The sauna heater is the heart of the sauna room. Careful consideration should be given to the choice of heater for your maximum satifaction with your sauna. There are many factors to consider in your choice. We will go through them one by one below. If you need help, please visit the experts at http://www.thesaunadepot.com or call 800-488-6344 and speak to a knowledgeable representative.
1. Determine the size of the heater you need. Heaters are sized in kilowatts (KW). The amount of KW needed is based on the cubic volume of your sauna room. Length x Width x Height.
A room 5 x7 x 7 is 245 cu ft. which would require a 6 KW heater for instance.
SIZE MAX CU FT.
KW 2 100
KW 4 200
KW 6 300
KW 7.5 375
KW 8 425
Larger rooms and most commercial applications will require larger, commercial sauna heaters.
Heaters are available up to 16KW
2. Almost every model of sauna heater is electric and will require 220 power and a dedicated breaker. Make sure these are available to your designated space. Natural gas and propane heaters are available but are for a minimum 300 cu ft room and are about twice the price.
3. Do you want wall mount controls on the wall outside the sauna room or do you want controls right on the heater? There are pros and cons to each. Many people like the convenience of just going over to the wall and turning it on, others like the controls where they can reach them while sitting in the sauna where they can adjust the tempurature or reset the timer.
Most saunas whether they have wall controls or heater controls have 2 knobs, a 60 min timer and a thermostat. That is what comes standard with most units. There are some more high tech heaters with digital control pads allowing for presets and memory. Heater mount controls are easier to install.
4. Consider appearance and exterior heat. Do you want an all stainless steel heater? A baked enamel finish? A heat resistant exterior coating? If you have controls on the heater do you want them on the top or the bottom? All these factors will help you to narrow down your choices.
5. Most residential sauna heaters have mounting brackets and mount on the wall about 8 - 10 inches off the floor. Besides the size of the heater, allow an extra 2 inches or so for the brackets and another 3 - 4 inches for the wooden guard around the heater. Some models don't require a guard, so these might be a better choice for close spaces.
6. Allow for venting. Sauna rooms should have a vent down low by the heater and another up higher preferably diagonally across the room to allow for proper operation of the heater.
