Construction of a bathhouse is a rather expensive process. If you purchase all the equipment in a store, the steam room can cost a significant amount. Therefore, craftsmen and just people who want to see this structure on their plots strive to build a steam room with their own hands. Last but not least, this also applies to heating devices.
What is better: taking a ready-made cauldron to the bathhouse or making it yourself? To solve this dilemma, you need to consider all the pros and cons of making it yourself and identify possible difficulties that may arise during its production. It must be said right away that it is better not to try to make a gas boiler for a bath yourself.
Firstly, a self-made unit can fly into the air, taking the bathhouse with it.
Secondly, the operation of such equipment is strictly prohibited by safety regulations.
At the same time, you can make a boiler for a wood-fired sauna yourself if you have all the necessary equipment and your hands grow from the right place. Boilers for wood-burning saunas can be made from a metal barrel with thick walls, pipes or sheets of steel. There is no shortage of them in any subsidiary farm.
Main components of a sauna boiler
Any stove, including sauna boilers, consists of the following elements:
- A firebox in which the combustion process of wood, coal and other types of fuel occurs. It is made of thick metal. This is due to the fact that the firebox has the highest thermal load, metal of insufficient thickness will quickly burn out, and a homemade boiler for a bath will become unusable. A wood-burning boiler for a bath, namely a firebox, must be equipped with grates. Through them, ash from burnt fuel spills into the ash pan. The thickness of the metal from which they are made must be at least 0.5 centimeters.
- A chimney through which smoke is removed. When deciding how to make a boiler for baths, you need to thoroughly understand the principle of operation of the chimney system and carefully calculate its dimensions. The slightest mistake when installing a chimney can lead to insufficient efficiency of the stove (heat will go into the chimney) or an inability to cope with the removal of combustion products. The chimney must be equipped with a valve, with which the draft level is regulated. In winter, a tightly closed valve greatly contributes to the preservation of heat in the room. The chimney pipe may pass through the heater or be part of a heat exchange system.
- An ash pan designed to accumulate ash. This boiler element is located under the firebox. In addition to its main function, it is responsible for the supply of air, which is an integral component of the combustion process. When making a boiler for a bath with your own hands from pipes, you should carefully calculate the dimensions of the ash pan. It should be able to hold enough combustion products to be cleaned once a day.
- A heater that redistributes and removes thermal energy. It is a built-in or hanging container in which stones are placed. Its volume depends on the size of the boiler and steam room. A small heater will not be able to heat the room, and a large one will take too long to heat up. During this time, the water boilers have time to boil, which causes the room to fill with water vapor. At the same time, the steam room will become uncomfortable. The size of the heater and water tank should not be different. You can make a cauldron without a heater, but this is not entirely convenient. The room will be heated only from the walls of the boiler. In addition, it will not be possible to “give in to the park.”
- A water tank that is part of the heat exchange system. Cast iron sauna boilers with a water tank are the most common solution.
After the main components of the device that produces heat have been identified, we should move on to the main question: how to make boilers for a bath from scrap materials?
The fight for aesthetics and safety
In the steam room, the stove must be properly decorated. We are also talking about stoves located far from the walls without a protective lining; the whole point of the subsequent work is to correctly fit the metal body into the surroundings of the steam room and at the same time prevent accidental contact with heated surfaces.
The first option is the simplest and best suited for ovens with convection chambers. The arrangement consists of installing a parapet 15–20 cm high above the heater. The fence is installed 20 cm from the body with a standard heat shield and 35 cm without it. The parapet itself consists of 20x80 mm pickets exposed with drying oil, possibly with milling of the edges and shaped trimming of the heads.
If the heater does not have convection, it is very common practice to completely cover it with bricks. To do this, a reflective screen or a thin chrome-plated body is dismantled; these parts can be used in cutting the ceiling for a chimney. All that remains - the firebox and frame with a container for stones - is covered first with half of fireclay bricks on pure fireclay clay, and then with a quarter of red clay bricks with cement mortar.
What materials and tools are needed to make a boiler?
Boilers for steam rooms in Russian baths are made using the following tools:
- welding machine;
- grinders, with a cutting wheel designed for working with metal.
We’ll talk a little later about how homemade sauna boilers are made from a pipe or barrel. First, we should talk about the most common sheet metal option. In addition to this you will need:
- small pieces of reinforcement and channels - they are needed for the manufacture of internal partitions;
- a thick sheet of metal (minimum 0.5 centimeters) - it is necessary for the production of grate bars;
- pipe with a diameter of at least 10 centimeters;
- awnings for firebox and vent doors;
- faucet for tank.
When talking about how to weld boilers for a bath, we should mention the manufacture of a heat-distributing screen. It is best made from brick. All you need to do is to tightly surround the boiler with it.
Choosing the type and size of foundation for the furnace
It is advisable to lay it out at the design stage. After all, if you act with a steam room already equipped, you will have to remove the floor, replace the damaged structure, then fix new logs or strengthen the old ones. What foundation options are there? If we are guided by current SNiPs, these are:
- Monolithic reinforced base, not combined with a bathhouse, laid below the soil freezing line.
- The pile-slab base, also separate, is useful when building on heaving soil.
- Shallow foundation (up to 0.6-0.7 m down), going in conjunction with the base of the steam room and adjacent rooms. Just reinforce it with anchoring to prevent vertical movements of the slabs during frosts.
The dimensions of any of the options depend on the dimensions of the rooms, so this is always an individual indicator. The main thing is that there is a distance of 7-10 centimeters from the edge of the perimeter to the beginning of the walls.
Barrel stove
How to choose boilers for baths? What material should be used for their production?
Such decisions should be made independently, taking into account the availability of components. Some people find it more convenient to use sheet iron, while others think that it is better to make boilers for a bathhouse with your own hands from a barrel or pipe. They are no different and boast the same heating of water in containers and the room as a whole. The difference lies in the method of production.
To be fair, it must be said that it is much easier to make a boiler for a bathhouse with your own hands from a barrel. This is the simplest design. All you need is to find a metal container with a wall thickness of at least 0.3 centimeters. Thinner metal will burn quickly.
You need to make a boiler for a wood-burning sauna from a barrel in the following order:
- The bottom of the container is completely cut out. Instead, a sheet of iron with a thickness of at least 0.5 centimeters is installed. It is necessary to weld the legs to it in advance, which can be made from scraps of a T-beam.
- At a height of 5–7 centimeters from the bottom, you need to cut out a small window (approximately 20x15 cm). The blower door will be installed at this location. It is made from a sawn piece. You need to weld the hinges and handle to it, and then install it in its rightful place.
- The second door of the future boiler for a wood-burning sauna is installed 20 centimeters above the vent. It should be significantly larger than the first one (approximately 25x45 cm). Otherwise, the logs will not fit into it.
- A boiler for a wood-fired sauna contains grates in its design. They need to be placed 5–7 centimeters below the firebox door.
- A heater must be placed above the firebox. The most convenient place for its location is the second third of the barrel. The partition between these sections of the boiler should not be continuous. It is made from channels. The size of the heater is equal to the second third of the barrel. A door is needed in the middle of the heater. Stones are laid through it and water is poured in, if desired, to “give it to the park.”
- From a barrel you can make a boiler for a sauna with a tank. To do this, use the remaining third of the barrel. The heater and tank are separated by a solid partition, the seams are thoroughly boiled. A chimney pipe must be installed in the center of the tank.
Having studied the drawings of such structures, you can easily build a stove. There's nothing complicated about it. All you need to make a sauna cauldron with your own hands is to strictly follow the existing instructions. Before operation, the manufactured sauna boiler must be cleaned of scale and rust.
If desired, it can be painted with heat-resistant paints and varnishes. That's all. A DIY cauldron made from a barrel is ready. It can be installed in a bathhouse.
Heating into a bathhouse from a pipe is done in the same way. The only exception is the initial stage. You will not have to cut out the bottom of the barrel, but you will need to maintain the dimensions by cutting a pipe 1.2–1.4 meters long.
What do you need to know?
First you need to decide on the fuel that will be used and, therefore, on the type of boiler. It is not advisable to make electric and gas appliances yourself, but if the choice was made in favor of one of them, then it is better to buy a ready-made high-quality boiler. Otherwise, the risk of emergency situations will increase.
Solid fuel boiler for baths, diagram
It is also worth noting that an installed gas boiler must be inspected by a representative of the relevant authorities. Therefore, it is much easier to assemble and install a solid fuel unit.
Sheet iron heating device
A similar stove with a metal boiler for a bathhouse is the most difficult to produce. This is due to the fact that there will be no prepared workpiece. Fundamentally, such a device is no different from the one described above. It also contains 4 compartments: an ash pan, a firebox, a heater and a tank.
The production of such a furnace will take longer. You will especially have to tinker with the water tank, which should be practically sealed. But the result will be a product no different from what was produced at the factory.
Advice from professionals
We will try to give some practical advice on choosing a specific brand of heating boiler.
- The high cost of a boiler does not always correspond to equally high quality. Moreover, the more the boiler has various additional devices, the less reliable it is. This is a law of mechanics, you need to follow it.
And further. The failure of one device can disrupt the functionality of the entire boiler; repairs will require a lot of time and financial resources. Conclusion. Do not chase the price, carefully study the performance characteristics of the unit.
- Before purchasing, decide what kind of steam room you want to have. Finnish with dry and very hot air, Russian with high humidity and low temperature, or something in between. Knowing exactly your preferences, you can choose a boiler depending on the maximum air heating temperature, the size of the heater and its location.
- How long will the steam room be used? This indicator plays an important role when choosing the heat capacity of boiler designs, the method of burning wood, the linear dimensions of the firebox, etc. If the entire bathing procedure lasts about one hour, you can purchase a cheaper and lower-power boiler. If you have a lot of friends washing and it takes a lot of time, buy solid boilers with a large power reserve.
- How many rooms should the boiler heat? Just the steam room, steam room and shower room or all the additional rooms of a large bath? To heat one steam room you need the simplest type of boiler; to simultaneously heat additional rooms you will need a unit with the ability to install a heating system.
We strongly recommend that you think through all the issues with boilers at the stage of creating a bathhouse project, and involve competent professional specialists or builders with extensive practical experience in performing such work.
Horizontal boiler for a bath
Along with vertical heating devices, homemade stoves made from pipes and barrels with a horizontal design are no less popular. These products are easy to make:
- You need to take a two-hundred-liter barrel and cut several holes in it. Two of them are intended for installing a heat exchange pipe. It should pass right through the barrel. Two more will serve as a blower and firebox door. The last hole is necessary for installing the chimney.
- You can make a heater in the upper part of the future stove. Part of the barrel is cut off, and reinforcement bars in the form of a lattice are welded in this place. Next, you need to weld a structure from sheets of iron in the shape of an unfinished inverted pyramid.
- The stove blank is equipped with legs, after which it must be connected to the chimney and heat exchange system.
Making such a structure is no more difficult than a boiler made from a barrel installed vertically. The disadvantage of this product is that it takes up a lot of space.
Where to install heat exchangers
Most often, heat exchangers are installed in the upper part of the firebox.
Scheme of possible installation of a heat exchanger
Installation diagram of a heat exchanger in a vertical furnace
We do not recommend this arrangement for two reasons.
- In the upper part of the furnace, flue gases contain the maximum amount of soot. It is inevitably deposited on the bottom plane of the heat exchangers, the heat transfer efficiency is significantly reduced, and the bottom must be cleaned frequently to improve efficiency.
- The very high temperature of the flame in this place has a negative effect on the metal.
It is much more productive to place the heat exchanger at the edges of the firebox, making them in the shape of the letter P. This will make it possible not only to reduce the amount of soot, but also to increase the total effective area.
Heat exchanger in the furnace
Electric heating in the bathhouse
If there is a need to heat only the steam room, then the ideal solution is a solid fuel stove. Otherwise, when you need to heat the dressing room, shower room and other rooms in the bathhouse building, this option can be safely discarded.
To heat a large area, it is better to use an electric boiler. Its production and installation do not have any technical difficulties. All that is needed is to weld the water heating elements into a container of water and properly arrange the heat exchange system.
The advantages of sauna boilers running on electricity are obvious:
- there is no need to equip a chimney system;
- ease of installation, operation and maintenance;
- high efficiency.
Along with the advantages, there is a significant drawback: significant energy consumption.
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