red
New Member
Posts: 5
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sauna
May 1, 2009 6:56:57 GMT -8
Post by red on May 1, 2009 6:56:57 GMT -8
hallo
i'm thinking of building a rocket stove for a sauna, the idea i've got is fed from outside, a metal riser and thick metal top at the top of the riser, and either oil drum, or other metal casing ,i've thought too of an outer brick instead of the oildrum ,what i'm after is a lot of heat, i hate warm saunas! i'm thinking the thick metal plate above the riser could be the source of the heat required, anyone any ideas or a system that works
regards red
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sauna
May 1, 2009 7:35:42 GMT -8
Post by Donkey on May 1, 2009 7:35:42 GMT -8
I like 'em blazing hot too.. I'm in the process of building a sauna. The client wants his firebox inside though.. Otherwise, it's pretty much a standard rocket stove. I did make it an 8 inch system for a little tiny space.
It seems to me that the heavy thermal battery that home heating rocket stoves have is inappropriate for saunas. Seems to me that it would take too long to heat up and then stay hot long after you were done with it. What's needed is to dump as much heat directly into the airspace as quickly possible.
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red
New Member
Posts: 5
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sauna
May 1, 2009 8:42:45 GMT -8
Post by red on May 1, 2009 8:42:45 GMT -8
thanks for reply, i thought too about the thermal mass, a friend has a sauna with a gas bottle stove fed from outside sort of a L shape it is very fickle sometimes blazing hot sometimes produces a warm sweaty heat--yuk, he has experimented with many types of firing it but cant get consisitancy, with the riser in a rocket stove producing a lot of heat my idea was that a thick metal plate could give off a lot of heat , we talked of just going ahead and building it but if it doesn't work?! i guess its a case of experimenting
regards red
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sauna
May 3, 2009 8:55:37 GMT -8
Post by Donkey on May 3, 2009 8:55:37 GMT -8
You can plan and scheme.. Though in the final analysis, sooner or later you just gotta build it. No one's built these things like this before, it's ALL experimental. Just try to build it in a way that it can be modified easily later. The thicker top may even out the heat load somewhat.. Try it and let us know how it works, where there is room for improvement, where you failed and where you succeeded.
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sauna
May 3, 2009 9:18:31 GMT -8
Post by canyon on May 3, 2009 9:18:31 GMT -8
Higher mass saunas can be an excellent way to go. Personally, I like any and all kinds of saunas (or banyas, sweat lodges, hammams etc.) However, despite the extra wood and time, my favorite is a high mass. When you fire a high mass it is an event. The quality of heat is so nice and even. I like a hot hot sauna as well (even over 200 f if from mass) but the intense burning infrared radiation of a high temp steel stove (or barrel) often makes me try and shield my naked body from the direct searing. If a low mass sauna is fired super hot until whatever mass and air in it is up to temp and then the fire is allowed to die down before entering it can be a great experience for much less wood and much less time although the window of comfort is short. A guy like me could use two saunas... a low mass one for quick economy spur of the moment use and a high mass one for event use!(sunday sauna is an event enough for me) By the way red, you will love the outside stoking feature if you go that way!
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