Gas sauna stove: TOP-10 rating of sauna stoves for Russian and Finnish saunas

Steam a fragrant broom, and then splash a ladle of water on the hot stones and plunge into a cloud of white steam... Agree, visiting a steam room is like a ritual that cleanses the body, improves mood and improves health.

A good gas sauna stove not only gives you the pleasure of light steam, but also eliminates thoughts about the cost of energy. After all, gas will remain for a long time the most economical type of fuel available in cities and cottage communities, villages and recreation centers.

Installing a stove that processes blue fuel will significantly speed up the heating process and increase its efficiency. Gas-wood and gas units are suitable for arranging Turkish, Russian and Finnish baths

The main thing is to purchase the right stove, and a comparative table of characteristics and ratings of models from different price segments, aimed at household or commercial use, will help with this. At the end of the article, the most important criteria that must be taken into account when choosing are presented.

A good sauna is a good stove

The search and development of the design of a compact sauna stove that meets all the needs of buyers led to the creation of the “Heat” model.
Thanks to it, the urban population has the opportunity to experience the delights of a rural holiday. The Zhara sauna stove is a unit that is thought out to the smallest detail and has excellent performance characteristics. Manufacturers took the best from village stoves, improved the design based on modern technologies, and sent their creation into mass production. Now every resident of Russia has the opportunity to choose high-quality, original, real stoves for a bath.

The operation of the Zhara sauna stove has been tested by many years of operational tests. The stove is safe, efficient and convenient, and has a quality certificate. The creators of the Zhara stove sought to embody the secrets of folk craftsmanship and traditions in a convenient format. And they did it with success!

What to drown with

A heat sauna stove requires the correct choice of fuel, since this determines how long it will work, what the heat transfer and efficiency will be. It is recommended to burn with dry logs up to 100 mm thick and 50 to 100 mm long.

Before placing firewood in the firebox, you need to light the chamber. The following types of materials are suitable for this:

• Shavings
• crumpled paper
• Split logs
• Birch bark

The kindling material should fill the chamber only halfway so that the water in the tank boils gradually. Before lighting a fire, you need to check that there is water in the water tank, filling the container two-thirds full.

For kindling, do not use flammable mixtures such as acetone, gasoline, or solvent.

How to choose a stove model

You should choose a wood-burning stove based on the preferred option for organizing the combustion process:

• if you will heat it from a steam room, then it is better to give preference to a model with an enlarged heater without an external combustion tunnel;
• in the case of laying firewood from an adjacent room - stoves with a protrusion-tunnel, determining its size by the type of bricklaying - 125, 200 and 250 mm (for laying ½ brick, “in a block” or “in a brick”).

  
  Diagram of the “Heat” stove with an external firebox

• To heat a bathhouse from the street, you need to choose units with a combustion chamber.

  
  Diagram of the “Heat” stove with an extended combustion chamber for loading fuel from the street

Table 3: Technical characteristics of Zhara stoves equipped with a combustion chamber for heating from the street or dressing room

When choosing, it is also important to take into account that the thicker the wall of the combustion chamber, the longer the service life of the stove and the longer the factory warranty period. For example, for bath stoves with a combustion chamber wall thickness of 4–6 mm, the factory warranty period is 1 year, 8 mm — 3 years, 10–12 mm — 5 years.

Top 2. Troika No. 06-GT

Rating (2021): 4.57

5 reviews from resources were taken into account: Reviewer

Best value for money The model is quite expensive, but is unique in that it is equipped with a spacious closed-type heater with a wall thickness of 10 to 20 mm. The package also includes gas equipment.

• Characteristics

  Average price: RUB 131,120.

• Country Russia
• Heated volume: 40 – 70 cubic meters. m.
• Power: 80 kW
• Gas burner: included
• Kamenka: closed
• Remote tank: yes

The stove is ideal for lovers of a real Russian bath: in dry heat it creates abundant but light steam, and the brick design ensures good heating and long-term retention of the desired temperature. The average heating time from scratch is 160 minutes. Thanks to thermal inertia, the model quickly dries out the room, and the heat of the stones on 5 working sides allows you to quickly reach a high temperature, reaching more than 500°C in the lower layers. Such a device will last a long time, they write in reviews, because the walls of the heater are made of 20 mm low-alloy steel. This thickness is enough to hold up to 280 kg of stones without deformation and guarantee reliable protection against burnout.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Quick kindling
• Spacious heater
• Steel 20 mm thick

• Massive weight of the structure – 390 kg

Prices for Zhara products

Compact option - suitable for small steam rooms

The range of iron stoves is wide and allows you to choose a unit for a room from 4 to 40 m3. The company is so confident in the quality of its products that it provides a warranty period of 1 to 3 years for each product (depending on the thickness of the furnace compartment roof), but the “life” of the stove declared by the manufacturer is 20-25 years.

There are several reviews posted online. The authors say that they have been using Zhary stoves for several years (some for two years, others for five) and so far they are happy with everything.

Here's one review:

We have a Heat stove in our bathhouse, we bought it last year in August (post date 06/30/2013). We started using it constantly, only this year. We spent a long time choosing and settled on a Zhara stove. My husband is happy, the stove heats up the steam room and sink quickly enough. The tank is removable, but we do not remove it; we remove the lid from above and fill it with water. The next morning after heating the bathhouse, the water in the tank was warm and at a comfortable temperature; we were surprised.

The high quality of the welds and the fairly high efficiency of the furnaces are also noted: the next morning the water in the hanging tank is still warm, and a room with a volume of 12 cubic meters warms up in the winter in an hour and a half, depending on the outside temperature.

Another review:

At my dad’s dacha, I have two Heat stoves, one for heating, the other for a bathhouse, 8 mm thick, exactly like in the picture. I can say the oven is “not a piece of cake,” but it was clear that it was made very well. There were four of us unloading it - a serious “infection”...) My dad is a retired welder, he says that the welding seams are factory-made. We fenced it with brickwork, only stones and a stainless steel tank are visible from above, in principle it looks good. Briefly, what can I say, when we flooded it for the first time, we prepared knee-deep wood, it took 1/3 of what was prepared to kindle it, and after 30 minutes it was 100 degrees in the steam room. I think we’ve been using it for eight years now, no complaints. I think that the stove will last at least another fifteen years. Another thing, the neighbors in the bathhouse had a teplodar or thermobor stove, well, the one with a heat-resistant firebox. After two years, the firebox burned out or cracked. They wanted to sue, they spat... Based on our recommendation, they ordered “Heat”, now they’re happy to f... s...)

One of the variants of the “Heat” stoves

In a fairly large assortment, you can find/assemble the stove you need (or order its production, again for additional money).

Additional equipment

Wood-burning sauna stoves Zhara are additionally equipped with water tanks with a volume of 20 to 100 liters with various installation options:

• on a pipe (samovar type) - the tank is installed on the smoke duct or on the stove, which makes it easy to remove;
• mounted on the back or side wall of the oven. In the first option, the tank is more tightly adjacent to the furnace body, heating the water faster;

  
  “Zhara” stoves are equipped at the customer’s request with different types of water tanks

  Read also:  Choosing a stove for a sauna with a separate sink and steam room
• remote with a heat exchanger - the tank is installed at a distance from the unit.

What types of water tanks are there, what are their advantages and disadvantages, read the article “Sauna stoves with a water tank. Which ones are better?!”

In addition, a chimney, a heat exchanger, protective screens, a closed heater, a glass door made of heat-resistant glass, a protective coating made of heat-resistant paint and various accessories for the bath are additionally purchased. The grate (cast iron in some models) is supplied free of charge.

Advantages and disadvantages

“Zhara” stoves are produced at the Dobrostal plant, where developers create a range of this type of equipment. Its advantages include:

• Works on modern technologies, taking into account the principle of operation of village stoves.
• Safe and easy to use.
• Has a high level of performance.
• Long service life, which on average is 20 years. But if you buy budget models, they will work no longer than 10 years.
• Use of high-quality and durable materials for pipes.
• The firebox has a cylindrical shape, the chamber is equipped with a reinforced arch. The firebox parts are connected to each other with high-quality welding seams.
• High heat transfer, which is achieved through the use of carbon steel.
• The sauna stove comes complete with spiral chimneys, through which gases move like a “snake”, passing along the heater. This allows you to heat the stones, as a result of which fuel consumption is saved several times; the steam room heats up in an hour in the summer months, and in two to three hours in winter. The chimney is easy to clean, since the special damper assembly is removable.
• “Zhara” stoves with a water tank are available in several modifications. They can be installed on the wall, on the chimney or on the stove body. You can invite a specialist to install a water tank, although this task can be easily accomplished without the assistance of assistants. Adding water to the tank does not require removing the container from its mounting location. It is recommended to use only original tanks to keep the heat in the steam room longer.
• Each model has a grate type grate, which is developed at the factory.
• Affordable price.

Diagram of the internal structure
The furnaces of the Dobrostal plant also have certain disadvantages, which include:

• Lack of aesthetics, since the structures do not have a designer appearance. The stoves are painted with paint and enamel, which quickly peels off. You will have to look in stores for a special coating to protect the stove.
• There is no protective shield, so you can get thermal radiation.
• To improve the appearance, the owners create a special brick case around the “Heat”.

But these shortcomings do not in any way affect the performance and operation of the furnaces. Modern baths installed outside the city are perfectly combined with the operating mechanism of “Zhara”.

Customers' opinions about Zhara stoves

The most important thing that users of Zhara sauna stoves are unanimous about is the excellent quality of work. The manufacturing plant in this sense has an impeccable reputation. Welding work is carried out conscientiously, high-strength materials are used. provides a guarantee of up to 5 years.

There are reviews from buyers who chased a stylish design, lost in quality and, as a result, settled on the simplest “Zhara” model.

There are practically no bad reviews about the operation of the Zhara sauna stove.

An excellent unit, the welding seams are almost invisible, you can feel the hand of a professional.” What I especially liked about “Heat” is the ability to heat from the dressing room, I heat it, and the guests wash.

Water tank on a sauna stove

An important part of the stove is the hot water tank. It is designed to heat water. It is usually placed at the top of the stove directly below the firebox. The tank is built into the sauna boiler and is made of stainless steel. The design features of tanks are different for different models. The larger the boiler, the stronger the heat, the greater the capacity of the sauna tank. Placing the sauna tank on the stove is easy. This does not require special skills or equipment. It is purchased separately and then installed on the boiler .

Design of the “Heat” stove for a bath

The design of the “Heat” sauna stove is simply ingenious. The idea was based on an ordinary stove - a “potbelly stove”. It consists of the following main parts.

For the manufacture of sauna fireboxes, very high-quality thick-walled pipes up to 10 mm thick are used. Similar ones are used for laying oil pipelines. Their shape may differ depending on where the fuel loading process will take place. The firebox must be connected to the chimney.

It can be purchased complete with the stove or made independently. The chimney design is a coil. A chimney of this shape evens out the draft, saves fuel, and makes it safer, since there are no sudden emissions of flue gas. The convenience of the finished chimney is that it consists of several detachable elements. which can be cleaned of soot as needed.

For a villager familiar with the structure of a conventional stove, such a name as grate is not new. This is a heavy, removable grate on which firewood or coal is placed. After long-term use, it can be replaced with a new one.

An obligatory attribute of a bathhouse is a water tank. They differ in the quality of the metal used, namely its thickness. On the Zhara body there is a place for installing a tank. The large lid on the tank allows you to fill it with water using a container or hose.

By modern standards, the price of Zhara sauna stoves is more than affordable. The stoves of the most popular models can actually be purchased for 10-15 thousand. Considering that it can be installed without the involvement of specialists. then it's very cheap. The cost of work and materials to weld an ordinary “potbelly stove” will cost much more.

In addition, the manufacturer is ready to help you free of charge choose the optimal stove option for the expected volume of the room, its possible load, operating time throughout the year and type of firebox.

“Heat” is designed for the bulk of buyers.

Chimney

It can be purchased complete with the stove or made independently. The chimney design is a coil. A chimney of this shape evens out the draft, saves fuel, and makes it safer, since there are no sudden emissions of flue gas. The convenience of a finished chimney is that it consists of several detachable elements that can be cleaned of soot as necessary.

Firebox

For the manufacture of sauna fireboxes, very high-quality thick-walled pipes up to 10 mm thick are used. Similar ones are used for laying oil pipelines. Their shape may differ depending on where the fuel loading process will take place. The firebox must be connected to the chimney.

grate

For a villager familiar with the structure of a conventional stove, such a name as grate is not new. This is a heavy, removable grate on which firewood or coal is placed. After long-term use, it can be replaced with a new one.

An obligatory attribute of a bathhouse is a water tank. They differ in the quality of the metal used, namely its thickness. On the Zhara body there is a place for installing a tank. The large lid on the tank allows you to fill it with water using a container or hose.

By modern standards, the price of Zhara sauna stoves is more than affordable. The stoves of the most popular models can actually be purchased for 10-15 thousand. Considering that it can be installed without the involvement of specialists, it is very cheap. The cost of work and materials to weld an ordinary “potbelly stove” will cost much more.

In addition, the manufacturer is ready to help you free of charge choose the optimal stove option for the expected volume of the room, its possible load, operating time throughout the year and type of firebox.

“Heat” is designed for the bulk of buyers.

Installation Features

There are some specifics for installing Heat stoves (gas and wood):

Installation diagram of Zhara stoves

1. If the floor where the stove is installed is made of flammable materials, then protection should be installed with a metal sheet over a 10-mm layer of asbestos cardboard so that the edges of the metal protrude 250 mm around the perimeter. The distance from the floor to the bottom of the stove should be 100 mm; it is recommended to use a foundation laid in a quarter of a brick.
2. To protect the hot metal body from the intense heat, a protective screen made of brick or other fire-resistant material is installed around the stove. The brick screen is made in ½ or ¼ brick at a distance of 40–50 mm from the furnace body; in its lower part, air passages are arranged in increments of 250 mm. To lay a protective convection screen made of brick, it is better to use oven bricks, and prepare the mortar from sand and red clay.
3. The partition between adjacent rooms into which the heating unit is installed, in the immediate vicinity of the stove on the left, right and top must be made of fireproof materials of at least 500 mm. Read more in the article “How to install a metal stove for a bath.”
4. The chimney must be at least five meters high. Plan a straight option for its placement with a minimum number of knees.

Warning! The manufacturer categorically does not recommend making the connections between the stove and the chimney and the water tank non-separable. This is necessary to prevent fires and ease dismantling.

Sauna stoves Heat: Types and models

Manufacturers of bath units under this Zhara brand offer three models of heat generators for baths and saunas:

1. Sauna stoves Zhara Malyutka are produced in several modifications, which differ in size, weight and volume of the heated room. The highest cost is the 600E modification, capable of heating a room with a volume of up to 14 m3.
2. Heat generators Zhara Standard can be purchased both in a standard configuration and with a combustion chamber. Stoves with a combustion box can heat a steam room, the volume of which reaches 20 m3. The weight of such an installation is 120 kg, so its installation will require a foundation.
3. Heat Super units are designed for bath complexes and are capable of heating rooms up to 36 m3. The wall thickness is 12 mm, and the weight is 200 kg.

According to user reviews, Zhara brand bath heat generators have good performance characteristics, provide light steam and the required amount of heat. The disadvantages include the insufficiently stylish appearance of the device. Therefore, Zhara brand stoves are not suitable for installation in bathhouses with an elite design.

Independent production of heating installations of this type according to drawings will not allow achieving the same operational parameters that are inherent in factory models.

Wood stoves

Sauna units operating on solid fuel differ in the following indicators:

• the depth of the firebox chamber is from 400 to 750 mm, based on its size, the length of the firewood is determined;
• firebox thickness - models with a reinforced arch are designated “U”, with a thinner “E”;
• type of organization of the combustion process - stoves heated from the dressing room or from the street are equipped with a combustion chamber with a depth of 200, 250 or 350 mm.

“Zhara” stoves do not have the most attractive appearance, but are very reliable and economical

We present to your attention an overview of the technical characteristics of stoves heated from a dressing room or steam room.

The smallest of this series are “Zhara-Extra” and “Zhara-Malyutka”, they are designed for a steam room volume of 4–16 m3 and have a mass of 35–64 kg. The thickness of the firebox wall is 5–9 mm, depending on the model. “Malyutkau” can be equipped with an external firebox. The stoves have an open heater that can hold from 35 to 96 kg of stones, and are the cheapest of all offered by the company.

“Zhara-Standard” were developed for steam rooms with a volume of 14 to 32 m3. They have a firebox wall thickness of 6.5–8 mm and a weight of 80–112 kg. They are also available in standard configurations and with an external firebox.

The Zhara-Super stove is the largest of the wood-burning stoves from this manufacturer. It is designed for heating steam rooms from 20 to 40 m3. It can accommodate 148 kg, the firebox wall thickness is 10 mm.

Heat Malyutka 500

Metal sauna stoves Zhara Malyutka 500 are designed for small rooms with a maximum area of ​​4 to 18 cubic meters. m. The water heating tank is not included in the basic package, but can be installed at the customer’s request on a pipe or rear wall.

The number in the model name indicates the length of the combustion chamber. The maximum length of firewood is 470 mm. The weight of the structure with full stones is 134 kg. The expected service life is 10 years.

Heat Standard 650

Sauna stove Heat Standard 650 with a water tank - this model is more productive and can heat a steam room up to 32 cubic meters. m. However, there is no point in installing it in a bathhouse whose area is less than 14 m³.

The combustion chamber can accommodate firewood up to 620 mm long. The thickness of the firebox walls is 8 mm. Heating the room to a temperature of 100 degrees is carried out within 40 - 60 minutes. The model provides the possibility of facing with bricks: 125 and 200 mm protrusion.

Heat Extra 400 and 400U

Iron sauna stove Zhara Extra 400 is popular among owners of small sauna premises. It is the optimal solution for installation in a steam room up to 14 cubic meters. It has a light weight of 35 kg, despite the fact that the heater can hold up to 60 kg of stones.

The combustion chamber is made of metal 5 mm thick, which makes it possible to use Heat Extra 400 for five years.

The Zhara Extra 400U stove has an almost identical design solution, but differs in that 8 mm steel is used for the firebox. The thickness of the metal affects both the weight of the product (44 kg, with a fully loaded heater 104 kg) and the service life (3 years of warranty service, the expected service life of the Extra 400U is at least 20 years).

Gas stoves for saunas Heat

These units are produced for heating rooms of different sizes, can be made with different wall thicknesses of the combustion chamber, differ in weight, type of GGU (gas burner device) and cost. Appearance and drawing of the stove in the photo.

Sauna stove "Heat" running on gas

MalyutkaGaz is the smallest representative of this series of sauna stoves. It is designed for heating steam rooms from 4 to 12 m3 and is equipped with an automatic SABK-9 gas generator with a power of 15 kW. Its weight is small - 52 kg, dimensions WxDxH 400x725x575 mm, firebox wall thickness 5 mm. An open heater that can accommodate 100 kg of stones.

Design of the gas sauna stove “Zhara”

The StandardGas and SuperGas models are designed for heating steam rooms from 10 to 24 m3 and are equipped with a more powerful 30 kW SABK-10 gas turbine unit. The mass of the units is 92 and 124 kg, respectively. Their technical characteristics are presented in the table.

Attention. The combustion process of all Zhara gas heating units is carried out only from the adjacent room (from the dressing room or washing room).

Gas stoves are additionally equipped with a chimney and water tanks with a volume of 50, 73 and 90 liters. It is very important to choose the right volume of the water tank, since its small capacity will not provide all visitors with hot water, and a tank that is too large will take a long time to heat up. There are reviews from customers who have encountered this problem.

Advice! When choosing a water tank, proceed not only from the required volume of water, but also from the power of the heating unit.

It is important to understand whether it is capable of heating this volume simultaneously with the room? According to all standards, no more than 10% of the furnace power should be spent on heating water. In addition, it is more convenient to heat water in small portions: first you need a small amount to steam a broom, later to wash yourself before entering the steam room, then some more to rinse after entering the steam room. Based on the maximum consumption at a time, you need to choose the volume of the tank, and not calculate the total amount of water that may be needed for the entire bath procedure.

Technical characteristics of gas sauna stoves “Zhara”

Heat Malyutkagaz

Malyutkagaz - used for heating rooms up to 12 cubic meters. m. It has small dimensions of 400*725*575 cm. The power of the Malyutkagaz equipment is enough to heat 100 kg of stones, ensuring uniform heating of the room. The structure of the gas stove in the Zhara Malyutkagaz bathhouse can be equipped with a water tank.

Heat Standardgas

Sauna gas stove Zhara Standardgas - installed to heat a room with an area of ​​at least 10 cubic meters. m. Maximum heated area 24 cubic meters. m. The Heat Standardgas design allows you to heat the steam room from the dressing room, which increases the operating comfort. The bath is heated automatically.

Heat Supergas

Heat Supergas stove - the difference from the previous version of this model is mainly in the thickness of the firebox arch and, therefore, in the service life. The Supergas model is designed to operate for 20 years, compared to Standardgas for only 10 years.

All gas equipment has mandatory certification and fully complies with the requirements for the installation of gas equipment. It is therefore possible to obtain an operating permit from the local Gas Authority.

Questions and answers

The selection and operation of a gas stove for a bath requires experience and skills in operating such equipment. At first, a lot of questions arise, and most of them are the same. It is easier to answer them immediately to eliminate the risk of errors.

Which gas stove burner should you prefer during the selection process?

There are many options here. First of all, you should not be guided by the name of the manufacturer - you need to pay attention to the design of the device and consider how it is installed. The burner flame should not touch the metal of the body or firebox - this will cause rapid burnout and failure of the stove. The best option would be a micro-flare burner, the efficiency of which is in no way inferior to conventional models, but there is practically no danger of burning through the walls of the furnace.

What is more convenient, atmospheric or closed (pressurized) burner design?

Atmospheric structures can be used if the volume of the room exceeds 12 m3. In addition, they are highly dependent on external conditions, require stable draft and are often capricious due to drafts. However, if normal conditions are created for them, the furnace operates stably and does not require electricity. Closed burners require power supply (ventilation, control, control of the combustion process). At the same time, they have much less danger of self-extinguishing.

How to choose the furnace power?

The power of a gas furnace must be calculated. This is a difficult procedure, requiring calculation of the volume of premises, adjustments for the size and number of windows, finishing materials, etc. Independent calculation is difficult, but you can use an online calculator (there are many of them on the Internet, you can use several resources to clarify the results). You can do it simpler and calculate the furnace power based on the ratio of 1 kW per 1 m3. However, this method will give too approximate (and possibly erroneous) results.

What is the fuel consumption of a gas furnace?

This parameter is individual for each model. Average indicators here provide too little useful information, since gas consumption depends not only on the size or configuration of the premises. Here it is necessary to take into account the combustion mode, water heating losses and other specific features. However, for orientation, we can proceed from average values ​​- a 10 kW furnace in average mode consumes 0.85 m3 of liquefied gas or 1 m3 of natural gas per hour of operation.

What is better, to choose an imported or domestic gas stove?

Imported stoves are expensive. In addition, they are too dependent on the quality and pressure of the fuel, the stability of the power supply, grounding and other technical details. Therefore, it is more profitable and correct to purchase an unpretentious and inexpensive gas stove of domestic production.

How often should furnace maintenance be done?

This depends on the load, device parameters, its design and operating conditions. The frequency of maintenance is indicated in the device passport. It is not recommended to ignore the manufacturers' instructions. If exact data is not available, prophylaxis should be carried out once a year. To do this, you should call a technician from the service center or a gas service technician.