What is a home sauna?

"Every year on December 31, my friends and go to the bath ..." Do not be that the bath with the traditional libations - there would be people's favorite movie by Eldar Ryazanov. "I went to the bath ... the same time and washed" - one of the favorite jokes of those years. Perhaps bath home use, or rather the sauna for apartments and town houses were designed specifically by women to men in their passion for purity did not go too far. But in any case - they were not invented by us. And indeed home saunas industrial production appeared in the Russian market is relatively recent. And once there was a lot of questions. Which to choose? Can I install a mini-bath-house at home? What to do this? What is a "home" sauna? First, let us see what "home" sauna. Saunas for apartments and town houses - a wooden cabin, which heats the oven, stove - wood burning or electric. In models designed for city apartments, used only by electric furnaces. In saunas can bathe and dry and wet steam: it is necessary only to adjust the humidity by spraying the stones with water, and temperature, changing the mode of heating on the control panel. The main components of a sauna: wood cabin with heat and vapor barrier. The walls of the cabin - wooden frame with a padded lining both sides (in addition, there are saunas, where the outside walls are made of acrylic or pressed wood). The frame is filled with insulation (mineral wool, extruded tube, fiberglass, etc.). Electric oven-stove, heating up the air. In such furnaces are used only by special rocks - volcanic peridotite, diabase, or Scandinavian their domestic counterpart - Karelian gabbro-diabase. No other choice: because of changes in temperature stone with a granular structure, such as granite may crack. The stones are heated in an oven electric coil - Tan, protected from moisture coated. These stoves are designed specifically for sauna: they do not burn oxygen, the body is protected from heat, and also equipped with an automatic shut-off. Sealed doors provide thermal insulation. Doors should fit snugly against the jamb. If the door is wooden, it sought, making it a three-way edge, if glass - at the expense of silicone sealant. Cabin interior equipment: shelves, head restraints, footrest, backrest - everything it touches people. Typically, foreign manufacturers of this part of the "decoration" steam rooms are made of African wood Abashev (Abacha, abacus). It has low thermal conductivity, so sitting on the shelf of Abashev not be burned at very high temperatures. Domestic builders on request can be used for these purposes aspen or linden. Accessories - anything ranging from special lamps, thermometers, hygrometers and ending with tub, woks, etc. It is also important details of the sauna, which we describe in detail in our shopping. But the shower in the suite of mini-bath is not included. What? Of what? How much? The cost of fragrant wood booths depends firstly on whether you buy a prefabricated sauna or going to build its custom-made, and second - on the model chosen, the third - the material used (one and the same model is finished Team saunas can be made, for example, from a pine or fir, and these options will cost differently). Anything but designer gadgets, prefabricated sauna differs from that which you can build a custom-made? Ready to assemble sauna of boards, as a designer, so if necessary it can be easily removed. A sauna is used in the construction of smaller elements; to the same design mounted to a wall, so that parse "bathhouse", then to raise it again, it is very problematic. That is, if you need to sell or exchange an apartment, built to carry a sauna at the new location will not succeed. During the construction of "a sauna" often trim angle of the corridor, bathroom or just upholster the walls lining the pantry. A ready-made booth is separated from the wall not less than 5 cm - it is necessary for proper ventilation. Therefore, in the "unfinished" Sauna ventilation tends to be worse than the ready, which means that "lifetime" of such a car less. Models ready saunas differ primarily material from which they are made, the shape and size. Known Finnish company Helo and Harvia used, for example, Scandinavian spruce and pine, cedar and hemlock (Canadian analog fir), and the Swedish firm Tylts, moreover, makes it all the saunas of alder and aspen. The shape of cabins are square, rectangular and angular, and the size - single and double "sit" or "recumbent" so-called "family" (just to lie down together, but if you want the cab will fit the whole family ). The larger cabin - so more power oven is required for its heat and the higher the price of the sauna. In addition, each model has its own characteristics of internal and external decoration. Some models are fitted with saunas, such as special lights for color therapy (cubicle is illuminated in red, blue, yellow or green). Among the high-cost options - sauna with rounded corners, shelves, arranged in two tiers, etc. For some models you can choose the size and shape of windows, doors with glass or without a "window" or entirely of glass. External cladding - from the "effect of old logs" to match the color of plastic tubs and toilets. In addition, for the exterior instead of plastic used pressed wood. This material, unlike the CPD does not contain glues and varnishes and provides an opportunity to pick the color that will blend in with the overall color scheme of the room. Insulation - is also an important component of the sauna. In the cabins of the Finnish and Swedish production using mineral wool, and in some Finnish model - pressed cork - a natural water-resistant material. Sauna, insulated with cork is more expensive by 30%. Typically, prefabricated sauna costs from 1800 - 2000 $ to 5000 - 6500 $ and above. Such a variation in prices is primarily dictated by the value of the material from which made sauna: Scandinavian spruce cheaper than pine and cedar and hemlock - the most expensive materials. During the construction of the sauna make up the concept of "model" depends largely on the customer and the capabilities of the contractor. As the representative of one of these companies, the door with a mosaic depicting naked nymphs - do not limit imagination of clients. Domestic builders use for the cab as softwood (pine, spruce) and deciduous (linden, aspen). Furnace heaters offer both imported and Russian (for example, the furnace "heat"). Same situation with insulation: you may be offered as a Finnish rock wool, and domestic or insulation on fiberglass. According to my information, there is no company that would build saunas entirely from domestic components. But think about it the employee of one of the companies involved in construction of saunas: "quite a long time in Russia, producing wood and electric stoves, heaters, no problem you can order items of interior decoration of domestic production - shelves, benches, lamps and accessories. Prefabricated-panel cockpit, too, began to do with us, from our bunks. And you can not say that our furnace or car - bad. No! Simply Finnish and Swedish experience in this matter is calculated in decades. And what about if the quality of the wood can still argue, something about electrical my opinion clear: I do not remember that the Finnish and Swedish stoves ever happened "caps", which is not true of our own. But the buyer chooses, based on their financial capabilities, we just offer him the different options. And because we guarantee to built a sauna, it prefers to deal with higher-quality "product." Variation in prices for the construction of sauna is large enough. But lately, the construction of domestic materials almost equal to the purchase of the finished cabin: a sauna on a turnkey basis in the average cost of $ 1500. In choosing the "buy or build" there are "intermediate" option - building materials from foreign manufacturers. Doing it, as a rule, company distributors of prefabricated cabins. For example, the cabin is made from native lime or aspen, and benches, headrests and other interior components - from Abasha, doors and furnace put Finnish. If a sauna built entirely from imported materials, the price will be approximately $ 1800. The difference in price representatives of firms explain not only the high cost of components, but also the fact that saunas domestic craftsmen did not always correspond to the "brand" quality standards, and "building" in such cases often do not mean a complete arrangement. "You can build a sauna and $ 800, and the stove door and offered to buy himself - told me the officer distribution company. - And anyway, maybe these "builders" are used as thermal insulation quilts. Aspen and lime, from which we build a sauna, cheaper, spruce and pine, but they have a looser structure, so that bogus bathhouse "couples go faster. If you have got the builders erecting saunas from "our" spruce and pine - and even worse: in Russia there is no special processing technology softwood. Indeed, in contrast to the hardwoods, conifers produce resin, which is at a high temperature just flow through the walls. To avoid this, in the Scandinavian wood sauna was treated with hot air. Therefore, the tree is not "flowing" and is never sticky. " Have doubts? All this is certainly interesting, but here's what the question is not bugging me: "Do you need saunas some retrofitting apartment?" Somehow, the memory surfaced cheerless case: the attempt to install a Jacuzzi in one of the oldest houses in Moscow ended in failure ... literally - could not stand the wooden floors. My doubts were dispelled officer of the company: "Single cab weighs in as a bed - 190 kg. The larger cabin, the greater its area, and hence less pressure. So the worry that the floors will collapse completely in vain. All safety - not to touch the stones and to change them about once every three years (from changes in temperature begins to crumble stone). Stones for stoves sold in the same place where the sauna of your company. " But then came another question: Does withstand such a load electric grid? After all, even a TV, computer and iron sometimes cause voltage drops, and if there's still "sauna" will "drown" ... "To heat a small single cabins used by the furnace capacity 3,6 kW - reported in the cabin Harvia. -Warm up a booth - still, that simultaneously heat the three iron. 220 V withstand oven up to 6 kW, stoves require more power voltage of 380 V ". Distributors Helo were more reserved: "In urban apartments, you can use the oven up to 4,5 kW. 220 V "stand up" only a small single cabin with heated up to 4 kW. For the remaining required 380 V three-phase current (it's easier to arrange in homes with electric stoves). But at a time when the sauna is warming up, it's better not to include irons, heaters, reflectors. In the office of Swedish firm Tylts we were told that all their furnaces adapted to the network as a voltage of 220 V and 380 V. The most popular model for city apartments, usually heated by furnaces 6,6 kW. Place for a sauna in the apartment - also an important issue. Ideally, of course, to put it near the bathroom or right in it, it was convenient to walk to the shower. But it depends on the size and layout of the apartment. By the way, do the sauna is only allowed in the houses of the first category (ie brick or monolithic homes with concrete floors and large areas of flats). But the legal niceties of installation and construction of saunas in city apartments, we will talk next time. "Bath" tree Traditionally in Russia baths were built from whole logs, and the best materials are considered pine and spruce northern regions. But not only. For example, Alexei Tolstoy in his novel "Peter the First" describes how the king, Menshikov and orderly Nartov soared in the bathhouse of lime. In the construction of the baths were also used alder and larch. Logs for a bath was taken straight, with a minimal number of knots and resin cavities - they might leak the resin in a hot bath atmosphere. Aspen was considered a good material for the benches and regiments. What type of wood used in building saunas today? Asp. Aspen lining - cheap and nice. Wood without knots, light beige, not gum. Has a unique feature - does not rot. Lipa. Recently, materials for saunas from domestic lime costs almost equal to imported softwood. Wood without knots, without resin, yellowish. Alder. The wood is light, pinkish-brown, with a beautiful pattern of annual rings, very dense. Swedish manufacturers are using it for external cladding of saunas. Scandinavian spruce. The cheapest material among the conifers. Bright yellow wood with lots of small knots, which are the home of Scandinavian spruce decided to take as a decorative element. Russian buyers usually refer to this suspicion. And this is understandable - because in Russia there is no special processing techniques of wood for saunas, but untreated boards may indeed be a cause for concern - bitches tend to fall out. In respect of the lining of Scandinavian spruce and pine, these fears were groundless: All materials for saunas processed by special technology, hot air. Scandinavian pine. Wood with a pinkish hue, almost no knots. Figure of annual rings - an additional decorative element. Over time, the wood darkens, appears on it patina. The definition of "Scandinavian" spruce and pine does not mean some special kind of wood, but its quality. The fact that the Finns, for example, grow conifers specifically for the building of saunas. And the "beds" with firs and pines are not located south of the 63rd latitude. Therefore, these trees the annual rings are very tight, their "old" and "snow" are the same thickness. Accordingly, the density of such a timber larger than, say, the firs and pines of central Russia. Hemlock (Canadian analogue of the Siberian fir). Pinkish-brown wood, no knots and resin. Figure the annual rings form parallel lines. Canadian red cedar. The most expensive wood now. A unique feature: the board, manufactured from one timber may be a different color - from light beige to chocolate-brown. Such modulations of color create an additional decorative effect. Wood is almost no resin, has a pleasant smell. Sauna red cedar - is itself a means of aromatherapy. Abashev (Abacha, abaca), or African oak. Dense wood, no knots, flat structure. Has low thermal conductivity: temperature remains close to the human body temperature, even if the air is heated to 120 ° C. The color palette - from yellow-straw to light brown with dark speckles. Masonite - pressed wood chips for the invisible parts of the walls and ceiling of saunas. Economical and environmentally friendly material. Steam rooms can be different want to dispel the typical fallacy: not every cubicle with hot steam - Sauna. Strictly speaking, not every bath - sauna. "Sauna" - the Finnish word, which means that underneath it is understood it is "sauna". That is a place where steamed dry steam (humidity - less than 15%) at 60 - 90 ° C (if desired temperature can be raised up to 120 ° C). Yet too often we say - "sauna", and mean - "Bath", and vice versa. But let's still not going to be confused in terms. Indeed, except for saunas in their pure form are still showers with the effect of the sauna and infrared cabin. Showers with "sauna effect" (also called multifunctional). Equipped with a steam generator and often - jets for the jacuzzi. "Sauna effect" in the shower - no more than the generally accepted term: in the cabin does not create the dry steam at high temperature. Least because the wall of most showers are made of plastic, and this material is rapidly heated. Touch naked body to hot in plastic, you see, is not very nice. So that the holders of the shower with a steam generator can afford only a "Turkish bath": it is formed wet steam (I would even say, "wet" - 100% RH) at low temperature - 50 ° C. The price of such booths in an average of 2800 to $ 4000. Infrared cabins.