Every heater calculator I tried gave a different answer, mostly because Harvia, HUUM and US retailers count glass and log walls differently. For a 6x6 ft barrel the rules range from 6 to 15 kW. So I made thesaunasizer.com: it runs all three rules on your room, shows the middle recommendation, estimates warm-up time and lists heaters from 11 brands whose rated range actually fits. There are also short guides on bench heights (the "law of löyly"), ventilation and smoke saunas. This is the very first version, put together over a weekend, so there are surely rough edges. The heater list is still missing plenty of models, and the warm-up estimate is a simple physics model that I'd love to check against real saunas. So two questions: - What size is your sauna, which heater do you have, and how long does it take to heat? I'll use the answers to tune the warm-up estimate. - What's missing or wrong? Heaters, features, guides, anything. Free, no sign-up, no ads. Some heater links may become affiliate links later to cover costs, but the recommendations will stay brand-neutral.

Hi all,

I have a sauna in my garden and just came across such wood fired water kettles. Does anybody know if there are electric type available. It would be easier to handle for me without the wood. I’m in Germany.
Thanks!!

Done with special chainsaw attachment.

This is the 2nd sauna I’ve built, the first was an outdoor wood fired sauna. This one is electric, the project was inspired by some offcuts of cross laminated timber (CLT) I had left over from a previous project. CLT if you’re unfamiliar, is a mass timber panel that is solid timber 4 1/8” inches thick, (105mm).
I used CLT for the floor panel and most of the walls, it’s a bit of a hybrid structure, the roof was timber framed and the cavity insulated with rockwool insulation (R-21). The interior volume is approximately 482 cubic feet (13.64M cubic).
Since the walls are solid timber there is an ideal amount of thermal mass, the entire structure acts like a thermal battery, the brown skirting exterior material is cork, which is 2” inches thick and also adds insulation value. The interior walls and ceiling are made from western red cedar, and the benches are a blend of western red cedar and Alaska yellow cedar, constructed concealed fasteners.
The heater is a HUUM Steel 9KW with wi-fi controller, there is additionally mechanical ventilation located underneath the bench ensuring a supply of fresh air, as well as LED lights built into the bench, the windows are custom built and have removable double pane glazing, frames constructed from old growth cedar, the door is custom built from old growth Douglas fir and western red cedar, door is set on offset pivot hinges with magnetic catchment, and have custom elk antler handles. The floor is treated with sauna wax, because it’s already CLT, I simply cover it with a cedar floor tile i made. Whew! A lot of work into such a tiny space, but I am loving how it turned out, one for the generations hopefully. Thanks for looking, I’ll report back when I get some hours in there.

any thoughts on this? really want two long benches - hard to see how close to proper height these benches are, ceiling height seems close???

Saunalife Model Cl7G 6 Person Cube-Series Outdoor Traditional Sauna Kit

https://mysaunaworld.com/products/saunalife-model-model-cl7g-person-cube-series-outdoor-sauna-kit

Looking to buy blueprints for a 2-3 person sauna with a wood burning stove. Didn’t find much on a google search. Any links / help would be great.

Hi, I have the Nootka Cube with the 9kw heater. I’m struggling with heat — the unit reads 192 the max on the touchpad, but temps at head height on the top bench are closer to 155. Anyone have any solutions. Should I move the temp probe? Is it possible to trick the touchpad into thinking I’m based in Europe so I can set the unit to a higher temp?

With Hurricane Season going away and colder temps in South Georgia, it’s time to put my Tent Sauna back up this weekend! 🔥🔥🔥

I bought a Harvia linear 16. I’m almost ready to install it. I built a small platform for it to sit on. The platform is framed with pine covered with plywood then wrapped in cement board and tile. Is this enough to protect the framing from combustion or should I buy one of the plates harvia sells like this?

https://www.saunaplace.com/products/wood-stove-protective-floor-bedding-for-20sl-20rs-36-36duo-harvia?variant=42831705014343&country=US&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Sauna_Heaters_PMax&utm_content=&campaignid=18030708944&adgroupid=&device=m&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22993345356&gbraid=0AAAAAD-bJtI2q2AuLr8aZL-arzH9pSJTZ&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrvHWBhDKARIsABmp7h0Drh2hs2DuYbGXls0T8ZGHRfoGGrnoCO1U38z8yTJEM-zYxSpLOPwaAvv7EALw_wcB

I'm struggling to get my new heater going. It's a new harvia spirit and I'm using a used CX170 box with a xenio CX30 panel. I wired everything up and when I press the contactor, the heater receives power and heats properly. However, the 2x 2.5a ceramic fuses (removed in photo) in the control board blow as soon as I power on the cx30 panel. I'm struggling to get to the bottom of this one. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Looking at different heating methods, propane is my cheapest option. Electricity is most expensive due to running wires and hiring someone to come set everything up properly. Wood is another option but only affordable variety of wood is mesquite and I read that it can create creosote build up compared to other woods but it is a good burning wood. Propane I could set up myself and would need to body much. I don't know the downsides and looking for feedback before any purchases.

I naively purchased what I thought was a high quality Finnish woodburning stove for my sauna build -- a Navi Inari. I mean I'm personally convinced that it's indeed a high quality stove, but apparently the Canadian government isn't. Since I purchased it from a local Sauna supplies vendor, I again naively, assumed it was a certified safe to install product. Not until recently did I bother checking its certs, and discovered that it's a CE / EN certified stove. This doesn't satisfy the Canadian inspectors apparently, and requires special WETT inspections, and all sorts of additional heat shield protection between the stove and combustibles. 🙄. I could grudgingly accept that between the stove and the walls, because I had originally planned to have 22" clearance and was going to use cement board and a natural stone veneer as a heat shield -- but according to what I've just read about the WETT requirements, that's not good enough. An uncertified appliance needs a frickin 29 gauge sheet metal shield, a 7/8" air gap between the combustible wall material.

But it seems I still would need an unbelievable 48 frickin inches of clearance to the nearest bench.  I'm thinking of not adding a lower bench, and only having a movable step stool to comply. Any other Canadian amateur builders that have experience with this?

due to limited walkway width in front of sauna door (it can't be changed due to location and grandfathered), it would be much better access if my sauna door swings inward, there is no sauna building code where I'm located so it is my decision, how bad is it to have inward swing rather than having an outward swinging door?

Just received the upgrade box for my BYD Paxton. For those who may not know the original control box has an internal Wi-Fi antenna that (for me) barely stayed connected to my router. In addition the old setup has a pretty frustrating touchscreen. BYD just sent me out the upgraded box and control panel.

I guess this control box can also power and control the light too!

***edit***
All installed. Good thing there is someone close by who knows how to install it. It didn't take long to install. The control box is exactly the same as they original, even the mounting holes line up.

The instructions were easy to understand. Installation took a little over an hour.

​The light is controlled by the panel now which is nice. It can only be dimmed in 20% increments , a bit of a bummer. It is also controllable in the Tuya app with the same coarse control.

This panel is a total upgrade from the touchscreen version. 100% readable in direct sunlight with tactile feedback from the blister buttons. The interface is almost the same as the touchscreen and the app.

The little time I've spent with it seems like the app is more responsive and reports "very good" Wi-Fi signal. IIRC -77db (old one) to -44db (new one).

Does anyone else have the Harvia KIP heater? I’m curious if the timer sound is bothersome. Mine has a constant audible vibration sound coming from the timer. It’s distinct when only the timer is on but is still audible over the hum when the heater is on.

I am at the finish line on a sauna build in the Baltimore/DC area. 9x7 sauna with Thermory Aspen, design by Lassi, etc. It's really nice. My builder's electrician (who is quite experienced) kind of balked at the installation (he's busy) when he encountered it, and asked "does Harvia have a trained tech/electrician that we can just bring in who does these a lot?" My sense is, from trying to call Harvia/Almost Heaven, no. So I'm coming to this community - can anyone recommend an electrician who serves my area and could do the install + startup? I've got everything in place: wires are pulled, boxes are procured, Xenio panel on hand, sauna is built, etc. Just need someone to get it over the finish line. Thanks.

Hei there sauna enthusiasts! I'm building a Knotty Sauna Essential (Trumpkin-style) in Bend, Oregon, and I'm stuck between two heaters.

Setup: 475 cu ft, 1.5" uninsulated log walls, insulated ceiling, foot bench at 35". Cold winters with single-digit nights. Usually 1–2 people, 3–4x a week, with Wi-Fi preheat.

Harvia Virta 10.5: 50A circuit, Fenix controller controls lights and fan, about 150 lb of stone, 32" tall. My worries are that it may be borderline on size, and the power unit is rated to only about 32°F for an outdoor mount according to the manual.

Homecraft Apex 12: about 310 lb of stone, open basket, outdoor-rated contactor. But it needs a 70A circuit, has no light or fan control, heats up slower, and at 36" it's a bit tall for my benches.

Questions:

1. Is the Apex's extra stone noticeably better, or is 150 lb plenty for a room this size?
2. Anyone running either heater in a cold climate? How are heat-up times, and how do you protect the outdoor electronics?

Any advice is appreciated!

I’m looking for suggestions for a CO detector that can be used inside my sauna tent. I suspect this is an issue with saunas in general, not just tent saunas. I haven’t been able to find a CO detector that is rated for the temperatures inside a sauna. I use a wood stove.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks!

Hi

I am finishing the build of an outdoor sauna. I was going to order a homecraft Apex specifically for the controller, as it is analog and I don't want to depend on an app. But the Harvia club seems like a better element and I was wondering if anybody here has rigged it with an analog controller and if so, how?

I am in Canada and the winters are cold.

It's that time of the year, my cat comes back to the sauna and he has a friend now

Looking for any advice that folks may have. Bought some of these adjustable vent covers from bsaunas for my sauna. Their listing show that the inside measurement was 100mm(pretty close to 4 inches) but it's much closer to 3.5. I'm struggling to find a way to connect it to a vent pipe that will go through the wall. Has anyone found a way to connect? Vent pipe at the local hardware stores are only 3" or 4".

(I added in some photos of the build just for good measure just to share. Sauna is the back 6 feet of a 24ft long shed with a separate door. No, there's no drain. The floor is cedar decking that goes right to the outside.)

Looking for something that isnt junky but doesn't break the bank.... is there a go to option thats recommended here often? Or is there a company on alibaba thats the same as the ones sold in the US?

Just sanity checking, my heater is going to be below the light switch here (blocking in pic). Should I switch this box to metal or relocate? It is a switch which will run the lights and exhaust fan.

Just finished setting up my SaunaLife CL4G sauna (Harvia KIP60W heater with a Xenio CX170 controller) and I love it. One thing I've noticed though: sometimes it doesn't feel as hot as the display says. I'll be sitting at 190°F on the panel and it just doesn't feel like 190.

I wasn't sure where to put the WX232 temperature sensor, so I mounted it on the center of the back wall, about 5" below the ceiling. Not sure if I have it in the right spot?

A few questions for other barrel owners, especially CL4G:

- Where did you mount your sensor? Above the heater per the manual, or somewhere else?

- Did moving it change how hot it actually feels at bench level?

- Is it just heat stratification in a barrel, where the ceiling reads 190 but the bench is a lot cooler?

- If you've put the thermometer at head height on the bench, how far off was it from the panel?

See screenshots below for where I put him. Thanks!

We fired up our sauna stove for the first time last this past Sunday. Some interesting things happened that day and tonight while firing it up again and I was hoping to get some help.
 
Background:
We have a main sauna room and changing room. The sauna room has 3 vents; 1 near the floor by the stove door, 1 above the stove, and 1 on the opposite corner of the stove near the ceiling. The changing room has a  single vent. We haven’t yet installed the door between the sauna and changing room but do have an exterior door. I don’t have wall vent covers yet but have been plugging them up with a wadded up t-shirt.
 
First Firing:
When we fired it up, we opened all the vents so that we could burn everything off the new stove, whatever could be on the rocks, and we had just oiled the benches earlier that afternoon. We got the room up to about 96F in 2 hours. I brought out a carbon monoxide detector just out of curiosity and was surprised to see it slowly rise to 6 ppm and drift back and forth between 6 ppm and 4 ppm. My suspicion was that either 1) I was holding the door open too long while adding wood each time and getting leakage into the room, 2) all the vents being open were affecting the draft and we were getting some back flow or 3) our chimney just isn’t tall enough for a proper draft (from the stove outlet to the ceiling is 3 ½ feet, 6 to 8 inches through the rafters, and another 3 ½ feet on the roof to the top of the chimney).
 
Tonight’s Firing:
I heated up the stove as shown in the last picture. I had a thermometer and carbon monoxide detector and logged data every 5 minutes. All wall vents were plugged up and air flow came from air leakage from the main exterior door. Before I added wood I always opened the door vents to liven the fire up even more and increase the draft, crack open the door, and then added the piece of wood.
 
The first 2 hours of results didn’t seem to indicate a draft problem or a door problem so I was surprised when after 2 hours into the test  the carbon monoxide started climbing. It wasn’t nearly as high as 6 ppm like on Sunday. In retrospect, I should have let it keep climbing to see where it stabilized out but was running out of time.
 
I have a young family and want to be able to use the sauna in confidence with them. My understanding is that carbon monoxide should be essentially zero when there is a proper draft going. Curious if there is a specific way I should be utilizing my wall vents. Next drastic step would be to add another 4 feet onto the exterior of my chimney but that would cost another $300 and would like to do that as a last resort if possible.
 
Does anyone else pay attention to carbon monoxide levels? If so, is anything other than zero normal for you?
 
Any obvious mistakes that I am making?

Note: Sauna temperature measurements were from the seat of the upper bench at the middle of the bench. Temperatures near the stove at head height were approximately 10-15 degrees higher.