The need for ventilation in the sauna
Do I need ventilation in the sauna? After all, precious heat is brought out along with a stream of air. This is the reasoning of an ignorant person.
In fact, it’s hard to breathe hot air, it becomes a little easier if the air is dry. But indoors, the abundance of moisture is released by sweating people. If you take a bath broom in your hands, then the humidity rises instantly and significantly. It is simply impossible to breathe, and there is no way you can name such a wellness procedure. First of all, the heart and blood vessels suffer, so ventilation is needed in every sauna to regulate humidity and oxygen supply.
Most often, a shower room and a rest room are adjacent to the steam room. These sauna rooms need ventilation. With high humidity, it is difficult to breathe, it is impossible to dry and dry. In the absence of air exchange, the walls of the room will eventually become moldy, an unpleasant odor will appear. Wooden structures rot, instead of 20 years, the sauna will last four times less.
The fact that ventilation is not in order is evidenced by the musty atmosphere and condensation on the walls or ceiling. Read more about how to properly ventilate in any sauna.
Basic rules for arranging ventilation in the sauna
Maintaining high temperature and having clean air. Here are the main requirements for ventilation in the sauna. In just 1 hour, the air in a small room should quietly exchange at least 4 times, so the ventilation system in the sauna is created according to special rules. Portions of fresh air should be mixed with the hot air of the room. The slightest errors in the calculations or installation threaten "drafts" or stuffiness. We will talk about the most effective and frequently used schemes, show how to make ventilation in the sauna with our own hands.
The ventilation device in the sauna can be mechanical, natural or combined. The first option for ventilation of the sauna in the cottage is quite expensive, so forced outflow of exhaust air is more popular. Fresh air from the street is drawn into the sauna when the pressure drops due to the operation of the exhaust fan.
The combined ventilation scheme in the sauna is good because it does not require the cross arrangement of exhaust grilles, and this is a necessary condition for the natural ventilation to work in the sauna. The video highlights the process of placing vents in convenient places. The system should ensure thorough mixing of cold and hot air currents. Otherwise, the temperature difference in the room will be too noticeable.
The laws of the ventilation device in saunas:
- The diameter of the exhaust pipe should not be less than the diameter of the supply, this is the norm;
- The pipe sections are selected in proportion to the volume: 24 centimeters of sectional area per 1 cubic meter of space;
- It is forbidden to establish an outflow and an inflow strictly opposite to each other;
- Sauna vents are equipped with ventilation valves to reduce or increase air flow.
Neglect of any of the rules will lead to disruption of the movement of air flows and inefficient operation of the system. How to make ventilation in the sauna with your own hands correctly?
Natural ventilation of the sauna
Natural ventilation of the sauna room is ensured by the differential pressure in the street and indoors. The advantage of this scheme is the low cost of installation and the absence of operating costs. Such ventilation in the sauna can be equipped with your own hands.
Natural ventilation can be carried out by:
- aeration;
- wind pressure.
The principle of aeration is the penetration of air from the street through vents in the lower part of the room. Rising up, he "squeezes out" hot masses through the duct. This is a good ventilation method for very hot saunas with lots of steam. Under such conditions, air exchange is quite intense. Schemes and photographs of ventilation in the sauna clearly demonstrate the process of movement of cold and hot air masses.
Wind pressure is possible only in the premises of the log house. The air pressure in the room is provided by strong gusts of wind, creating an air pressure on the leeward side. Through the gaps between the logs, air exits on one side and enters on the other.
It is impossible to regulate the intensity of ventilation in such a room: during strong winds there can be a draft, a sufficient temperature is not maintained. A photo of the natural ventilation in the sauna is included.
Mechanical ventilation in the sauna
Mechanical, it is forced ventilation in the sauna is established when there is no way to organize a natural inflow or blowing. Equipment for forced ventilation of the sauna is quite complex and expensive: fans, air filters, heaters, coolers.
Forced outflow
With a forced sauna ventilation system, exhaust air blowing is provided by exhaust fans. Before being thrown out, the air is filtered.
There is an urgent need for forced air evacuation in saunas with large pools, public institutions that receive many visitors, and washing rooms.
The system removes gases, steam, odors, providing visitors with clean and fresh air.
Forced air flow
The influx of mechanical ventilation of a wooden sauna is forced. In some cases, it is not possible to provide a natural flow of fresh air from the street. Then use the supply system. It is quite complex and contains a noise reduction mechanism, a supply air chamber, check valves, diffusers and distribution grilles.
As a rule, air is heated and filtered before being fed.
Simple and effective combination ventilation schemes for saunas
The schemes given by us clearly explain how to make ventilation in the sauna with your own hands.
Scheme number 1
The air inlet is equipped directly behind the firebox 0.2 m above the floor. A fume hood is planned on the wall opposite, at the same height. Air from the street passes through a hot stove, rushes up to the ceiling. As the temperature decreases, the airflow drops and reaches the exhaust vent.
With such a ventilation device in any sauna, a high temperature and excellent warming are provided.
Scheme No. 2
This ventilation is good for the sauna in the cottage, when only one wall of the room goes out onto the street.
Both blowing and supply are located on the outer wall directly opposite the firebox. Supply air at a height of 0.2 m from the floor, exhaust air with a built-in fan at 0.2 m from the ceiling.
A stream of cold air crashes into the hottest part of the stove, circulates the room and exits through the hood.
Scheme No. 3
Provides soft heating of the room. The air supply is equipped behind the firebox at the level of 0.5 meters from the floor. A hood with a fan on the wall opposite is 0.2 meters from the floor.
The air masses move in a circle: they warmed up from the stove, rose, fell and fell on the exhaust fan.The air movement in this scheme is not so intense, so the temperature in the room is uniform, a gradual, uniform heating is guaranteed.
You can combine forced ventilation in a wood sauna with natural outflow. The supply air creates an increased pressure in the room, accelerating the removal of waste through the ventilation grilles. By means of ventilating valves of a sauna the air stream is regulated. It’s quite possible to construct such a ventilation system of a sauna with your own hands, having some construction skills.
Sauna ventilation scheme taking into account utility rooms and calculations
This scheme takes into account not only the steam room, but also the washing department and the relaxation room. Below we provide an explanatory video of ventilation in the sauna.
- steam room - natural ventilation is equipped;
- washing - mechanical hood;
- rest room - natural influx and blowing;
- utility room - a mechanical hood, triggered by a light switch.
Calculation of air exchange and duct diameter in a sauna
Make ventilation in the sauna "like a neighbor" will not work. Accurate calculations are needed. At the design stage of forced ventilation, air exchange is determined. This is the volume of air that must be replaced in this room in 1 hour.
Air exchange = Oh x k,
Where ABOUT - air volume in the room,TO - air exchange rate.
The air exchange rate is a value determined for each type of room:
- steam room – 5;
- shower room – 50;
- restroom – 3;
- massage – 5.
The calculated digit is rounded up to 0 or 5 after the decimal point.
Between the value of the inflow and blowing, a balance must be maintained. Therefore, when, according to the calculations, the inflow is greater, the exhaust ratio also increases.
Given the values obtained, the diameters of the air channels are calculated.
The shape of the cross-section of the ducts depends on the design and type of ventilation, but it is easier to mount round ducts. The knees are connected to each other using connecting fittings for the sauna. Ventilation valves are purchased at any major construction supermarket along with all the necessary supplies.
When selecting the fan power, you should definitely leave a supply of air exchange. The total power of the supply fans should actually be 6 - 10% less than the power of the exhaust fans. This ensures a complete "drawing" of used air from the room.
The difference in performance is offset by natural influx through the gaps in the walls and doors.
The role of the furnace in sauna ventilation
Specialized equipment provides optimal ventilation parameters in the sauna. Allows you to set the desired temperature and humidity, supply power and heating. However, such ventilation cannot be installed in the sauna with your own hands, and high-tech equipment is very expensive. Therefore, most owners use traditional methods that have worked well for centuries.
And with such technologies, air is supplied by the stove. Most often, the furnace is equipped in the steam room or in the adjacent room. In the second case, heating is carried out by a furnace tunnel. As a rule, metal fire chambers are installed in saunas, which are covered with stone or brick. Facing, you should leave cracks that provide a small flow of air. The gap between the brick and the stove is left up to 1 cm. The front surface of the furnace is faced with brick in three rows.
Airflow in the sauna
Air inflow to the furnace is ensured by a special duct located under the floor. The outlet is made as close to the firebox as possible. The duct duct is equipped with a diameter 1/5 greater than the cross section of the chimney. The air supply must be directly from the street, so that it is really fresh, without additional smells of the basement.
You can collect such ventilation in the sauna with your own hands. A box with access to the street is installed along the baseboard. The inner slice is closed by a lattice, and the outer one is closed so that insects or rodents do not fall into it.
When the firebox enters the steam room, one channel should be equipped for the influx, the other for convection. Many hide the bottom box under the podium on the floor. The stove is installed on it, a metal sheet is pre-lined to prevent fire. The stove is faced with brick, after which a screen with two doors for convection is erected. Through them, heat spreads from the furnace throughout the room, as well as fresh air.
Ensuring the outflow of air in the sauna
The outflow of air is carried out by an exhaust ventilation duct located diagonally relative to the supply. This design guarantees excellent ventilation of the steam room. If the wall of the lining of the stove goes into an adjacent room, it is necessary here to equip the convection door.
The outlet of the outlet channel is equipped 20 to 25 cm from the floor. Then the pipe goes up to the ceiling and is brought out. It is most convenient to use plastic ventilation pipes. For beauty, they are covered from above with boxes of wooden lining. Most often, boxes with a diameter of 125 square meters are used. cm.
During kindling, the lower doors do not close. Through the upper, warm air will be drawn, partially falling into the firebox again and warming up again. This phenomenon is called acceleration of the furnace. Having achieved intense burning, the lower doors are closed, while the upper ones are left open.
Through ventilation, cold air is supplied under the firebox, its temperature rises and through the upper doors it goes to the steam room. Thus, the entire volume of steam air warms up completely, to the lowest layers. After that, hot air masses will be squeezed out cold into the rest room, washing room and so on.
Thus, heating is provided at the same time, look at the photo of ventilation in the sauna.
Sauna chimney insulation
Full thermal insulation of the ventilation duct pipe reduces the heat influx into the room. Using a sandwich pipe in a sauna impairs ventilation and smoke extraction. But the chimney from the stove can be effectively used to ventilate the sauna in the cottage.
Of course, a metal chimney is not left open. The best option is a casing made of bricks with a blow hole left in the 2nd row of masonry. Another hole is left at the top and a heat pump is obtained. It works great as part of the sauna ventilation in the cottage and speeds up heating.
When constructing ventilation in a sauna, it is important to understand that each room and each furnace has its own “character”. Therefore, all the recommendations received must be tailored to each specific case. There is no universal ventilation scheme in a wooden sauna. Not knowing how to make ventilation in the sauna, it’s not worth taking up this difficult task.
See the video for details of the ventilation scheme in the sauna.
