Bath stoves “Vulcan”: review of models and reviews from owners

On the Russian market of sauna stoves, Vulcan stoves have a good reputation. They are produced in Odintsovo at the Vulkankomplekt enterprise. There are 7 types of stoves today, plus they are produced in 10 modifications. There are models with an open or closed heater, some with a remote or built-in tank for heating water, and some without it at all. “Vulcan” sauna stoves are produced with different volumes of steam rooms: from 6-8m3 to 20m3. Plus, there are two combustion options: fuel is added in the same room or in an adjacent one, through the wall. Moreover, the remote firebox is protected by an arch. This makes installation easier: the arch does not heat up to critical temperatures, and there is no need to make part of the wall from heat-resistant bricks.

Time-tested sauna stoves Vulcan VU-05 and VU-09

New stoves for the Vulcan bathhouse

Since the second half of 2013, new modifications of the popular and proven models Vulcan VU-05 and VU-09 have appeared - Vector VU-05 and Vector VU-09. Their feature is a special convection kit and a mesh on the pipe for stones. For those who prefer dry steam, this is an ideal option.

Since the beginning of 2014, Vulcans have appeared in the premium class. These are the new Etna Premium sauna stoves, which are distinguished by a more sophisticated design. Moreover, the designers worked not only on the body itself, but also on the accessories for the pipe; they also developed a special cast-iron grate and four door options instead of the usual two.

New developments by Vulcan specialists. Etna Premium is distinguished by its non-standard, sophisticated design.

The old models Vulcan VU 02, 05, 07 have been replaced by new modified bathhouse stoves Elbrus 16, 20, 26, which have several modifications and configurations. There is also Elbrus 40, but it is classified as a sauna stove for commercial use - such a stove can heat a room from 25 to 40 m3. The category of “commercial” furnaces is not limited to Elbrus 40.

The main technical characteristics are summarized in a table. This will make it easier for you to navigate. Any of these models can be equipped with either a solid cast-iron door or a door with glass.

Main parameters of Vulcan sauna stoves

Etna stove – the warmth of a living fire

Etna is a Russian trademark.
According to the manufacturer, Etna stoves stand out on the market of modern heating equipment due to the best price-quality ratio, and with proper operation, reliable domestic devices last more than 30 years. The Etna company produces technologically advanced sauna stoves and fireplace stoves that are popular among consumers and offers cast iron for heating appliances. The well-known brand has established itself as a responsible manufacturer offering products of the highest quality.

Heating stoves

One of the lines of stoves for the Vesuvius - Elbrus bathhouse looks like this.
Vulcan also has heating stoves. This is the Alpina line, which quickly and effectively warms up the air in the room. Today there are three modifications in this category.

• “Mini” is the smallest, but it can heat rooms with a volume of 50 cubic meters, and it costs very little. Not the most sophisticated design, but if you need an inexpensive stove to heat a garage, greenhouse or any other similar space, then what can be done to suit the appearance, and the efficiency of the stove is very high.
• Alpina 200 is already designed for 200 cubic meters.
• "Alpina 250" - heats 250 cubic meters.

Large Alpines have two doors for loading fuel: the fuel compartment is very large and loading it from one door is inconvenient. A full stash burns and smolders for up to 20-24 hours. Such long-term combustion is ensured by the presence of a gas afterburning chamber, which makes it possible to create a firewood smoldering mode in which complete combustion of the fuel occurs.

The body of heating stoves has a ribbed surface, which increases heat transfer through the walls. In general, the design is quite simple, but effective, but what is needed for heating? Reliability and quality, and no one has yet complained about the quality of Vulcan stoves. In any case, we did not find any negative reviews. And the fact that after an old stove burns out, people come to buy a new one from the same company speaks volumes.

Heating stove "Vulcan" "Alpina-mini" - the most budgetary, but no less reliable option

Models and brands

Heating devices from this company can be selected depending on the volume of the steam room, purpose (heating one, two or three compartments) and device (injector or convector). However, they are divided into three large categories:

• Emelyanich.
• Bystritsa.
• Hottabych.

One of the characteristic features of stoves in this category is that all combustion chambers are made of pipes of different diameters and thicknesses.

The technological feature of such models is that their design is almost devoid of welded joints, since all components are bent using special equipment.

After manufacturing, the unit is painted with heat-resistant Certa enamel, which crystallizes during the first fire and serves as a protective layer during further operation.

Advantages of Vulcan sauna stoves

Probably the most important advantage of these stoves is their high reliability at a low price. The average service life is 10 years. But this figure has recently become even higher: since December 2013, “Vulcans” began to be produced with fireboxes in which the steel thickness in the most loaded places is 10 mm (previously it was 5 mm). This improvement was made after a promotion carried out by the company: when purchasing a new stove, a 30% discount was provided if you brought an old one with a decent service life. Having analyzed the weak points of their products, the company developed a new firebox design. Now the service life declared by the manufacturers is 20 years.

This is what the Vulcan stove looks like in cross-section

Vulcan has several more features. The first is a double casing that softens the harsh heat radiation emanating from all iron stoves. The protection is quite effective, but if you want to get a stove exclusively for a Russian bath, you still have to line it with bricks. But the positive thing is that it doesn’t have to be firebrick. The double shield absorbs a fair amount of the heat and there is no need for increased fire ratings.

The second feature is the presence of a damper, which, as manufacturers say, switches the stove from the “sauna” mode to the “bath” mode. This damper blocks or opens the flow of hot air from the firebox to the stones. It was not possible to find data on how effectively such a damper works, but the idea seems sound, although it is not clear how much it actually affects the temperature of the stones. Stones, by the way, are also located in “Volcanoes” in a special way - in narrow gutters. This creates inconvenience during laying, but improves their heating.

The peculiarity of the firebox of the Vulcan sauna stoves is not only that they are now thicker in some places, but also that metal ribs are welded on the outside. Thus, it is given greater rigidity (the walls do not “walk” when heated) and heat transfer increases due to an increase in the surface of the metal. It must be said that these warm up the steam room quickly and easily. They say that one stack of wood is enough to maintain the temperature in a steam room for 4 hours. This is even noted as a minus: it is difficult to maintain the temperature in the range required for Russian steam.

Design features and advantages of the Vulcan sauna stove (clickable)

The undoubted advantages include the fact that Vulcan stoves can be heated with any solid fuel. What you have, you put it in the firebox. So for “Vulcans” the definition of wood-burning stoves is not entirely correct: they are heated with any solid fuel. But for a bathhouse, naturally, firewood is preferable.

The design of these ovens is generally well thought out. In order to be able to clean the firebox without removing the casing or disassembling the chimney, there are special holes. A retractable ash tray is provided to collect ash. The intensity of combustion also depends on its position.

Series Emelyanich

Models of this group are the most traditional and in demand. Such stoves have a spacious combustion chamber, and fuel can be loaded either inside the steam room or from an adjacent compartment.

Thanks to the firebox, made of pipes, heat filling occurs evenly along all walls, which allows you to quickly warm up the stones and the steam room itself. The sauna stove is welded from steel with a thickness of 4-6 mm, and in the most vulnerable places (at the border of water and air in the water tank), it is reinforced to 8 mm. In this regard, additional heating of the stones occurs.

All products of the Emelyanich category are divided into three types:

1. Standard.
2. BIG.
3. Three in one.

Bath stove Emelyanich

Standard

This model has a simple but reliable design. It has a combustion chamber 60 cm long, which is made of pipes with a diameter of 426 or 273 mm and a wall thickness of 8 mm.

Characteristics of the “standard” stove:

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Furnace produced by Teplostal Standard 22

Three in one

The three-in-one heating device is suitable for both baths and saunas, while producing steam that is pleasant to the body. It received this name due to the fact that it can simultaneously heat a steam room, a washing room and a dressing room.

A pipe with a diameter of 530 mm is used as a combustion chamber, which allows you to quickly warm up the room and stones. This stove has a two-level chimney and is equipped with a steel reflective screen on the outside, which allows uniform heating of the steam compartment.

Main parameters of the three-in-one oven:

Furnace model of the Emelyanich category “three in one”

BIG

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This unit is an ideal option for a sauna with a steam room up to 18 m³. A distinctive feature of the stove is that the design includes a window for cleaning the chimney pipe. It also has a built-in water tank made of stainless steel with a capacity of 60 liters. The design of the device allows it to be installed both in a steam room and in two adjacent compartments.

Characteristics of the BIG model:

Sauna stove BIG 60-80 liters

Advantages of Emelyanich stoves

Undoubtedly, the products in this series have their advantages:

1. All models in this category are equipped with a closed heater, which leads to increased heating of the stones, and at the same time, to pleasant, soft and enveloping steam for the body.
2. The design of the stoves is simple and reliable, since there are practically no welded joints due to their oval shapes. Thus, the service life of such heating devices reaches up to 25 years.
3. The products have a beautiful design, so they are suitable for any bathhouse.

The disadvantages of all furnaces of this type include large soot deposits in the pipe, which must be cleaned periodically.

Disadvantages of Vulcan stoves

We didn't find any negative reviews at all. The general impression is that they are good, well-made metal stoves with all their pros and cons. The disadvantages include several design flaws, which, in principle, are not critical, but reduce the comfort of use.

• The water tank for Vulcan stoves has a small volume (20-40 liters). In addition to the need to drain/add water, there is another nuisance: in a small tank, the water boils before the steam room warms up. If we take models with a hinged tank, a different picture arises - the water takes too long to heat up, which is also not good. According to reviews, the best option is either to take models with remote tanks, or without them at all, and to heat the water, install a separate electric or wood-burning boiler (as conditions allow).
• There is one more inconvenience for models with a built-in tank - the tap for draining hot water is not located very well - if the stove is heated from an adjacent room, then the tap is located too close to the wall, which creates inconvenience.
• Models with remote heat exchangers have a lead diameter of ½ inch, although ¾ would be optimal, but this is already in the area of ​​“process optimization”. The water flows well, but, as often happens, I would like it to be better.
• There is a purely theoretical drawback: the effectiveness of the damper, which switches modes from bath to sauna, is questionable. We did not find any reviews from owners of such “Vulcans” using the function. So how this option works is unknown.

These are all the shortcomings that we found while reading reviews from owners and experienced bathhouse attendants who analyzed the technical data of Vulcan bathhouse stoves (there are also heating stoves, but we didn’t look into them).

This is a photo of the weld around the smoke pipe (left click on it to enlarge)

Useful tips

When choosing the best stove for a Russian wood-burning bath, you should listen to the recommendations of experts. The most frequently asked questions are:

1. Which heating device is better: steel or cast iron? The first heats up faster, the second is capable of providing light steam. Prices for cast iron stoves are noticeably higher.
2. What is the difference between stoves for a sauna and a Russian bath? In a sauna, the air must be dry, and in the bath there must be steam. Accordingly, ovens for them should have different heating modes.
3. Is it possible to make a sauna stove yourself? Theoretically, this is possible if you have the materials, equipment and appropriate skills, but the costs can be significant and significantly exceed the cost of factory-made products.
   A good stove for a Russian bath is a complex structure made of high-quality steel or cast iron. It is impossible to repeat the production process at home, which means the characteristics of such a product will be low.

Reviews

Now the reviews themselves. We present impressions from the operation of sauna stoves only, not heating ones.

“I had two Vulcans, both for a long time. Each one is more than 10 years old. Moreover, it is still a secret to me what kind of steel they use. Externally, they are ordinary black metal, but they do not burn through. The stove is good, but for a Russian bath you need “dancing with a tambourine” in full: a brick screen, a steam gun and a convector on a pipe.”

Alexander, Moscow

My Vulcan is already an old man. And I would be glad to exchange it for a new model (I like the Harmony), but it won’t burn out, it doesn’t seem like it’s even going to. And we only heat it with birch, and harshly: I love high temperatures.

This is a photo of the welded seam of the firebox (to enlarge the size, click on it with the left mouse button)

Fedor, Kaluga

My Vulcan is already three years old, U16 or 16U, I don’t even remember. My insulation is average. In an hour, the steam room in winter (14 cubic meters) heats up to 90°. I had friends who were extreme sports enthusiasts, and they reached 140°C with oak in 30-40 minutes. I'm happy with this stove, but I'll have to change the pipe to an insulated one, otherwise there's already one leaning against it.

Mikhail, Tver

I prefer the Russian steam room, which is not hot, but I decided to test how the damper on the Vulcan works. After steaming, I turned the handle. in a minute the temperature rose from 80 to 90. This despite the fact that the wood was no longer burning, probably due to the stones.

Alexey, Moscow

There is still an old Vulcan with a 30 liter tank. Everything is fine except this tank itself. Water boils very quickly and very early. Moreover, the tap is located so low that you need to draw water either by bending over or kneeling. Neither one nor the other makes me happy. And in general, I became convinced that the water tank in the steam room is pure evil. If it boils, it’s on guard, everything is steamed, and it’s kind of sticky. And if you don’t leave it empty, it will burn. I decided for myself: it’s better to install a separate water heater and not toil all the time.

Vladimir, Vologda

Review of the most popular brands

It should be warned that there are many more steel products on the market, and few people deal with cast iron.

Note! You need to understand that manufacturers are not interested in disclosing the grade of cast iron. Therefore, unless something better is stated, we will assume that the stoves were made using ordinary (and not particularly suitable for stoves) gray cast iron, which is labeled SCh.

"Vesuvius"

Whether it is PR or the natural love of the people - our rating will show, for now we simply state that the majority of requests for stoves made of this metal are associated with this manufacturer. I would like to see in the comments the reviews of those who happened to become owners of Vesuvius products - share your experience with everyone else!

In the Vesuvius catalog you will find only four cast iron sauna stoves with power modifications for different steam room volumes. This:

• "Legend";
• "Sensation";
• "Hurricane";
• "Premium".

In this review of cast iron sauna stoves, we will pay attention only to “Legend” and “Hurricane”. “Premium” is lined with soapstone, “Sensation” is a regular stove with an open heater.

"Legend"

A stove with a fashionable mesh for stones that surround the firebox on all sides except the bottom. It looks attractive, and the free convection of air between the openly laid stones leads to rapid heating of the steam room. The firebox is remote.

It has many variations in the volume of the steam room (from 6 to 30 cubic meters), the model for rooms from 12 to 24 m3 is considered separately, according to the type of doors - from blind to fireplace portals with large glass. However, all of them are suitable only for a dry-air bath, that is, a sauna. Stoves with nets for stones are not suitable for Russian baths. A closed heater is required here.

You will find separate material about steam room stoves here.

"Hurricane"

A brother of the Legend, but taller and holds more stones. The minimum volume of the steam room is 8 cubic meters, the maximum is 30. The differences are the same as in the “Legend” - in the doors, in the design of the grid, in the power of the stove.

By the way, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the material about the optimal sizes of sauna stoves.

"Magnum"

Having started by trading in other people's stoves, Magnum quickly came to the conclusion that its own production was more profitable. Taking into account the shortcomings of competitors, the company developed its own design - ChT-1, which stands for “cast iron firebox”. It has become the basis for many stoves, but the firebox itself can be purchased separately, to be covered with brick, for example. The company purchased equipment for working with stone and began producing stoves lined with soapstone and other stones.

"Techno Lit"

On the manufacturer’s official website you will find over a hundred modifications of the Techno Lit cast iron stove (Hephaestus) - with or without a stone lining, with different doors. The search for closed heaters was unsuccessful.

Interesting! Instead of heating the stones in a closed volume, the creators of the Techno Lit stove decided that it was much easier to heat the top plate to 450 degrees - this temperature is quite enough to produce light, fine steam. That is, there is no heater, but there is Russian steam. Of all the models that are presented on the site, we have chosen the most popular among buyers - GEPHAESTUS PB-04 M.

Do you know? You can achieve an effect similar to a Russian bath without a heater - with a steam generator! This is what it looks like. With a rather modest size: it is about half a meter high, about 40 cm wide and about 70 cm long, it is capable of heating a steam room with a volume of up to 15 cubic meters. The tiny stove weighs 125 kg and, according to the manufacturer, has an efficiency of 87%. As for the brand of cast iron, the manufacturer does not bend his heart: everything except the firebox is made of ordinary gray, but the firebox uses heat-resistant metal alloyed with chrome.

Such a stove is taken in order to later be lined with bricks and improve its thermal characteristics, bringing them closer to the parameters of a brick stove.

"Sudarushka"

produces not only “Sudarushka”, but also other families of cast iron stoves. In particular, these are “Kalita” and “Sorceress”.

“Sudarushkas” are very diverse in design - there are stone surrounds, there are with a net for stones, with an open and closed heater, with a water tank included in the kit... There are plenty to choose from.

Here you can learn some subtleties about stoves with a water tank.

ATTENTION! It is worth clarifying that not all stoves can be made of cast iron. A mandatory element will be a cast-iron firebox (by the way, Magnum boasts that it supplied CT-1 to Inzhkomtsentr for several years), and an optional cast-iron door. But the body may well be made of steel.

"Svarozhich"

offers many stone-clad stoves with cast iron fireboxes. However, the buyer is given the opportunity to purchase an unlined stove, which can be lined with either stone or brick. The power of such a unit is 15 kW, the manufacturer promises that it will be enough to heat 35 cubic meters of steam room, but in reality, with a lining, no more than 20. The stove is about 80 cm in height, with an external firebox. If desired, you can install a fireplace portal. The oven's own weight is 270 kg.

"Feringer"

does not produce cast iron stoves. However, its products are suitable for Russian baths - these are grateless top-burning stoves with a closed heater, which do a good job of generating light, fine steam.

"Olympus"

Trading went the way of Magnum and released its own cast iron stove. Those who are familiar with the design of other companies engaged in similar production will understand that FireCom decided not to develop its own ideas, simply stealing those they liked from competitors.

But what’s really funny is the pathos with which the company’s website talks about the fact that the material for their furnaces is the SCh-20 brand. You must understand that this is the most common, much cheaper than alloyed, type of cast iron, which most stove manufacturers secretly or openly use.

"Tornado"

produces Tornado stoves with cast iron fireboxes.
The catalog contains models for self-cladding with brick or stone, models with mesh (many), as well as models with a steel casing. Prices are two times lower than competitors. The only thing that confuses me is that the weight is not too heavy and the dimensions are quite large (compared to some competitors), which indicates a small thickness of the metal. The manufacturer claims to use heat-resistant cast iron, but does not name the brand. Among the models there are those that have both an open and closed heater. The product is also equipped with glass doors. Optionally, heat exchangers can be purchased. (Nuances about the use of heat exchangers here).

"Karelia" ATB

You cannot pass by the products of PetrozavodskMash. The prototype for these round stoves was the Finnish Aito stoves. The manufacturer claims that its stoves will work for at least 30 years and accompanies their sale with a certificate with the self-explanatory title “Eternal Guarantee.” It would be worth asking those who own such a stove - what are their impressions?

The price of Karelian units is moderate, and they are suitable for those owners of bathhouses who have to solve the problem with hot water - all stoves are designed for the installation of a water heating tank, but you will have to purchase it as an addition, judging by the characteristics.

Installation of stoves for the Vulcan bathhouse

Approximate installation diagram for Vulcan sauna stoves.
Vulcan sauna stoves also have important advantages: compact size and low weight of 60-100 kilograms without stones. Two men can easily handle such a mass, which also reduces delivery costs. The small mass of the stove has another positive point: it is not necessary to make a foundation for the stove. It is enough to prepare a decent basis:

• Place a layer of brick at the location where the stove is installed. The dimensions of the brick base are at least 20-30 cm larger than the dimensions of the stove.
• Place a sheet of asbestos on top, and then a sheet of stainless steel.
• The entire structure is fastened with spacer bolts into the brick.

That's all, the base for the Vulcan sauna stove is ready. There is another option for preparing the foundation for the “Vulcan”: lay out the adjacent wall and floor with porcelain stoneware slabs (approximately 120 cm wide and 140 cm high).

We remind you that there are floor screens for metal stoves. Many screen models can withstand significant loads. Floor screens are described in the article How to choose a stove (boiler) screen for a bath

If the stove is made with the firebox moved to another room, the gap between the wall and the arch can be filled with insulation (it’s up to you to use basalt wool or another material). To ensure good draft in this case, the chimney pipe is brought out with a 90° elbow into the wall, and then with another 90° turn up.

Installation rules

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The installation of a sauna stove must comply with the rules and regulations of SNiP 41-01-2010, which regulate the installation and safe use of heating devices. If it has massive weight, then you need to make a foundation of bricks or concrete. For an iron stove of relatively light weight, you can get by with a metal sheet 5-8 mm thick and asbestos placed under it.

For all stoves, the base is made 10 cm larger than the size of the unit, and an additional sheet of iron at least half a meter wide is installed in front of the firebox. The distance from the stove to the combustible elements should be 50 cm, and the distance around the chimney in the ceiling is maintained at 25 cm.

Installation dimensions for the heating unit in the bathhouse