The pluses include autonomy. The main disadvantage is that it is necessary to constantly clean the chimney, combustion chamber, ash box.

A separate group includes gas equipment. It is less popular due to the complexity of installation, explosion hazard.

The equipment can be with a built-in water tank, a portable tank or without it at all.

It is also customary to classify equipment by material: brick, metal.

Do-it-yourself Swedish stove: masonry, drawings, ordering

Photo: Do-it-yourself Swedish oven masonry drawings ordering

Before you start laying, you need to familiarize yourself with the order. You need to decide where the firebox will be located: from the end or in the back. The Swedes are heated with wood, they can be installed for a frame house on two floors, since the height is large. You can make a mini oven by reducing its size, but then you have to find a suitable surface for the stove.

The work consists of the following stages:

1. Choosing a place. Decide on the placement not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also from the point of view of the location of the chimney.
2. Foundation. It assumes a deepening of up to 80 cm: a surface is marked on the floor and cuts are made using a grinder. Next, dig a hole with a shovel, tamp the sand with gravel.
3. Reinforcement of the foundation. Use formwork and iron reinforcement, which is filled with mortar.
4. Layout. You can use a 3 by 4 brick scheme, you can use Kuznetsov's scheme. You can make a bell-type oven with your own hands: the order in this case will be different. The first two rows are laid out in full, then the ash chamber is built, the doors are installed. From the fifth row, the wind section is mounted, the combustion chamber is laid out with refractory material. At the end, an ash pan is made.

You can install the product in a wooden house, you can make it for a wood-fired sauna. Do not forget about the formation of the chimney according to the planned scheme.

Device maintenance

During operation, some questions about the use and maintenance of the Swede may arise:

• a wood-burning Swede may require repair of the firebox: the replacement of the firebox door occurs by dismantling the old one and installing a new one;
• how to cover cracks: for this, use a mixture of clay and sand on a primed surface;
• how to establish draft in a cold stove: check the chimney for soot, clean it, provide a good air flow;
• how to heat properly - when firing up the main pipe valve must be open.

Advice! The design has independent fireboxes, therefore, when the fireplace is in operation, the stove itself may not work, and vice versa.

Compliance with all the nuances will lead to the longevity of the Swede, made by yourself.

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Selection principles

When choosing a purchased model of a Finnish stove, you need to pay attention to a number of characteristics:

1. Rated power. For every 1 m3 of the room, you need to take 1 kW of furnace equipment power. There is no point in spending money on high power models for small steam rooms.
2. The volume of the water tank. 15 liters of water is enough for one person.
3. To the manufacturer. The more famous the company is, the more expensive the oven will be.
4. The location of the firebox. For small steam rooms, a remote firebox would be the best option. She can be taken to the dressing room.

You also need to pay attention to the material from which the oven is made.

Advantages and disadvantages

Benefits:

1. Not everyone likes the high humidity in the steam room. Finnish stoves are deprived of this.
2. Since the humidity level is low, the wood in the steam room decays more slowly. Reduces the risk of fungus, mold.
3. Manufacturers pay special attention to the materials from which the furnaces are made. Due to this, they do not emit harmful substances when heated.

Among the shortcomings, one can single out the fact that not all bath visitors love dry steam, and universal models cost a lot of money.

Models and prices

Many Finnish oven manufacturers are known. Based on the opinion of buyers, several popular models can be distinguished:

1. Harvia 20 SL BOILER.The peculiarity of this stove is that an additional water tank can be connected to it, operating on the principle of a boiler. The stove holds 40 kg of stones. Suitable for heating steam rooms up to 20 m3.
2. Harvia 20 Duo. A model of furnace equipment, which stands out for its modern design, a remote combustion chamber, a door made of heat-resistant glass. Suitable for heating steam rooms up to 20 m3. The stove can hold no more than 40 kg of stones.
3. Narvi Kota Inari. A true Finnish stove that matches the interior of a classic sauna. The stove is located above the combustion chamber. Designed for heating rooms with a volume of up to 13 m3.
4. Narvi Stony 18 tunnel. Furnace equipment with a remote firebox, which has a vertical heater located along the chimney. Designed for steam rooms up to 18 m3.
5. HELO ROCHER WOOD L SL. An unusual stove, which is suitable for saunas, Russian baths. The firebox is located under the stove. The heater itself is stretched high up, fenced with twigs. It can hold up to 140 kg of stones. Suitable for steam rooms up to 20 m3.

The average price for Finnish stoves in stores is 40-50 thousand rubles.

The nuances of choosing a Finnish oven

Panoramic glass window on the oven
When choosing a wood-burning model, the following specifics are taken into account:

1. Furnace channel. In Finnish modifications with a removable firebox, it is telescopic. The furnace section changes its length based on the density of the wall into which the furnace is embedded. The standard model only heats the steam room. Versions with a longer duct heat the adjacent room. As a rule, the process starts from the dressing room.
2. Massive panoramic bath glass. When it is there, you can follow the fire. Glass elements are used here. They are located in the large door of the furnace section. In the process of firing the device with wood, soot settling on the glass is excluded. This is the merit of the "anti-smoke" option. Thanks to special channels, an air damper is formed. She does not allow soot to be on the door.
3. Stone cladding. The body of the furnace for uniform heating of the steam room and protection from the radiation effects of red-hot steel is sheathed with stone slabs. Most often this material is made of soapstone. The saunas are perfect.
4. Fire screens. By default, the metal versions are equipped with a side thermal protection of the case. The heat dissipates correctly and flows into the heater. There is no radiation from the red-hot metal case here.

Other criteria taken into account when buying: other operating parameters, design specifics, appearance, brand, cost.

Finnish furnace steel tank

An impressive range of heating equipment from Finnish companies, presented in Russian sales, allows you to choose a model of various configurations for heating domestic or industrial steam rooms. A Russian user most often purchases products of the following brands:

1. Sauna stove "harvia".
2. Tulikivi.
3. Finnish "Castor".
4. "Narvi".
5. "Gelo".

Stoves advantages:

1. Huge operational life. According to the documents, it is 8-12 years with proper use and maintenance of furnaces.
2. The walls of the combustion chamber are 5 mm thick. Furnace material - stainless steel. Thus, corrosion of the material is excluded, and the operational life is developed.
3. Modest mass for the stove. In the assembled format, the mass of the furnace is in the range of 20-60 kg. The selected modification matters here. But the stone cladding increases the weight of the device tenfold.
4. Ease of installation. It can be done in 1-2 hours. The stone-clad versions are delivered unassembled. To facilitate assembly, detailed instructions and a schematic plan are included with the unit.

DIY making

You can make a Finnish sauna stove, but you will have to face many difficulties:

• calculating the dimensions of the structure to ensure proper heating for the steam room;
• calculating the volume of the heater;
• taking into account fire safety rules;
• placement of the main elements of the furnace;
• creating a solid foundation;
• checking the tightness of welded seams.

If you have experience with a welding machine, grinder, you can try to assemble the structure yourself.

Installation

When installing the oven, you need to adhere to some rules:

1. In places where the chimney passes through the roof, the ceiling, you need to install special sleeves made of non-combustible materials.
2. Surrounding surfaces should be protected with metal sheets that will reflect heat radiation. Under them you need to place asbestos slabs.
3. The base for the furnace should be laid out of fireclay bricks. Check it by level so that there are no distortions.

After completing the installation work, you need to check the oven. To do this, a trial kindling is carried out in a gentle mode. Chips, straw are used.

Exploitation

The rules for operating the furnace are simple:

• do not load a lot of firewood into the firebox at one time;
• regularly clean the chimney, ash box;
• check the integrity of the stones once a month, throw out minerals that have split from the heat;
• lay a sheet of stainless steel in front of the stove so that the floor does not catch fire from sparks flying out of the firebox.

You need to heat a wood-burning stove only with high-quality wood. It is forbidden to burn garbage in the combustion chamber.

Finnish stoves are needed for saunas. They allow you to get dry steam, low air humidity. They differ from the stove equipment for Russian baths, they have certain features in the device.

The best stove for a Russian bath is a Finnish wood-burning stove

Sauna stoves Kastor have a wide range of models, they are distinguished by functionality, operational safety and exclusive design. They are equipped with a special air exchange system, which contributes to the rapid heating of stones and a longer heat retention. The double casing of the heater ensures fire safety. These models have a firewood afterburning system.

All these advantages make it possible to consider the wood-burning model of the Finnish company Castor as the best stove for a Russian bath. Many lovers of high temperatures prefer the warmth of a wood-fired bath and choose the units of this company.

Photo: Castor stove for baths and saunas

Finnish Kastor stoves differ in different volumes of serviced premises from 3 to 37 sq. The units have:

• high power from 7 to 30 kW;
• compactness.

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The total weight of the stones used reaches 150 kg;

The Kastor wood-fired stove heats up the bathhouse for about an hour and does not require a lot of fuel. There are models that can be used with a coil by installing a water tank in a room adjacent to the steam room.

Some models of Finnish wood-burning stoves Castor are trimmed with talcomagnesite - an environmentally friendly mineral that is useful for the body.

The mineral talcomagnesite has a unique property. It emits infrared heat that has a wavelength close to that of the human body. All sauna lovers know that the quality of the heat depends on the stones in the stove. In Finland, talcochlorite rock is mined, which has a high heat capacity and is resistant to temperature changes. These properties of the stone are used in the manufacture of Finnish bath equipment. Castor stoves in talcochlorite are harmless to the human body, the mineral protects a person from electromagnetic radiation.

Important! While relaxing in a sauna with a Finnish talcomagnesite stove, people get rid of stress, blood pressure is normalized, and bronchopulmonary diseases are cured.