As usual, stopping here first for knowledge gain. We're thinking about buying a sauna we can use at home. We'd prefer traditional heating over infrared, but would consider either. Anyone have any experience to share? Advice welcome!
As usual, stopping here first for knowledge gain. We're thinking about buying a sauna we can use at home. We'd prefer traditional heating over infrared, but would consider either. Anyone have any experience to share? Advice welcome!
No direct experience, but my dad built on in the basement after I left home. Electrical heater- works well. Cedar interior and all. Can't help much, since that was over 20 years ago when he installed it.
I suspect electrical heater is what you mean by "traditional" as traditional to me is a wood fired stove. Which is tough for an in home sauna. My Great Aunt had one, which was near my Grandparents home in the UP of Michigan. Real, Finnish sauna. And pronounced correctly, not sona.
alfadriver (Forum Supporter) said:No direct experience, but my dad built on in the basement after I left home. Electrical heater- works well. Cedar interior and all. Can't help much, since that was over 20 years ago when he installed it.
I suspect electrical heater is what you mean by "traditional" as traditional to me is a wood fired stove. Which is tough for an in home sauna. My Great Aunt had one, which was near my Grandparents home in the UP of Michigan. Real, Finnish sauna. And pronounced correctly, not sona.
Yes - electric heat versus IR. I'd love wood fired, but, here in Fla, that's not really going to work! :D
In reply to dyintorace (Forum Supporter) :
Crap, in Florida, you can make a direct solar heated sauna. Paint the roof black. To me, it's almost a sauna every day.
The other key to a real sauna is cold water- pool, lake, shower, etc... That, and branches to slap your skin when it's all sweaty.
No help, but my uncle has one in his vacation home in the UP. He loves it in the winter. Never seen him use it any other time. It came with the house, tacked on the back of it. I love the smell of anything cedar, so I’ve always wanted one.
I tried to make a diy infrared sauna. With out any plastic that might heat up and off gas anything nasty.
It works just ok. I ended up putting some insulation around it as well that help some. But doesn't heat up near fast enough in Ohio winters in an unheated barn to make it worth using.
I did enjoy using it this fall though.
We have a sauna in our basement. It's built into the space adjacent to and under the stairs. It's all cedar lined with a ceramic tile floor under a raised cedar floor. Basically the floor is nicely finished tongue and groove cedar on wood skids. Makes the floor easier to clean and any spilled water goes to the floor drain rather than pooling on the wood. It has an electric heater with the rocks on top for steam. There are two levels of benches but it's only ever my wife and I in there. The kids use it when they have friends over. I would've preferred it to be closer to the rear of the house so you could go straight out the back door and into the pool. It was here when we moved in so it is what it is.
You'll need to log in to post.
