What a pleasure to treat yourself to a relaxing time in a sauna! Hot air can give your body the rest it deserves, so, unsurprisingly, many people choose to build their sauna. But which type of sauna heater to pick?
In this article, I will cover what types of sauna heaters there are and what you should base your choice on.
Basic sauna benefits
All the sauna types can help you improve or support your health.
Sauna use is great for your mental health, brain functioning, respiratory organs, muscle relaxation, and pain relief.
However, some conditions imply limitations on sauna use, so it is always better to make sure that your doctor approves it.
Sauna heaters
Nowadays, there are 4 commonly known options of sauna heaters on the market. However, they should not be the first thing to think about when building a sauna. Surely, you won’t be building it around the heater, on the contrary, you want to fit one into the project.
Before you decide on sauna heaters make sure that you think through the following aspects:
- The location. Most of your choices should be based on whether you are building an indoor or outdoor sauna.
- Area regulations. Some types of heating can be restricted in your neighborhood. Make sure that your project does not violate any rules.
- Sources available. Your sauna might require electricity, gas, or wood to function.
- Sauna volume. Large saunas and smaller saunas could require different types of heaters.
- Frequency of use. Estimate how often and for how long per day, week, or month you are going to use your sauna.
- Your personal preferences for sauna experience.
Further in this section, we will cover what sauna heater types exist and how suitable they can be for your project considering the above.
Wood-burning sauna heaters
Many people prefer the traditional sauna experience. The sound of crackling fire and the smell of the wood burning make sauna sessions feel authentic. If that is what you are aiming for consider a wood-burning sauna heater.
This type of heater requires wood to operate, which is quite convenient if the wood in your area is easy to find. You are welcome to experiment with the kinds of wood, any of them can be used for wood-fired saunas, but some woods will provide longer and hotter sessions than others.
It is worth mentioning that burning wood is one of the cheapest options for traditional saunas.
Any traditional sauna requires stones. Wood provides heat, but stones help to spread it around the room more effectively. This allows to reach temperatures of 140 – 194 °F in middle-sized or large saunas.
Remember that wood sauna heaters should not be installed without a chimney. Otherwise, the smoke will stay inside and can not only ruin your experience but be dangerous as well.
Besides, it is always better if a wood-burning heater has access to outside air so it does not withdraw the oxygen from the room.
Besides the engineering part above, wood-burning sauna heaters require a lot of precaution as you will be dealing with fire. Surely it should not be left unattended.
Unlike other sauna heater types, this one can be challenging when it comes to temperature regulation. Also, the preparation and storage of firewood takes some effort, as it needs to be chopped and dry.
A wood-burning sauna heater is most suitable for
It might be the best solution for outdoor saunas due to the engineering requirements such as chimneys, for example.
Since we are talking about fire which is always a potential hazard, having a sauna as a separate construction would at least protect your house from undesirable accidents.
This type of heater is usually recommended for large or mid-sized saunas.
Wood-burning heaters are also handy if there is no electricity source around.
Some areas can have restrictions or limitations for wood burning, so make sure your project meets the territorial standards.
Other wood-burning types
Another kind of stove that requires fire and wood is a smoke heater. It is a rare and high-maintenance type used mostly in Finland for smoke saunas. Smoke and heat fill the room until the temperature reaches 176 °F. Then the smoke should be let out to avoid poisoning. If all the preparations are done properly, you can enjoy the warmth and wonderful smell.
Handling smoke saunas requires knowledge, otherwise, they can become a potential hazard.
Electric sauna heaters
An electric sauna heater is deservedly the most popular choice nowadays. They are convenient and easy to handle, safer than many other types, and affordable.
There are models of electric heaters for saunas of any volume, for indoor and outdoor saunas, with different stone capacities, and with various control features.
Electric sauna heaters function on electricity.
Electric saunas are the type of traditional saunas only this one doesn’t make you sweat during preparation. You just switch it on, adjust the temperature, wait a little, and then just enjoy your session.
One of the things that can upset authentic saunas fans is the absence of the wood smell, on the other hand, there is no smoke or ash either.
The second one is that electric sauna heaters provide lower humidity. It can be helped though by just pouring a little water on the stones.
No need to worry about spilling water around a hot electric sauna heater, getting on stones the liquid will evaporate before it reaches the heating elements underneath.
However, you should protect the heater from excess moisture at other times.
While not that demanding in the engineering part, electric sauna heaters should be installed and connected by a professional electrician.
As for one more downside, electricity is a relatively expensive source.
An electric sauna heater is suitable for
You can use this type for both indoor and outdoor saunas.
This type of sauna heater serves well in areas with a stable electricity source.
There are a variety of electric heaters you can choose from to meet your sauna volume requirements.
As you can see, electric sauna heaters are quite low-maintenance and safe, so you will not regret your choice if those are your priorities.
other types of electric heaters
You must have heard of steam rooms and maybe even enjoyed the warm humid air in one. There are steam heaters that make it happen.
They also use electricity to heat the water. Its evaporation creates high humidity in a steam room.
You can typically find a steam room in a SPA complex. Steam saunas are rarely the choice for home.
Gas sauna heaters
Gas heaters are not that common among home sauna owners even though it is the cheapest solution in the long run.
This type of sauna heater operates on LPG, propane, or natural gas and these are considered to be the cheapest and environmentally friendly fuel.
However, home saunas are usually not that frequently used to make having gas sauna stoves as cost and energy-efficient as they are for commercial scale.
Gas sauna heaters operate similarly to the two other types above. The heat produced is spread around the room through stones stacked.
Just like wood sauna heaters gas heaters require flues to let the fumes emitted go away and air intakes.
Just like an electric sauna heater a gas heater needs to be installed by a professional. Natural gas, LPG, and propane are volatile and require knowledge to be handled properly.
Gas sauna heaters are suitable for
They are most recommended for commercial use as gas capacity can cover long hours and multiple sessions per day. There are also sauna heaters of this type available in different sizes, so pick the one suitable for required volumes.
The area should have an available gas supply. Natural gas is considered to be the best option.
Infrared sauna heaters
Relatively new, untraditional, and still debatable type, but probably the easiest in use.
Infrared sauna heaters do not heat the air and it doesn’t use stones. Infrared saunas are cold (to 140 °F) and dry in comparison with traditional types. Infrared light (also called infrared radiation) works differently.
Infrared heaters emit infrared waves that warm up the body directly, the process is called radiation heating. Despite the scary name infrared heat is considered harmless.
Equipping a small infrared sauna is inexpensive, but the cost increases significantly if you go for large projects, partly because it is much more difficult to position infrared panels in the direction of the body in a bigger space.
Infrared heaters are suitable for
An infrared sauna heater is more popular for indoor than outdoor saunas.
It is a great solution for limited space.
It is a sauna heater for those who want to enjoy the session without experiencing extreme temperatures.
FAQ
What are the different types of sauna heaters?
There are 4 basic types of sauna heaters:
• Wood burning heater – for traditional sauna experience.
• Electric sauna heater – for relaxation with no extra effort.
• Gas sauna heater – mostly for commercial purposes.
• Infrared heater – for an alternative sauna experience.
What is the best type of sauna heat?
Traditional solutions like wood-burning heaters and alternatives such as infrared saunas are equally good for relaxation and supporting your mental health. An infrared sauna is the best for detoxication and chronic pain treatment, traditional types are more beneficial for the brain and heart.
Which is better infrared or electric sauna?
The best sauna heater is the one that meets the requirements of the area and your preferences. There is no scientific evidence that one or another has more benefits for your health and they are both easy to maintain.
They provide different types of heat.
Infrared ones mostly concentrate on the body, not the room, which helps to deeper muscle relaxation.
An electric stove warms up the air which benefits your respiration organs.
What should I look for in a sauna heater?
The heater should meet the area regulations, project requirements, and your preferences.
Consult professionals. The right sauna heater should be powerful enough and properly sized to heat the room properly, and cost and energy-efficient in installation and use.
To sum up
There are many options on the market to fit any kind of project you might have in mind.
Choosing the best sauna heater for your sauna should be based on multiple factors such as location, available power sources, area regulations, and your project features like size and volume.
Any sauna heater type can provide a joyful experience and benefit your health as long as they are responsibly and properly installed and handled.